Mom Guilt and Finding A Social Balance for Jude

Christmas is only a few days away and as I see friends post pictures of their child’s school Christmas party or play I start to feel a little mom guilt for homeschooling Jude. He is an extremely social kid, he craves social interaction. Since we started homeschooling he receives far less socialization than he used to and it’s starting to become evident in his daily activities. I’ve considered signing him up for sports teams or other group events but it is not an ideal time for our family to start any new activities (Christmas plus expecting a 4th baby). In no way do I regret the decision to pull Jude out of his school and homeschool him but I am struggling to find a healthy balance for both him and I to help give him the social interaction he needs.

Part of Jude’s personality and quirks include a lack of understanding social situations which makes it difficult for him to fit it and difficult for me to help him regulate. Ideally, the easiest solution would be to avoid social situations however having him integrated into normal social events is crucial for him to learn what is acceptable and what is not. I know I need to find some activities that will allow him to play with other children his age but I cannot commit myself to too much right now. We are expecting baby 4 anytime within the next few weeks and I’m already feeling stressed about how I will divide my time among my current responsibilities.

Today I took advantage of Joe’s flexible work schedule and took Jude on a small field trip to the NC Museum of Natural Science and out to lunch. While we didn’t socialize much with other children is was a nice little break from our regular routine and I hope it made him feel special. One of the benefits of homeschool is having a flexible schedule.

It might take a little time to get used to our different schedule, especially after the baby comes, but I’m hopeful we can find some activities Jude can join that will help give him the socialization he craves. Right now I’m looking into evening activities like Cub Scouts or Sports that would allow Joe to be more involved but we probably won’t make any big decisions until after the new year and the new baby.