3 Reasons I’m Thankful We Choose To Homeschool

If you ask any homeschooling mom how it’s going chances are you will get an answer like, “it’s going well.” It’s like when the cashier asks you how your day going at the checkout. The question is asked to be polite, and the polite thing to do is reply that it’s going well.

Even if it’s not.

You see, as we all know, no matter how challenging our homeschool days may be, it’s a lifestyle that we homeschool moms are genuinely thankful for.

It’s Not You, It’s…

It’s not that we are trying to hide the truth… but it’s just that we know that if right here in check out #2 if we told you what was going on.

Well…

You may not like it. You may judge us. You may even tell us something well-meaning, like “just put them in school” without even realizing just how hurtful that truly is.

And, look, we get it. Unless you are a homeschooler, you don’t understand us. You don’t get that while we struggle, we still want to be here.

We feel led or called or even pushed by schools that backed us into a corner.

And while we want to share that we are worried about our 1st grader… we know, we can’t because you simply don’t understand that we can be thankful for this life while also being overwhelmed.

The Truth About Homeschooling

However, if you truly ask that same homeschooler in a setting where they can freely share how it’s going odds are, you might just get an earful.

That homeschool mom just might open up about the child who is struggling to memorize multiplication facts despite her best efforts (and sleepless nights).

She will tell you about the challenge it is to get all the kids to be quiet during reading.

How frustrating it is when the phone rings all day long or when people invite her out during the daytime.

She may even let you in on the fact that homeschooling takes up a lot more than just the few hours she is with the kids. That between lesson planning, teaching, supporting, and grading, she’s tired.

She can’t remember when she last washed her hair, drank a full cup of coffee when it was actually hot, or stopped being a teacher for five minutes to just be Mommy. Her house is constantly a mess and some days she wonders whether it is all worth it.

How Do I Know?

I know, because I’ve been there.

I’ve been that homeschool Mom at the end of her rope, contemplating throwing in the proverbial towel. Wondering how to balance it all, how to manage it all, and how to do it all.

I’ve been the homeschool mom who lost her cool and boiled over.

And I’ve been the mom filled with tears and hurt and heartache wondering when we were going to get the lovely scene painted by so many… you know, the one with all the kids listening with interest, completing projects with enthusiasm, and engaging with lessons as they race towards the end of yet another textbook.

Yet, even with all of that, I can say that I am also the mom who is so thankful that we choose to homeschool year after year. That we chose to push through and learn from the past.

A homeschool mom who feels like we are in a better place, even if we too are always tweaking and changing.

It’s a wonderful place where the kids and I have found our rhythm and our homeschool style.

Granted, it’s by no means perfect… and it’s easy for this Type-A mama to get bogged down and focus on the negatives… the messy house, the consistent lack of time and unfinished projects, the character training that (again) needs to happen.

Yet, if I’ve learned one thing in all my years as a homeschooling mama, it’s that I need to focus on the good, count my blessings as the song goes, and be thankful that we can try again tomorrow.

Train yourself to look for the good in your days with the 30 Days of Gratitude Journal!

3 Reasons I’m Thankful We Choose To Homeschool

1. I Am Thankful For… Sibling Bonds

Growing up I had only one sister. She was two grades behind me in school and we did not get along. Looking back, there really wasn’t even a good reason for this. Today, as adults with our own families, we have definitely moved past this childhood rivalry.

However, with my children, I don’t see the same thing in their relationships.

Instead, I see older and younger children spending their days together. Playing and learning together, happy for having time together.

I am privileged to witness these bonds as they grow and change over the years. There is a 10-year age difference between my oldest to my youngest, yet rather than refusing to acknowledge their younger siblings, the older ones are quick to include and quick to help.

Does this mean my children never fight – that they always get along? No. When you spend your days surrounded by the same people it is only natural to have disagreements, disputes, and even full-fledged arguments.

Yet, instead of writing each other off, pretending to not be related when passing in a school hallway, my children are connected in a way I was not with my sister at that age.

2. I Am Thankful For… Freedom

I can remember as a kid having my days mostly accounted for every day. Worse, most of my days were pretty boring. School never really challenged me, although I will admit I never really applied myself either. I was happy to simply do what needed to be done in order to be finished.

My kids though have a lot of freedom built into their days.

They are free to leave alarm clocks behind and listen to their body’s internal clock.

They have the freedom to follow their curiosity when they have a question or want to know more about something.

They can choose to finish their schoolwork early in the day to enjoy an afternoon of playing. Or they can choose to spend their mornings playing board games with their siblings.

And together, we have the freedom to teach directly to the needs of each child. To break free of grades and what they “should” know and instead teach them based on what they know, what to learn more about, and their own future goals.

As a result, none of my children are in one standard grade level. Rather, their curriculum is chosen based on what they need and we move throughout their schooling at a place that is suited to them and their needs.

Not only that, we have the freedom to educate our children based on our beliefs. Some may say I am just brainwashing or indoctrinating them… to that, I ask, well what do you think public schools do? For all of their openness and tolerance, they tend to be pretty intolerant of the religious and moral views that are at the core of our family’s beliefs on life and family.

3. I Am Thankful For… Time

More than anything though, I am thankful for the time I have with my children.

For the opportunity to reclaim their childhood and break free from the typical schedule that includes separating our entire family for 7-8 hours per day.

I am grateful for lazy mornings as the bus drives by instead of the rushed and hectic mornings we used to subscribe to.

No longer are we scrambling to make sure teeth are brushed, backpacks are packed, and shoes match.

And now, instead of my children spending their days seated at a desk, they are home, free to learn on the couch, in their room, or even outside.

Rather than rushing through our evenings cramming in homework, dinner, baths, and extracurriculars, we have time to play board games, work on family projects, and even bake cookies.

So yes, my friend, we are thankful for the time and the opportunity it affords us because as cliche as it sounds, I can tell you that the first 18 years of our children’s lives most certainly do fly by in the blink of an eye.

Are You Really Only Thankful For 3 Things?

Certainly not, but there are limits to a simple blog post. 😉

Truthfully, I could write an entire book on the reasons I am grateful that we have chosen this life and educational model for our family. Humbled that we are able to make this work.

I could write for days on why I love that we finally took the leap all those years ago and withdrew from the public school system – my only regret being that we didn’t start homeschooling sooner.

Yes, there have been hard days and even challenging seasons. And yes, we have weathered frustrations and trials, but those times are simply par for the course in all of life and not a reason why you shouldn’t homeschool. Try as we might, no task, no activity, and no calling is ever free of struggles.

After all, there is no such thing as smooth sailing in life.

Yet at the end of the day, I can confidently say that our decision to homeschool and our commitment to doing this to the best of our ability is one that I am not only thankful for, but one that I will never regret.