Charlotte Mason for Moms

Posted by Marybeth | 0 comments

Atmosphere affects our attitude…we become what we think about. If you’ve ever read anything about Charlotte Mason, chances are you have heard this quote. Perhaps you have even tried to implement these elements into your own educational experience. Maybe you have created an atmosphere of learning for your children, enforced the discipline of good habits with them, and helped them grasp that all of life is learning.

But have you done this for yourself? Today I want to challenge you to discover Charlotte Mason for moms! How can we embrace her theory of education in our own lives?

Atmosphere: We can create an atmosphere that gives us joy and peace just by walking into our homes. Why is atmosphere important? Because atmosphere affects our attitude. Think about your home’s atmosphere. Do messes abound? Does disorder rule? Does chaos cause your blood pressure to rise? A negative home atmosphere isn’t good for any of us—not the mom, not the children and definitely not the husband. While I haven’t done a scientific study, I have yet to meet a husband who thrived on disorganization and messiness. Most of them enjoy walking into a tidy home and a meal on the table at the end of the day. While my husband doesn’t expect it—and definitely understands when that doesn’t happen—I know our marriage is better and our lives are richer when I do the extra work it takes to make our home a haven. We can create a peaceful atmosphere and involve our kids in helping us do so. In our house, we take several times a day to tidy up messes and attend to household duties. Just spending these few moments helps me feel capable and calm. At the end of the day, some soft music, a lit candle, and something yummy simmering on the stove seems to settle us all.

Discipline: If we want our children to live disciplined lives, we have to live disciplined lives in front of them. We can preach about the importance of time with God, doing daily chores, and living out our priorities, but if our children see us ignoring our duties, talking on the phone and surfing the internet instead, our words will most likely fall on deaf ears. How can we form good habits? How can we make time for the things we want to make time for? How can we implement methods that allow our days to flow more smoothly and our homes to be a place of peace? Reading books about areas we fall short in, asking our friends for advice, and visiting blogs like this are all ways to make investments in our own discipline. We become what we think about. So I want to spend time learning from wise people who can help me become disciplined in my weak areas, constantly forming better habits and refocusing on what’s important.

Life: If all of life is learning, then what are you studying these days? I don’t think that just because we graduate from school, we should ever stop putting ourselves through courses of study. The fun part is that, once we graduate, we can choose what we want to learn! As moms we can take advantage of the time we have to immerse ourselves in learning new skills, reading great literature and pursuing creative activities. Whether its writing or painting or pottery or knitting, we can take advantage of the abundance of opportunities that are all around us. Check out community classes in your area. Visit the library and wander up and down the adult aisles. What piques your interest? What have you always wanted to know more about? I am constantly learning about the craft of writing, discovering new techniques and ideas in homeschooling, and gleaning from the wisdom of moms I respect by reading their books and blogs. I see opportunities to learn and grow in my knowledge, my character, and my relationship with God everywhere I look. I think that seeing me always learning makes a much bigger impact on my children than just telling them that learning is fun and exciting.

How have you created an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life for yourself? I hope we can encourage each other that Charlotte Mason’s ideas aren’t just for the children. They don’t get to have all the fun!

Marybeth Whalen is homeschooling mom to six children ranging in age from teen to toddler, as well as a speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries. In her writings, she addresses things like burnout, dealing with interruptions, and handling homeschooling from a very practical perspective. Be sure to visit her blog, Cheaper by the Half Dozen.