Are you a complete and utter Waldorf book and curriculum junkie?  Do you have small children under the age of 7 and probably close to a hundred different Waldorf books?  Do you spend hours on the Waldorf big lists, forums and other “Waldorf expert sites”?

If you do, then this post is for you.  If you are spending a lot of time reading and planning and not a lot of doing, I am speaking to you today.

Just. Step. Away. From. The. Books.

I want you to find a half an hour for yourself, ALONE and get a piece of paper.

I don’t know how old your children are, or where you are in your Waldorf journey, but let’s assume you have young children under the age of 7.  Here are a few questions for you to meditate on:

• What draws you to Waldorf homeschooling for your family?
• What is least appealing about Waldorf homeschooling to you?  What do you find completely challenging these days?
• Have you read any of Steiner’s works yourself?  List them.
• What have you physically done so far in your Waldorf journey?  Have you started on your own inner work?  Have you structured your environment?  Have you started having with more consistent rhythm in your home?  Have you moved on toward incorporating more practical work in your home by hand on a consistent basis?  Are you going outside more?  Look at what you HAVE done and congratulate yourself!  Rome wasn’t built in a day; think baby steps!  Waldorf does not have to be dogma that sucks the joy out of your life; it should be the thing that helps you create joyous family connections!
• Are you down to picking stories and verses for circle time and other activities and feeling lost?  Where is the disconnect for you?

Sometimes Waldorf homeschooling can seem like a lot of work; like it incorporates an entire lifestyle as opposed to just a way to educate your child.  I am encouraging you to step back and breathe.  You do not have to be Waldorf –perfect!  Waldorf is a journey, and Waldorf at home is completely different than Waldorf at Waldorf school in so many ways.

Waldorf homeschooling is first and foremost about family.  So, if you feel like you are ready to ditch Waldorf because it is all too hard, step back.  Take a break.  Do something out of the routine. Remind yourself of how far you have come!

Also, remind yourself that homeschooling in general is an exercise of the parent’s will, no matter what method you choose.  Even if you choose a completely open a workbook and teach your four year old cursive kind of thing, you still have to choose to open the book each day that you are homeschooling.  Even if you are unschooling, you still have to take the time each day to find out what is speaking to your child’s soul and how to best stimulate that.  Homeschooling is hard work at times, and does require discipline on the part of the parent!

The lovely thing about Waldorf is the early years can be mainly being home, being outside, and playing, along with lots of singing and verses and storytelling.  Waldorf early years gives you a lot of time to work up to the discipline you will need for the grades.

So, if you find yourself overwhelmed, just step away from all those books and search your heart for how Waldorf would be right and how it would look in your family.  Connect with your family because that is what it is all about.

Please leave your comments and challenging things in the comment section and maybe we can all help each other!

Peace,

Carrie