10 Vulnerable Things Homeschool Moms Worry About

1. Homeschoolers worry we will be misunderstood

Homeschoolers come in all different shapes and sizes. Homeschooling is coming more into the mainstream, but nonetheless old stereotypes are hard to break. Homeschool families, just like everyone else, want to be known for who they are. Take the time to ask what led to the lifestyle we have chosen for our families. More times than not we love the chance to give you insight into this special place in our lives!

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2. Homeschool Moms worry others will make assumptions about our kids’ intelligence

Homeschoolers have the reputation of being smart kids. Yet, there is a societal anxiety about homeschoolers getting an adequate education. This is a strange dynamic to navigate as a Homeschool Mom. The truth is homeschoolers are just regular kids and we are just regular parents doing our best to educate our kids. Some of our kids will probably be above average, while others may struggle academically, and that’s okay!

Homeschool Moms often worry that when you ask our kids an academic question, you are trying to sneakily assess how we are doing as a teacher. Why not just ask us rather than grill our kids to find out how much they know? We’d love to share our concerns or joys with you regarding our children's academic progress. After all, in this season, it is our life’s work. What else would be more valuable to us than to share about our children’s progress with those who are close to us?

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3. Homeschool Moms worry you won’t understand when we tell you we are exhausted

Have you ever wondered how Homeschool Moms can stand to be with their kids for so much of their time?  Let’s just clear the air on this topic. It is exhausting to be with our kids all the time. While we relish the chance to watch them grow and feel called to invest our time in our families, this job comes with hard days.

Have you ever thought Well if she’s so tired why doesn’t she just send them to school? This is like telling someone tired from their job with long hours but sustains their family, just to quit. Hear our burden! You can offer us encouraging words. Pray that God will give us the strength we need to do the work He has called us to. We need arms to lean on. 

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4. Homeschool Moms worry we aren’t doing enough

Being entrusted to give an education is a huge responsibility. The job of a parent can already feel endless. When you add the responsibility of educating your kids to the mix, the weight of worry can grow to new levels! There is constant temptation to question if the curriculum we’ve chosen is the best for our kids, if we’ve gone on enough field trips, or joined the right co-op. We need cheerleaders in our lives to help us know that through God’s grace our efforts are enough. 

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5. Homeschool Moms worry you will feel judged by us if you don’t homeschool

Choosing to homeschool does not necessarily mean that we feel every other form of education is wrong. Homeschooling is a personal choice that fits one family’s set of values, resources and abilities. Homeschoolers are here to support you! The goal of this parenting thing, no matter your school choice, is to raise strong and kind people who will grow to love the Lord. We can’t let schooling become a dividing line on who we are and how we can support each other. Let’s keep the conversation open on how our families can support one another.  

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6. Homeschool Moms worry about our kids making the right friends

Playground politics, bullying and friendship drama is not exclusively a public schooler’s concern. Granted, homeschooling does give parents a leg up in being able to play a more active role in the friends our kids have. But that doesn't mean our kids never face social difficulties.

Homeschoolers in more rural areas or in a parts of the country where homeschooling is rare may have trouble finding similar-aged friends for their kids to spend time with during the week. Those of us in places where homeschooling is common and co-ops/socialization opportunities are ample, our kids may face similar friendship woes as non-homeschoolers. We need help navigating the tricky part of parenting in which we help guide our kids through sticky social situations.

Be open to hear our hearts for our kids! We want them to make great friends that will treat them with kindness. We can gain wisdom from hearing how others help guide their kids. Other times we can use a gentle reminder that even if our kids struggle in one friendship, there are other “fish in the friendship sea” and that all of us have to learn how to handle difficult people at some point or another.   

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7. Homeschool Moms worry about screen time

One huge advantage of homeschooling is having more time in the day to be able to play and be outdoors! The flip side of this extra time is that on days when the weather is just gross or someone in the house is under the weather, there is a temptation to fill the open hours with extra screen time. Homeschool Moms have so much to fit in a day. We are not only schooling our kids but have the regular demands of mom life on our plate. 

Often times, Homeschool Moms even manage part-time jobs along with everything else!  It can be a real struggle not to resort to the TV babysitter to help give us some kid-free time in our days. We need help setting proper boundaries for screens in our homes.  Creative ideas on how to keep our keeps entertained and out of our hair (at times) without a screen are always welcome!

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8. Homeschool Moms worry about giving our kids the time and attention each child needs

This is probably the most surprising worry that has arose in conversations with my fellow homeschooling Momma’s! Many of us feel like there still aren’t enough hours in the day to give each of our kids the love and attention they need. Partly, this may be a by-product of our cultures push for ultra-involved helicopter parenting; none of us feel we are doing enough! Some of it comes from the fact that it’s easy to get bogged down in the to-do list of the day and forget to be present for the kids we are so invested in. 

Not to mention, homeschooling with preschoolers can make it harder to sit and have quality time for the younger ones. The schooling part of the day can take up several hours. Often times, once you’re done with school, chores are waiting for Mom, leaving little time to be present for the young ones. Homeschool Moms need to be encouraged that their presence goes a long way in their homes! We need reminders to set aside the task list and just be there for our kids, too. 

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9. Homeschool Moms worry about giving our kids traditional school experiences

Homeschooling by nature means our kids are going to have a very different schooling experience than their public school peers. Mostly, that’s a fabulous thing, but many of us still want our kids to get a taste of some of those classic school experiences. We want our kids to be able to exchange Valentine’s with friends in February or maybe we do our own school pictures for the year. When our kids get older, we may want them to get the chance to play competitive sports or go to prom if they want. Access to co-ops or community opportunities to play sports or dances is important to us. We don’t want our choice to homeschool to limit our kids worlds but rather we hope to expand it! 

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10. Homeschool Mom’s worry about giving our kids the best education possible

Homeschool Mom’s want to accommodate their kids learning style and meet their educational needs. We attend conferences, research online, spend time planning out our school years. We study our children and strive to make informed choices about what techniques and curriculum will best meet our children’s needs. We don’t know everything and helpful input on how we can better utilize our resources and what’s available in our community is welcome. 

We can all take steps to be open and honest in our conversations with each other when it comes to schooling! Homeschoolers probably aren’t worried about our kids’ socialization, but we are carrying other burdens and would love to talk about it!

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Amanda Idleman is a wife, homeschooling Momma to three amazing kids and is passionate about encouraging others to live joyfully. Amanda also loves to write as a freelance writer and on her blog (when she finds a spare moment for it). You can find out more about Amanda at her blog rvahouseofjoy.wordpress.com or follow her on Instagram at rvahouseofjoy.