Myths of the Homeschooled

I was going through some papers earlier today and happened across this list I entitled Myths of the Homeschooled (which I may or may not have posted here in the past).  Anyway, it made me laugh.  I am such the extreme people pleaser, and as such I have struggled all through our homeschooling years with trying to not place unfair (not to mention unrealistic) expectations upon myself and our boys.  Here are some of those expectations:

1.  As a Christian homeschooler, my children will always speak, act, and work with the same diligence, peace, and patience that Jesus did.
2.  My children will love every moment of their school lessons and always ask to do more,
3.  My children, after their schoolwork is completed, always are excited to get to their chores and do them in perfect harmony,
4.  My homeschooled children always get along, never argue or disagree and work together on everything without incident
5.  I am always energetic and excited for every day of school,
6.  My hair is always well groomed/perfect, makeup done and I'm dressed up every day,
7.  My house is always spotlessly clean, neat and tidy with everything in its place,
8.  My children always beg to be helpful, always want to spend time with our family and never desire to play with anyone else,
9.  I am always the joyful, patient Proverbs 31 woman God created me to be,
10.  My children are always well-behaved in public, never speak out of turn, and demonstrate their intelligence in every public outing...

Okay, well, let's get back to the real world here...  My children are just that... children.  And they will act like children.  My house is typically messy until Saturday (or for a few weeks after a week-long camping trip), and I sometimes love to just hang out in a baggy, worn out t-shirt & jeans.  (And yes, I throw my hair in a very unkempt ponytail and wear no makeup!)  Our boys argue frequently, and aren't afraid to just be themselves when in public (though I admit it would be nice if they'd just stand there and not move if I'm busy with something sometimes).  We all love homeschooling, however, we do get tired and worn out and all have days when we'd love to be doing just about anything other than another math lesson.  Over the years, the Lord has grown me through many of those expectations (though He's still working on some), and I've learned to let go of it all and rely upon Him to guard my heart and guide my days...