I’d love to take credit for this brilliant blog post title, but I can’t. It is the title of the 4th chapter of Karen Andreola’s, A Charlotte Mason Companion. Ms. Andreola in fact took the words straight from Charlotte Mason’s writing.

I needed some reminding of this concept after a particularly relationship draining week. Between some weird schedule shifts (which are going to be part of the territory with Tim in graduate school), an out of sorts baby, and a 7 year old who decided it was time for our first power struggle of the year I think everyone was ready for this week to be over.
After a really rough Thursday, I declared pajama day for Friday. We stayed in our pajamas, played games, read books, baked cookies, and watched a little bit of television (which we don’t normally during the week). It was a relaxing day and after the babies got up from their naps we got dressed and headed out to the playground. I grabbed my Andreola book and a camp chair and sat down to read for a little bit and coincidentally opened straight to the chapter on relationships.
It was good to be reminded that relationships are part of what we are doing in homeschooling. They are, in fact, a HUGE part of it. Relationships are not only important to education, they are a part of education.
When we have a day where Mom doesn’t do much more than comfort a fussy baby, that is education.
As we work through our difficult days, we are learning about each other.
When we take a day for play after a rough week, we are still educating.
Beyond that, education cannot happen at the expense of relationships.
I needed that reminder this past week.