Are you panicking? School starts in 2 weeks. You’re thinking about curriculum, school supplies, when you can finally log into Vista and place your orders, and “Ahhh! Can I really do this??”

Many of us remember our first days of school from childhood—the new clothes, the new lunch box and binders, the smell of a fresh box of crayons, and the stack of new books that the teacher hands out. Everything was fresh and ready. I loved that feeling. I’ve tried to recreate it for my kids at home many times.

I want to encourage you to consider a shift in your perspective. I’ve noticed that my kids don’t seem to care that much. We’ve always followed a pretty traditional school schedule, so there’s always a new beginning, but they don’t know that they’re “supposed” to have new clothes. Why would they need a lunchbox? And we’ve already got an awful lot of crayons. The longer I’ve homeschooled, the fewer new books or curriculum there are each year. We have shelves full from previous years, and several online subscriptions that are still active.

Have you ever noticed that public schools start strong with those new books and fresh classrooms, but by the end of the year there doesn’t seem to be much happening? A lot of field days, trips, turning in books and other not-so-teaching moments? There’s a very soft end at a brick-and-mortar school.

So flip that around for us. It might take you a couple of weeks to get everything you need, finish your plans, and get organized. But at the end of the year, you’ll still be going strong—wrapping up those math lessons, squeezing in the field trip that backs up the history lessons you’ve been teaching, or participating in recitals for the lessons your kids have been taking. Often, homeschool students push right through to the end.

So don’t worry if the beginning of the school year doesn’t look like you remember it. You’re not homeschooling to get that public school experience, right? Make the beginning of the year special for your family in a way that’s special for your family. There’s so much learning that can happen even before the books arrive.

And if you just really love the smell of new crayons, they’re on sale pretty much everywhere right now. Grab a box and color something with your kids. Enjoy your year. Don’t let the stress of old expectations steal your peace.

And welcome to the 2023-2024 school year. Here we go!