To the Mom Considering Homeschool: 5 Reasons it's Not as Hard as You Think

Just last week, I called a good friend of mine and fellow homeschool mama and said: "I'm having one of those days." You know, where you-tube is the stand-in teacher. I'm huddled in my bed probably with a piece of chocolate all while mentally coaching myself out of chasing down the next yellow bus I see and putting my kid on it. She understood because well, she was having a day too.

Home education, like anything worthwhile, is not always easy. In fact, there are days when it feels downright cumbersome. And overwhelming and frustrating and exasperating.

Nonetheless, at this point in my life (when my toddler is either on my hip or climbing on the kitchen table as I teach math) I feel more satisfied and at peace with my circumstances then I can ever recall.

(It might also be because my stud of a hubs is working at home now too woohoo!!!)

In life, there is a keen difference between working and toiling. Toiling is the never-ceasing striving that often involves a task that is seemingly difficult but necessary. Working involves a way of rhythm where a liturgy of joy and value infuses nearly every step.

Most days I wake up as a homeschool mom and I work. But because it feels so purposeful there is an underlying tone of peace in my life. A mindset of: this is really natural.

What is good about home school, far far has surpassed the challenging. Here are 5 reasons homeschooling is easier than you may assume:

You are the expert. Parents you will always have a leg up on formal school teachers. Why? ( I love teachers, and they deserve our full support and praise, see my previous post)As the parent you are intrinsically motivated to see your child succeed.

You have been with your kid for the last six years (or 50,000 hours) which makes you nearly an expert. Throw in that freaky mother intuition thing and I’d say along with that you can cater to your individual child's needs. Tailoring a child's education where their natural strengths are enforced will promote a desire to learn themselves. There is an ever-growing amount of quality curricula out there but a mom rooting for her kid? All while communicating love and belief? You can’t put a price on that.

Authority is less diffuse. I had a friend once say to me that he could never home educate his child because his kid listens so much better to a gymnastics coach or a swim instructor. I hear you. My kids do too. But let us recognize that they are wired to push back on their parents. That testing and pushing buttons may be indicative of a heart issue. They want and need us to regularly exhibit wholehearted love. And really, probably that we like them too. When kids disobey time and time again and when we forgive and ask for forgiveness ourselves it displays just that. A love that knows no bounds.

And it is essential for our kids to view authority as a good thing. Adhering to good authority produces fruit and joy in their lives. If they can grasp that their parents love them and see that obeying is a way to flourish then when they are out on their own they will have a glimpse of a loving, relational God. They learn to obey in the small things then hopefully look to God in the big things when life gets more challenging and us parents are no longer there to guide them. You can absolutely still teach your kids all these things while they attend formal school but for me, the school at home route has made this easier. 

More Time. You know one regret that parents have across the board? That they had spent more time with their children. Eighteen years comes pretty darn fast. Homeschooling gives you ample time.

Now I’m not that crazy. I don’t spend every waking minute with my minions. Kudos to any mama who does but I just can’t. My girls read by themselves for 30 minutes(I read too, heck yeah) and watch tv for 60 minutes while little man naps and mommy gets a break. Every day. It’s glorious and needed.

They spend copious time with dad and grandparents too. I can recharge and then can focus on board games or playing soccer in the backyard in the evenings. But overall, they get the lions share of my attention. We read aloud frequently which often involves cuddling on the couch or gathering around the table for popcorn. More time to be with their parents has been worth it’s weight in gold.

There also seems to be a general assumption that we school for 7+ hours a day. Kindergarten is actually fortyish minutes, first and second grade? About an hour.

I would go so far to guess that more time for youth is a need in this frenzied consumer driven world. I'm so grateful mine have time to daydream, read, relax and really just be.

Socializing is easier. Bet you didn’t think I was going to say that. Veteran Homeschool mom and popular podcaster Heidi St. John has said: “My kids will only be as weird as I am."

Socializing is interacting with and enjoying others. Socialization is about conformity.

When people ask me how will my kids know how to act like other kids, I often want to say: "um which formal school behaviors do you think they should emulate?"

No other time in our lives do we interact with the same-aged peers for a full days time.

My girls have buddies at soccer, church, our pool, in the neighborhood and the homeschool co-ops. We hang just about every week with their cousins and they have a plethora of time with adults. But there are several days when yes, the only kids they interact with are their own siblings.

Family relationships offer us a greater capacity to learn to become a good friend. You can't hide from conflict all that much when you live with someone. Being home has enabled us all to learn to be forbearing, forgiving, communicate our hurts and apologize when needed. Communication skills that will further their ability to navigate an adult world. And this teaches them that relationships are highly valuable.

Flexibility and Freedom. We vacation when everyone else is in the classroom and the rental prices are affordable. Instead of snow days in March, we have sunshine days where we school (or don’t do school) outside. When anyone needs a mental health day we take it. We put on an audio book in the car and meet friends at the zoo or metro parks.

And who says we need to slog through every possible subject every single day? Summers for us often involve fun science projects (along with regular pool and water park visits of course) and we play so many board games all year long.

The world is so vast, no teacher can educate a child in everything. There are always gaps in knowledge. I remind myself of what my kids need and then make use of the time doing what my kids love and what I want to focus on.

To me, homeschooling has given our family a greater chance to dwell on what is good, beautiful and true. And my prayer is that once my kids do leave our home, they will look back and see a beacon of light, a safe place and that all that is truly marvelous comes from family and our amazing and loving, creator God. The One who views us as His children and calls us beloved.