In a Charlotte Mason Education you as the table-setter can begin your journey with the simple idea of bringing a natural meal to your children. It sounds beautiful and natural- and it is. But sometimes with the myriad of posts, blogs, information, instagram, web sites, chatter, chatter, “I do this, you should too”… well it can quickly leave you drowning and overwhelmed. Even without the influence of instagram, the bar that CM sets is high. And, yes, as she says, for good reason. And she gives us her confidence that we can accomplish… the world all for the sake of our children.
Well I’m here to tell you, I’ve survived to this point, and, No, I can’t give my children the world. I completely understand what CM is pointing us to — the best, the ideal. And she doesn’t know what my strengths, weaknesses, abilities, knowledge, special talents, and resources are. She also doesn’t know my time availability, my baby situation, the ages of my children, their special needs, or our family situation. There is no way for her to speak to the specifics, so she lays out the best in the best possible circumstances and we, like her, hope in the best.
This is the ideal. The perfect.
But there is reality. real living life.
I probably don’t need to say more…. you understand, especially if you are feeling the tightness in your chest, the lobster boiling in the pot feeling, the overwhelm lurking around every corner. Or maybe you are new to homeschooling and are just getting your feet wet. With all the choices available today, overwhelm could quickly set in when you don’t know where or how to begin. Maybe your children had special needs, or maybe your family is going through a traumatic situation, maybe you have elderly family living with you, maybe you have financial difficulties. All these things must be accounted for.
Simple.
Life sometimes calls for Simple. It calls for it more often than we recognize or acknowledge. Jesus himself taught us… “all you who are weary, I am your rest.”
You will find throughout this site a series of blogs titled ‘Keep it Simple’. These are instructions for how to keep subjects simple. Stripping away all the fluff. Fluff isn’t bad, just like whipped topping is nice, homemade whipped cream is even better. But the apple pie can be eaten just as it is. So can our subjects. Sometimes, like everything else, we complicate it so much. Take it from my experience, if you pile too much whipped cream on… you burn out. Just eat the apple pie and enjoy it for what it is.
In honor Simple, one of my favorite CM quotes from Volume 4.
“In the spiritual as well as in the natural world, great means are always simple.” —Volume 4 bk 2 p.167