It happens to me all the time, especially as my children get older and we go out during “school” hours. We may be standing in line at the store or perhaps we are at the zoo. Wherever it happens the conversation is almost always the same: perhaps they politely ask why my children are not in school or  they may make a comment on how nice it is that they are home from school with mom. However it happens, whenever someone finds out I homeschool my three boys the response is almost always exactly the same: “Oh wow, you must be supermom, I could never homeschool my children, you must have the patience of a saint”. I always smile politely and say one of several kind comments but on the inside sometimes I want to laugh and other times I want to cry. If you really knew me you would know that I neither supermom nor am I abounding in patience. Actually, patient would be one of the very last words I would use to describe myself.

I will be the first to say that homeschooling is not for everyone, but probably not for the reasons you would think. Before you jump to the immediate thought that you could never homeschool your children there are some things you really should think about:

1. It Really Isn’t that Hard

No really, it isn’t. Maybe 10-15 years ago it was a massive amount of work to homeschool, but not anymore. Since 1999 the number of children being homeschooled has increased by 75% and the amount of children being homeschooled is growing seven times faster than public school enrollment. That all means that there are more homeschooling options than ever before. There are more curriculums available than you can possibly imagine and many of them have all the planning done and literally even give you a teaching script. The fill up huge convention halls with all the curriculum options, it is absolutely overwhelming that they have so many awesome choices. I personally spend about 15 minutes each Sunday night planning out my week and then I am done.

A small view of what a Homeschool Curriculum Convention looks like

2. Socialization is a Problem of the Past

When someone seems concerned about the socialization of my children I laugh. With their weekly homeschool group, swimming lessons, church at least two days a week, karate, field trips, and the myriad of social activities we participate in each week my children sometimes ask to just stay home and not play with anyone. How much socialization really takes place in school anyway? They can’t really talk in class, recess time has been cut back, and at many schools they can’t even talk at lunch.

Filed Trip Fun

3. The Moms Don’t Wear Denim Jumpers

Sometimes I think society has this idea about homeschool moms all wearing denim jumpers with their hair in buns while chasing around a minimum of ten children. This is so not the case anymore. The community of moms I have met through our Classical Conversations group have become some of my very closest friends. At the end of the day we are all still just normal women who love a new pair of shoes, a good glass of wine, or a fun movie night. Just this past week nine of us gathered at a Bahama Breeze for dinner and drinks one evening and we stayed out until almost 11 o’clock talking and laughing. We snapped a quick picture in the middle of the night and take a look, not a single denim jumper in sight:

My Beautiful Homeschooling Mom Friends – Not a Single Denim Jumper

In all seriousness, a homeschooling community is what make homeschooling so doable. We help each other with doctor appointments and family crises. We bounce ideas off each other and encourage one another. We share curriculum and toys and ideas.

4. Not Having Teaching Experience Actually Helps

Before having children I was a teacher (go ahead with your “oooooh that is why she can homeschool and I can’t, she knows what she is doing” comments) but I have a confession: being a former teacher made homeschooling more difficult for me. Yep, you read that right. Teaching my own children is so completely different from teaching a classroom of children I get to send home at the end of the day I don’t even have word to express how different it is. When you teach your children from home the beauty of it is you all learn together.  You also teach your children to teach themselves and be independent thinkers that are not dependent on a talking head telling them what to do and when to do it all day long. If you are worried about not being qualified to teach a particular subject (I am dreading algebra for example) and the teaching manuals you have don’t have enough information that is the beauty in being a part of a community, there is almost always someone there who is able to help.

A fun math lesson together

5. The Benefits that have Little to do with Education are the Best Part

Sleeping in. Do I really need to say more here? No rushing out the door to get to school on time, no waking up earlier than you (or your kids) want to. No dragging them out of bed. Not to mention the flexible schedule in the evenings. My kids get to participate in some great church activities because they don’t have to get up so early the following morning. If my husband works late they can stay up a little bit and spend time with him. However, I have to say my very favorite benefit of homeschooling is vacations and fun trips. Do you know that we get the best deals on vacations because we can go when no one else can? Disney World the week before Presidents Day or the week after Thanksgiving? DEAD (not to mention way cheaper)! The Zoo on Fridays around 1:00? DEAD. We get to enjoy the best experiences and vacations while all the other families have children in school. I have also loved the illnesses  we aren’t getting as often  due to my children not being in a big building with thousands of other children and their germs. I  love being able to educate my children on subjects that I find most important. No need to spend six weeks on multiplication if my child gets it in one week. Lastly, I love being able to have a front row seat to my children’s growth. First word they read, first time they wrote their name without help, first time they finally get how to count money and so much more I get to see for myself and not hear about it.

Our Disney trip this year was made possible by off season pricing.

Of course there are challenges to homeschooling, just as there are to sending your children to school, but I think so often we are quick to throw the idea of homeschooling out the window without even a second thought. I don’t homeschool because I am a supermom or because I have never ending patience, I homeschool because I feel it is a calling for my family. And through the process not only have my children learned and grown, but I have found myself growing (hopefully in patience) as well. Never before has homeschooling been so easy and so beneficial to our children. The idea of homeschooling absolutely deserves a second glance when deciding how you are going to educate your children. If homeschooling is something you may want to consider don’t throw yourself under the bus, you absolutely CAN do this!

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