The day started off looking like a homeschool dream—both girls dove right into their activities without me having to hover or nudge. I was feeling smug, like maybe I actually had this whole rhythm figured out. Of course, that lasted all of ten minutes before real life barged in. We had donation projects to sort through, haircut appointments to run to, and a Zoom call with Meta/Facebook about my account that’s been exiled for 130 days. (Yes, one hundred and thirty. At this point, my Facebook page is basically living in a digital gulag, and we’re hanging by a thread hoping it makes parole.)
The saving grace came in the form of two wheels and sunshine—we rode our bikes over to a friend’s house who’s also homeschooling. It was the quickest reset button ever. While we were riding, someone driving past called out, “Moms are lucky, they get to relive their childhood twice.” And honestly? They’re right. I really am lucky to get to do this alongside my girls, even in the messy, scrambled days.
We wrapped up the night in true feral family fashion: me acting as the human jiu jitsu dummy while their dad demonstrated moves from class. I never thought I’d be the crash test mom for martial arts practice, but here we are. The girls are surprisingly into jiu jitsu, even though they’re usually such gentle souls. Maybe it’s the father-daughter bonding that hooks them… or maybe it’s just hilarious to take turns throwing mom on the living room rug.