Why I Homeschool
Why I Homeschool
Why On Wednesdays
As we begin a new year I thought I’d share a bit of why I do what I do. This week let’s talk about homeschooling and why I homeschool.
People homeschool for a variety of reasons and many of those reasons play a part in why my husband and I decided to homeschool. But my number one reason is not about my kids’ education per se. Shocked? Now, what if I told you my number one reason is purely selfish? Yeap it is!
The number one reason I homeschool is that I can’t imagine being away from my children for that long five days a week, every week. Yes, I know they’d get breaks and summer off, but that’s not the same. Where we live the school bus goes by at 7 am and doesn’t come back past until a bit after 4 pm.
So that is 9 hours that my children would be away from home. So say they’d get up at their normal 6 am and get ready for school in a rush so they could get on the bus, and our bedtime was still at 8 pm that would only leave a total of 5 hours that they would be awake and I’d be able to interact with them, but you’d have to add doing homework and chores in there too.
How would I spend time with each of my kiddos? As soon as they started school the only time you could spend more than a few minutes at a time would be on the weekends. They would still have their homework on weekends too. Oh and that’s not counting any extra after school stuff either.
I’m selfish.
I want to be the one seeing that look of understanding come across my kids face when they get that new math concept or sound out their first really big word correctly. I want to be the one they read their first book to. See I told you I was selfish.
Another reason is that I want my kids to know what they’re learning. I want to make sure that they’re not learning something I don’t approve of. And I’m not just talking about what the teachers are teaching them. I’m talking about what the kids are saying too. Let’s face it, kids teach kids more than teachers teach kids. Now that being said, my kids do still play with other kids. They’re not hermits!
In fact, as my daughter now is making out a list of invitations for her birthday party I’m wishing we were hermits! Wow, that’s a long list. They have homeschool friends, they have church friends, they have more cousins than I can count, they have neighbors, and the list goes on.
I love homeschooling my kids. I love getting to spend time with them every day. And I love the questions. I love learning. I love my learning with them. Plus, I learn patience. I learn how to connect with them on their level again. I love that I can teach them life skills as I’m teaching them school.
We get to count helping mommy cook as school. Next, we get to count grocery shopping as school too if they help make the list, calculate cost per pound, etc. We get to do field trips anytime we want! I mean really?
Homeschooling is not easy though.
You have to be dedicated. You have to be able to keep yourself on a schedule as well as your kids. But that’s a whole different post to come at another time.
Now before I end this post I do want to also mention that some of my best friends send their kids to public school. Their children are fine. They have great relationships with them. I am not saying that everyone has to homeschool or that homeschooling is the only way to go or saying you’re a horrid parent for not homeschooling. Homeschooling is not for everyone. Not everyone can do it and not everyone should do it. It is a decision only you or you and your spouse can make.
If you have any homeschooling questions please feel free to ask them. But please keep it, nice guys. This is not meant to point fingers or poke fun or start a war of who is a better parent. This post is simply meant to share my thoughts and why I do what I do. We’re all different.
Lori Walker
Thank you. Thank you for not quoting all those glamorous reasons people say they homeschool, but hitting me right where I am at. I want to spend that time with my daughter, who will ge starting kindergarten ne/t year and we want to homeschool, because we want to raise our daughter beyojd the first five years of her life. Other considerations as well, but that is what it boils down to.
Debbie Denny
I think your reasons are just fine. It is an awesome responsibility to homeschool/
Char W
I really enjoyed reading this blog post. I think us mothers share the same thoughts about homeschooling. I did once with my girls who are now older. We are considering it for our younger children once they reach the high school age. Good luck to you.
Kandi
Thank you for pointing out that parents who do not home school are not bad parents. All to often I get told how much I am “missing out on” or attacked like I am a horrible mother who will never have a relationship with my kids. But I do believe homeschooling is not for everyone. And since I work at my kid’s school I do not miss out on much. It is a blessing that I got that job. I get to spend each recess with them and I believe that teaching goes beyond the school. Parents need to be involved as well.
Liberty Boblett
I homeschool my two children as well. My son went to public school until a couple of months into 2nd grade. We decided it was best to homeschool, and haven’t looked back. We are very active w/our local library, Boy Scouts, church, and homeschool group. We have Coop classes for 8 weeks, twice a year. My kids love it, I get stressed but who doesn’t! LOL
Beth
I love learning along with my kids too. I’m sure it’s material that I learned when I was in school but it didn’t seem as interesting back then.
Tess
We started investigating home education when we realized how much time our oldest would have to spend on the bus as a K’er. I do say that my number one reason to home school is education but it grew out of a selfish desire to spend as much time with my kids as possible.
Amberm
I do not homeschool my kids but I have seriously thought about it. My biggest reason I would ever start homeschooling is one because I do not like my kids learn at school from other kids and two because with all the school shootings and stuff it actually scares me to send them to school!
Rebecca Ray
I loved your list of reasons you homeschool. Sometimes when people ask me why I homeschool my four, I tell them that I’m not ready to give up spending my days with them yet. After all, they’re really cool people.
Tonya Bangart
My son is not yet of school age and I am still debating the pros and cons of homeschooling him.
I was homeschooled. My parents made the decision to teach my sister at home when she was coming home crying every night… but never explained why. This happened through several school changes. My parents did what they thought was best to protect their daughter.
When I heard of their decision, I asked if I could be taught at home as well. In the school I attended at the time, I felt as though I was constantly being held back waiting for the others in class to catch up. The school didn’t allow for taking advanced college courses at that time.
I thrived in a homeschool environment. My sister did not. I think that is why I struggle with the choice for my son. I enjoy having him home with me… most the time lol… but I worry that he will be that child that does better in a group setting.
Steven
I’m going to have to share this on Facebook with some friends of mine. I’ve actually seen them talking about considering homeschooling their child lately.
Rachel
I was homeschooled K-12 so I’m always curious to see why different people chose to homeschool. I love that your number one reason is because you’re selfish! (That’s a bit silly sounding, isn’t it?) But I completely understand what you mean! There’s a high possibility that I will homeschool my kids, but as my daughter is three and my son is due in March I still have time to decide.
Trish
We started homeschooling for the same reason 17 years ago and I would choose it all again for the same reason! I love my kids and I love spending time with them! (most hours of the day, lol!)
Lesley
I think your reasons for homeschooling are wonderful. I’ve considered homeschooling our children for similar reasons.
Erin S.
Thanks! I really do love homeschooling my kids.
Tracy @ Hall of Fame Moms
I homeschool too and for a lot of reasons. We are into our 4th year of it and its not easy-peasy. Its a character-building challenge for us all but we enjoy the lifestyle. Lots of freedom!
Erin S.
This is our 4th year as well if you count the year of prek.