You’ve reached that point. You know that public school isn’t working but you’re not sure you’re cut out to homeschool. Just thinking about homeschooling has you shakin’ in your boots.
There is no doubt that making the leap from public school to homeschooling is one of the scariest things you’ll ever do. I researched it hardcore for months, spending literally hours a day reading about anything homeschool related. Yet I am somehow still not an expert and likely never will be.
In those months of preparation for the upcoming complete lifestyle change, I read about curriculums, schedules, how to set up a classroom, the importance of socialization and the latest educational gear. What I didn’t read about were the hard days, the days I would second-guess myself, the days I would want to pull my hair out and hang my kids on the clothesline by their toenails. No, no one tells us about these days. But the truth is, these days are small in comparison to the good days.
I also didn’t read about how much closer my family would become, how my girls would be each other’s best friends, how we would slowly become interested in new hobbies, how we could never plan well enough to avoid the curve balls of life, how Mom sets the mood for the day or how we would be making memories all day, everyday. Nope, no one tells you all about the good stuff about homeschooling.
Now that I have a couple of years of {incredibly successful} 😉 homeschooling under my belt, I have one big tip. This is the advice I give anyone thinking about homeschooling. This tip goes to the mom who has Google’d everything she needs to homeschool and to the mom who is just beginning to mull it over in her mind but is still too scared to even discuss it with anyone else. It goes to the parents who lay awake at night wondering “Should I homeschool?”
So, just one piece of advice must mean that it’s a pretty spectacular chunk of knowledge, right? Well, kinda. But it’s something I wish someone had told me all those years ago. When I was sending my kids away to a place where no one will ever love them as much as me. To a place where the wrong kind of “socialization” was taking place. To that place where their friends were on their side until they just weren’t anymore.
Yes, it’s one peice of pretty solid advice to anyone wondering “Should I homeschool?”
If you walk up to me and ask me “Should I homeschool?” my reply will be simple.
Just do it.
Seriously, just do it.
Quit second-guessing yourself and wondering if you will fail your child. Stop trying to figure out how you will ever find any alone time. Quit comparing yourself to everyone else and attempting to “keep up with the Jones’.” Quit worrying that you are not smart enough or even qualified.
If you’re thinking about homeschooling, just jump outside of your box, do what your gut is telling you and begin creating the life that you want for your family.
Honestly, what is the worse that can happen? You always have the option to put them back in public school, if homeschooling isn’t a good fit for your family. There are no rules saying you have to homeschool forever. In fact, I don’t currently plan to homeschool forever. That plan may change, as my plans tend to get screwed up on a daily basis.
The truth is, you probably already homeschooled your child, before ever sending them off to school. Who taught your child their colors, numbers and letters? And who taught them how to spell their name, how to get dressed or how to use a spoon? Who taught them not to touch a hot stove, how to use a potty or how to brush their teeth?
YOU DID!
And what a great teacher you were! Why then, at the age of 5 (or 6), are you suddenly “not qualified” to teach your child? Because the public school that you attended didn’t “qualify” you?
Have you ever stopped to think that God Himself gave you your child? Out of the 7.3 billion people on Earth, He chose you as their parent.
God doesn’t chose the qualified. He qualifies the chosen.
And you, my friend, are chosen.
But here’s the thing.
People are going to say ignorant things to you. They’ll spew out any thing to defend their own choice of public school. People think that anything different than their norm, is strange or even wrong. People question anything that isn’t mainstream, even if it is obviously better.
{ I know a lady who insisted that breastfeeding was “weird” and “disgusting.” Obviously there are hundreds more benefits to breastfeeding than there are negatives. But to her, it was strange so she wasn’t comfortable with it. Making people uncomfortable is kind of fun sometimes, though. 🙂 }
A wise man by the name of Albert Einstein once said “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” Smart guy, that one.
Not sure about you, but after taking a look at my own generation, I want WAY different for my kids. I prefer that they aren’t introduced to different “kinds of sex” in 7th grade, forced to use the restrooms with transgender kids, bullied, peer pressured or placed in an unsafe environment, every single day.
I’m not saying that public schools are the devil, but you can’t tell me that they are still considered the best environment to mold our future generations. When I was in high school, we loved a good brawl between the boys. But now, instead of a quick fist fight over a girl, we have cyber bullying, cell phones recording our every move and teachers who are afraid to discipline kids.
That doesn’t sound like much fun to me.
Not everything about public schools are bad. There are plenty of teachers who care about the students. But do they care more about my child than I do? Ha. Not even close. And as far as I’m concerned, love is the most qualifying trait one can have when considering your child’s education.
Am I saying that you won’t struggle? Absolutely not. It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be really hard. Heck, it might even be the hardest thing you’ll ever do.
But it is worth it.
It’s worth every single strand of premature gray hair. It’s worth being “poor” so you can afford to buy more colored pencils this week. It ‘s worth all of the sleepless nights that you’ll spend wondering if you are doiong “enough” for your kids.
It’s worth it all for your kids to know that their mom believed they deserved better. She knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park, but she did it anyways. She knew she would be overwhelmed and chaotic, ridiculed for her decision, yet she still chose to do what was best for her family, despite all the naysayers. Your kids will know that they are the absolute most important thing to you. They will know that you want to be around them, enjoying their presence and building strong relationships with them.
So if I had to give just one piece of advice for new homeschoolers, it would be simple. Stop asking yourself “Should I homeschool?”
3 little words that are plastered on T-shirts and shoe boxes all over the world, as a gentle reminder.
Just do it.