The Challenge of teaching with my kids...



Last week I held a few private classes at my house. I don't do this all the time, but when someone calls and needs a class and certification on short notice this is usually the only way I can accomodate them. I don't charge more for short notice private classes, but I do warn them up front that I have young children and they'll be at home.

Well, after last week those will be the last in my house for a while. It was inevitable, I can't expect my now 3 1/2 year old son and 1 year old daughter to play quietly while Mommy teaches a 3 hour class. This used to work. They would play with their quieter toys (I'd hide the really noisy ones) and we once even had a group of 9 Girl Scout Leaders over for a class. But now he just has too much energy and needs more of my undivided attention, which is challenging when I'm trying to teach.

I had slowly been realizing that trying to teach a class with my own children joining in was proving to be more and more difficult. I teach Mommy & Me classes and they work great, when I'm teaching at someone else's house and I'm not watching my children and teaching at the same time. I had made a plan knowing that this would be hard for my son. He was supposed to be having some fun time with Dad doing errands. The timing was planned so my daughter would be napping for most of the class. It started out perfectly. She did wake up earlier, but was content to sit next to me and watch everyone. What made it harder was when my husband had to suddenly go back to work and dropped my son off at home. I do have to give my son credit, he really did try as best as a 3 year old could to not be too loud, but he just wanted to play with our guests.

So I will still be teaching Mommy & Me classes and offering private classes as well. But just not in my house with my kids joining in. I think as they get older I'll be able to return to the convenience of having classes here. But for now I think we'll be teaching outside of the house for a while.

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