This is a wonderful post!!! I thoroughly enjoyed (and agreed with your points) reading it, as a mother who never imagined we’d be a homeschool family! On year two of our homeschool adventure and it’s been an incredible blessing to our family.
Thank you for this article! My husband and I are seriously considering homeschool. I think I am more sold on the idea than he is. He has 2 main concerns, and I was wondering if you could speak to either of these? 1- How will our boys learn to handle adversity/difficult people? He believes much of his ability to handle adversity was developed in dealing with bullies and difficult classmates and teachers in school. 2- Will this overwhelm and consume Mama to the point that I will want to put them back in public school?
Personally, I am fully aware that this will be overwhelming at times and I’m sure there are days that I will feel like throwing in the towel. I just don’t see the follow through being an issue for me because my heart is incredibly convicted about this. I’m hearing his concerns and I’d just like to get someone’s opinion that has been homeschooling for a while.
Hi Breanna, thanks for your questions! They are both completely valid and fair to consider. My kids are very socialized with common societal issues, thanks to neighbors, church events, our weekly co-op, and have always had to encounter opportunities of adversity despite learning from home. There’s no escaping those issues and we talk about them often.
I would put more weight into your second question, as it is a “load” that parents (usually the mom) needs to carry. I’ve learned a lot over the last 7 years of this journey and it take A LOT of intentionality, regular routines, realistic expectations, and prayer to do it well. You also can’t balance too many extras either. Many days are hard for us, but that doesn’t make it too much to handle. It’s what I’ve chosen to dedicated this season to, so why not push myself and allow the Lord to prune off the unhealthy parts of myself as well?
It sounds like you really have a desire to homeschool and thankfully it’s not a set in stone decision where you can’t detour from if it doesn’t work well. I hope that’s helpful as you process!
Thank you for that response! I love that you’re allowing the Lord to prune you during this season. I think your children seeing that is an incredible important lesson in itself. I’m going to discuss your response with my husband. I think he will appreciate it as well!
Fantastic post, Mollie, I hope many families can set aside their fears and just try it out. I think they’ll find homeschooling is not as scary/intimidating as they may think. ♥️
Thank you for sharing! Two of these have been my biggest concern (socializing and teaching a strong willed child), your reassurance is encouraging. We don’t live near family or cousins so the socializing has felt very much on me to figure out, which isn’t bad but can feel intimidating!
Sure! Socializing is so important, but takes intentionality. For us, most of our socializing is done through neighbors, church friends, and our co-op. As our kids get older, we try to have as many playdates with good friends as we can, host families for dinner often, and do lots of field trips with other homeschoolers. And strong willed children…it’s been a journey for us for sure! But we’ve seen a lot of growth : )
Thank you for sharing these! My second is a strong willed child (which I’m unsure if it’s her age as much as her personality) but I was wondering if you have a post on this or tips about homeschooling a strong willed child.
You’re welcome! Educating (and raising) a strong willed child definitely comes with its challenges, but what better of an influence than a parent who cares most for them to guide them through.
This is a wonderful post!!! I thoroughly enjoyed (and agreed with your points) reading it, as a mother who never imagined we’d be a homeschool family! On year two of our homeschool adventure and it’s been an incredible blessing to our family.
Thanks Larson! So glad it's been a blessing to your family as well. It's not always easy but I too am grateful for this adventure with my kids : )
Thank you for this article! My husband and I are seriously considering homeschool. I think I am more sold on the idea than he is. He has 2 main concerns, and I was wondering if you could speak to either of these? 1- How will our boys learn to handle adversity/difficult people? He believes much of his ability to handle adversity was developed in dealing with bullies and difficult classmates and teachers in school. 2- Will this overwhelm and consume Mama to the point that I will want to put them back in public school?
Personally, I am fully aware that this will be overwhelming at times and I’m sure there are days that I will feel like throwing in the towel. I just don’t see the follow through being an issue for me because my heart is incredibly convicted about this. I’m hearing his concerns and I’d just like to get someone’s opinion that has been homeschooling for a while.
Hi Breanna, thanks for your questions! They are both completely valid and fair to consider. My kids are very socialized with common societal issues, thanks to neighbors, church events, our weekly co-op, and have always had to encounter opportunities of adversity despite learning from home. There’s no escaping those issues and we talk about them often.
I would put more weight into your second question, as it is a “load” that parents (usually the mom) needs to carry. I’ve learned a lot over the last 7 years of this journey and it take A LOT of intentionality, regular routines, realistic expectations, and prayer to do it well. You also can’t balance too many extras either. Many days are hard for us, but that doesn’t make it too much to handle. It’s what I’ve chosen to dedicated this season to, so why not push myself and allow the Lord to prune off the unhealthy parts of myself as well?
It sounds like you really have a desire to homeschool and thankfully it’s not a set in stone decision where you can’t detour from if it doesn’t work well. I hope that’s helpful as you process!
Thank you for that response! I love that you’re allowing the Lord to prune you during this season. I think your children seeing that is an incredible important lesson in itself. I’m going to discuss your response with my husband. I think he will appreciate it as well!
Fantastic post, Mollie, I hope many families can set aside their fears and just try it out. I think they’ll find homeschooling is not as scary/intimidating as they may think. ♥️
Yes absolutely! Sometimes it just takes a leap of faith.
Thank you for sharing! Two of these have been my biggest concern (socializing and teaching a strong willed child), your reassurance is encouraging. We don’t live near family or cousins so the socializing has felt very much on me to figure out, which isn’t bad but can feel intimidating!
Sure! Socializing is so important, but takes intentionality. For us, most of our socializing is done through neighbors, church friends, and our co-op. As our kids get older, we try to have as many playdates with good friends as we can, host families for dinner often, and do lots of field trips with other homeschoolers. And strong willed children…it’s been a journey for us for sure! But we’ve seen a lot of growth : )
Thank you for sharing these! My second is a strong willed child (which I’m unsure if it’s her age as much as her personality) but I was wondering if you have a post on this or tips about homeschooling a strong willed child.
You’re welcome! Educating (and raising) a strong willed child definitely comes with its challenges, but what better of an influence than a parent who cares most for them to guide them through.