I’m homeschooling for selfish reasons

This is a guest post from Julie Dutra. She lives in Portugal with her toddler and husband. You can find more of her writing on her blog happymamahappybaby.net

School was an intensely lonely experience for me; I was at worst bullied and at best felt left out. By homeschooling my son I get to be the leader of the pack, not the outsider. I know, I know. I can’t expect my son to take on my interests and hobbies. But even if he chooses something I find mindnumbingly boring like boules or chess or even accounting, I get to be there with him: not his friends or teachers. Read more

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Anger gets a bad rap – it’s a good tool

This is a guest post from Sarah Faulkner. She homeschools five kids in Washington state.

I have yet to meet a mom who does not wish she didn’t yell.  I have yet to meet a homeschooling mom who has not had blowouts with their children. But people always end their yelling stories with their heads hung in shame. They stop the story before the best part: the part where the anger spurs them on to change: Read more

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What would my life be like if I didn’t homeschool?

This is a guest post from Sarah Faulkner. She is a homeschooling mom in Washington state. She has five kids, ages 14, 13, 10, 7, and 3.

Sometimes I dream about who I would be if I sent my kids to a traditional school. Would I be more relaxed? Put together? Would we parents have more friends? Would I be thinner? This weekend we went RV camping at the Pacific ocean, next to a playground and a three-family reunion of some sorts. They were nice people. I wondered what I looked like to them. The frazzled woman who should send her kids to school for a break? The great mom that has it all together, or the mom that doesn’t care about her kids? Read more

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Teach passion by modeling passion

Erin Wetzel is an illustrator and portrait artist. She lives in Washington state with her young family. Connect with her on Instagram where she documents everyday motherhood.

You can tell when we’re broke, because that’s when I run my art sales. Last week, we needed gas and groceries. I set a discount for art prints and made what we needed in six hours. One time I slashed prices on commissions and made enough to pay the mortgage. Read more

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Your kid is not a mini version of you

How many parents do you hear saying this: “I love all the choices my adult children make, they are leading exactly the life I hoped for them.”

Zero, right?

So I’m starting to think that homeschooling is just parents accepting this much sooner.

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The argument against music lessons for children

I’ve been stuck on the Time magazine article I told you about, the one that says homework before sixth grade does more damage than good because the arguments between parents and children aren’t worth it. The article reports that by age eleven, kids can take responsibility for meeting their own goals. Read more

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First stage of homeschooling: Imposter syndrome

When I look back at photos of the beginning of homeschooling, I realize that the first stage of homeschooling is imposter syndrome. It happened to me day after day. For so many days. Read more

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What your children need most from you

This is a guest post from Sarah Faulkner. She is a homeschooling mom in Washington state. She has five kids, ages 14, 13, 10, 7, and 3.

My oldest children are in Cub Scouts, which seems stupid to me, and a total waste of my time.  When you are around your kids 24/7 you don’t need anything extra to build togetherness.  I have a strict policy about not getting involved, so my husband, who is not home 24/7, handles all  scout requirements.  I only show up for the big events.  Socially, I am a bad mom. Read more

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How to separate personal insecurities from homeschool insecurities

It’s important to me that my kids know how to farm. My husband is from a family that’s been farming forever, and his level of knowledge is incredible. The kids are lucky to be able to receive such a gift. Read more

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How I overcome homeschool burnout

This is a guest post from Sarah Faulkner. She is a homeschooling mom in Washington state. She has five kids, ages 14, 13, 10, 7, and 3.

As my kids get older people ask more and more when I will put them in school, as if I keep them home to shield them from the evils of the world. Or, that I am keeping them home to force brilliance onto them. And when said person speaks to my kids, it feels disappointing for them to find my kids are simply typical. Read more

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