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The biggest lesson I have learned is that homeschooling is not easy. There are good and bad things about homeschooling, just like with any form of education. It is a hard choice, and it is not for everyone.
I have been homeschooling for over four years. Now, that is not a lot compared to some, but I have learned a few things through the years about how to homeschool that I‘d like to share.
The biggest lesson I have learned is that homeschooling is not easy. You will have bad days. Lots of them. There will be days as a homeschool mom when you may want to threaten to send your kids off on that big yellow school bus. Now, will doing this be easier for you? Maybe, but nothing good in life ever comes easy. Is it the right thing to do? That is up to you. However, when that feeling comes, understand that it is NORMAL!
There are good and bad things about homeschooling, just like with any form of education. It is a hard choice, and it is not for everyone.
The good is you will love seeing your child’s eyes light up when something “clicks”, the bad is they are with you….all the time. Breaks are rare and this can be exhausting.
The bad news is there is no school nurse, cook, or teachers aides, all of these positions are filled by you! The good news is when your child gets hurt and needs a band-aid, or just wants a kiss from mom. You’re there-not someone else!
The good is that you can let your child stay in their pj’s every day if you want, and you can too! The bad is when an unexpected visitor shows up at 2:00 in the afternoon, you may be a little embarrassed you chose to do so 😉
The good is you will have SO much more time as a family, the bad is you will have less time for cleaning and will probably have to lower your housekeeping standards.
The great is you will have the freedom to teach your child biblical truths, your child will have an unbeatable teacher/student ratio, and learning will become a lifestyle. The ugly is that sometimes there will be tears from you and from your children.
To help get you through those bad days I encourage you to find a homeschool support group. This is crucial in my opinion, not just for your kids, but also for you! You will want someone who understands what you are going through. Some people are not “group” people and that is fine, but I encourage you to at least find another homeschooler and pair up and encourage each other. It will help a lot!
One of the most important things I have learned through the years, and I hope you learn to is to remember to take the time to enjoy your children. I wish I could go back to my first year and a half and relax. There were so many bad days because I pushed too hard. It was not fun! The 2nd and 3rd year was much more relaxed and now that I am getting ready to begin our 5th year, I feel I have learned so much. If you slow down and just enjoy the time you have with your kids it will make your life so much easier. Yes, there needs to be time to learn, time to teach and time to do school, but most importantly there needs to be time to enjoy each other as a family!
Homeschooling has been a huge blessing for our family. Homeschooling has allowed me to watch my girls blossom into beautiful young ladies who love the Lord, and love to learn. And that fruit I have seen from them through the years has been worth every tear, every bad day, and every doubt that I have ever had about homeschooling.
Do you have a good, bad, or ugly homeschool story to share?
Ha!! Aint that the truth 😉 Thank you!!
The bad is there are people living in your house 24/7 (don’t expect to live in a museum). The good is there are people living in your house 24/7 (you get to live each moment together!). 🙂 I enjoyed this thoughtful post!
Oh, I LOVE it!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I have been homeschooling for for 12 years – my hardest years were 2nd grade with my youngest and 9th with my oldest. I have threatened to sent them to school before (and then regretted it) and have locked them out of the house once. They got my cell phone out of the van and called Dad – he then called me and “talked me down”. We still laugh about this – the boys included. Laughter is a great way to get through the hard stuff.
I am in my 3rd year of homeschooling, and this has been my toughest year yet. I homeschool my older 2 children, and have an extremely active 3 year old boy, who can not be left unsupervised for even a few seconds. Every day something is broken, destroyed, and there’s always a few messes to wipe up. It’s been so hard, but I pray and hang in there. Having a good cry always helps. And I know that this is what’s best for them, or God would not have called our family to homeschool.
You are SO welcome! Thank you for stopping by 🙂 🙂
Yes, I could identify with everything. I am glad to know other moms feel the same way. Thank you for the encouragement!!!
Lol! Love it 🙂 Thank you!
Yep – the UPS man probably wonders why I am always hiding behind the door. It’s because I’m in my jammies! Great list.
It’s a relief when others can identify with what we’ve been through.
I’m so delighted you shared this post on the #SHINEbloghop Misty!
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
Thank you Jennifer! I think homeschool groups make a huge difference in making new homeschoolers feel “normal”. And I have so been where you were with your daughter. Not a proud moment for sure, but we learn from those moments and strive to do better next time 🙂
What a wonderful post Misty!
I’ve only homeschooled for one year and i wanted to throw in the towel many times last year. I even wrote once about how I was standing over my daughter, pointing at her and telling her she will not do anything else until she gets her work done. I walked away and bawled my eyes out because I felt like I had become the teacher I was afraid she would get in school!
I belong to a homeschool support group and it was shortly after that incident I was reassured by other homeschooling parents that they’ve all done similar things.
I loved this post. I loved your contrast of the good and bad.
Thanks so much for sharing.
xoxo