Choosing homeschooling: How do you do it?

If you haven’t read my other posts about choosing homeschooling read them here and here.

In the past few months I’ve heard people say this in response to me homeschooling:

“I don’t know how you do it!”

“I could never teach my children. I don’t have the patience.”

“I don’t think me and my kids could be around each other all the time!”

“I couldn’t teach Algebra or science.”

So how do I do it? How do some do it when others “can’t”? Answer: I don’t know. I feel like God told me I needed to stay home and teach my children. That being at home and teaching them was the best thing for them. The only answer that I can give is that I get strength from God daily. I receive encouragement when Josiah masters something. I feel at peace when I see how well he is doing at home compared to what he was at school.

Do I get frustrated? Lose my patience? Yes. Way more than I’d like too. I’m constantly seeking forgiveness because I let my temper get the best of me. Does it have anything to do with the fact that I’m homeschooling and staying at home? Maybe — then again when I was working I had a tendency to get frustrated. So, I don’t think it’s a homeschool thing I think it’s a growth thing. I need a little more patience…but you won’t see me asking for it. Nothing good comes from asking for patience!

How do I feel being around my kids all day? I love it. It’s frustrating and tiring sometimes. I love being around my kids all day and seeing what they’re doing. Sometimes I want to take a nap or walk around Wal-Mart without hearing one of the kids scream. I love it. If I didn’t want to be around my kids, why did I have them? I have to be careful here though — I genuinely love spending time with my kids. The fighting, the fussing, the arguing with me, the clinginess — that will all go away someday. Someday my children are going to be gone. They will have moved out and gotten jobs, families, and homes of their own. I don’t want to look back and wish I would have spent more time with them. You can’t be cooped up together for 24/7 and not expect there to be issues. Sunday School and church is time away. I get to clear my head and worship and focus on God. Josiah spends at least one night every weekend with a grandparent, sometimes all weekend. When Samuel gets older he will do the same. I don’t want to spend the majority of my day away from my kids. Josiah is 5 years old and I was gone a lot when he was a baby and a toddler because of school and work. I don’t want to miss anymore precious time.

Will I be able to teach Algebra and science? Algebra, yes — I’m actually pretty good at it. Science I will need a little bit of help with. The great thing is there are co-ops that teach those harder subjects. If you don’t want to do that there are curriculums that spell it out for you. You can relearn what you have lost (or never got in school). Some kids by the time they are in junior high and high school do mostly on their own work. Mom no longer sits beside them and guides them through their homework. I’m not sure what we will do because (thankfully) we are a long way from that point. We will cross that bridge when we get there.

Deciding to homeschool is scary. Many moms who don’t think they can do it go on to do it successfully. Some try it and decide that it’s not for their family. Some just know that it is not for them. Some women need to work 8-5 at a job before coming home and taking care of her family. There is nothing wrong with any of those options. Just know that if it is God’s Will — no matter what it is — God WILL make a way. Even if we’re not sure how.