3 Things I Want to Tell New Homeschooling Moms

This post: For the homeschooling moms: three MOST important things I’ve learned in 16 years of homeschooling.

Maybe you’re a newbie homeschooling mom. Maybe your kids aren’t even old enough to be in school yet, but you read & follow & wonder about this thing our family does.

And maybe (like me) you’re YEARS in & sometimes find yourself still struggling (also like me).

There are three things I want to tell you – my fellow homeschooling moms

These come from a heart that has been shaped, & reshaped, by the past 16 years of raising & educating my five kids.

First of all, it’s important that you know-

1) There isn’t a right and wrong way to do this homeschooling thing.

I really wish someone had told me that in the early days.

(Well, maybe someone did – & I just didn’t listen.)

I am a rule keeper & a methods seeker. As a mom who chose home education as a way of life, it just made sense to me that there must be a RIGHT way to do this.

Those early years as a homeschooling mom were BUSY, TIRING, & SO WORTH IT.

A list of rules to keep, a pattern to stick to, routines & schedules, & that perfect curriculum that would make this all turn out the right way.

After many disappointments & frustrations, I finally let go of the methods & lofty ideals & learned to embrace the imperfections of every day life.

(Which, by the way, is exactly what home education is made up of.)

These days, I don’t expect every day- or any day- to be perfect.

I don’t expect my kids to turn out just like someone else’s kids, just like me, or just like some book promises they will if I do thus & so.

The right way to homeschool is by faith – & with LOTS & LOTS of unconditional love.

2) Don’t be surprised when your inner ugliness rears its head.

I find it ironic that homeschooling has sometimes made me a terrible mother.

Well, let me rephrase that:

Homeschooling has often brought out the ugly parts of me that need to change.

3 Things I Want to tell Younger Homeschooling Moms | Kristy's Cottage blog

My mom, who is a veteran homeschool mom, used to always say, “Homeschooling brings out the worst & best in you!”

I have found that to be so true.

I wasn’t very far into this journey as a young mom when I discovered that, lo & behold, I am absolutely not cut out for this homeschooling thing!

Running headlong into my own imperfections & limitations can make me feel – & sometimes act – like a “terrible mother” (or a perfectly imperfect human).

The honest truth: this very uncomfortable realization of my inner ugliness has pushed me to change & grow.

God has mercifully reshaped me as a woman, & the crucible of homeschooling has been a huge catalyst for both discomfort & growth in my life.

3) Above all, enjoy life & love generously.

I’ve done a lot of things right over the past years as a homeschooling mom.

I’m task oriented, so we get schoolwork done.
I’m fairly organized, so we generally start on time & stay on track.
I’m a driven & motivated woman, so there have been very few days that we woke up in & just “didn’t do school” because no one felt like it.

But for a really long time, I totally overlook the heart aspect of homeschooling.

Of motherhood, really.

It’s kind of painful & a little embarrassing to admit this to you, but it’s part of my story and part of who I am. (Read more about life as an INTJ female.)

Jesus is so gentle and patient with us, & He has peeled back the layers of ugliness in my heart until this part of me was laying out there, bare & exposed.

Over the last decade, God has been teaching me about unconditional love. About grace, & what that can look like in my heart and my home.

Enjoying people & learning to love generously has transformed the way I homeschool.

Because at the end of every long & tiring day, what matters is HOW WELL YOU LOVED.

Want more encouragement for homeschooling moms?

Check out my resources below:

Read more about home education right here .
Several years ago, I collaborated with ten other homeschooling moms & wrote an ebook, Homeschooling Day by Day. You can check it out on Amazon (& if you like what you find, please consider leaving a review and sharing it with other moms!).
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