5 Things Not to Say to a New Homeschool Mom

5 Things Not to Say to a New Homeschool Mom – Angie Cruise Blog

5 Things Not to Say to a New Homeschool Mom

We’re now into week 4 of our

new homeschool journey

! I have to say, it’s been amazing and has come way more naturally than I expected. When I look back now, it feels like we’ve always done this. It should, too, because if you think about it,

I taught my kids to crawl, walk, talk, sing, get dressed, clean their rooms, tie their shoes, and ride their bikes. Why

I also teach them grammar, science, and math?

Don’t get me wrong. It hasn’t

been sunshine and roses. There are overwhelming days, just like with anything else. But, I can say that overall, we’re enjoying learning together.

As we settle into a routine and look back over the last few months, I realize that a lot of my anxiety was coming from outside voices. Those that choose not to homeschool, and don’t understand my decision. I get it.  That used to be me. But, let me give you a piece of advice.  If you have a friend that is a new homeschool mom, there are a few things you shouldn’t say. Trust me. She’s probably already thinking about them.

I don’t think I have the patience for that.

Ugh. I’m totally guilty of saying this one. A

Can I tell you a secret, though?

of us have the patience for this. Literally as I’m typing this I just yelled at my kids to KNOCK. IT. OFF. You’d have to be a saint to

remain calm, cool, and collected. I know I’m not a saint, and I don’t think I know a single mother that

yells or gets frustrated. We’re human!

But, I’ve also noticed that my kids are much better behaved lately since they have a structure and something to keep them busy. It turns out, they fight, complain, and stare at their electronics because they’re bored. With homeschool, I keep them so busy for the first half of the day that they don’t have much time for arguing!

I’m sure there will still be overwhelmingly frustrating days. We’re only 3 weeks in, after all. But this has really been no different than summer break and weekends, except we have more structure. More routine. I don’t know about your kids, but that’s how mine thrive.

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How will they socialize? Don’t you worry they’ll end up weird?

guilty of saying. In fact,  socialization was the

thing I brought up to my one homeschool friend the day we met up so I could learn more.

Man. It’s been less than a month and it already seems strange to me that I’d ask that.  My kids get socialized. In fact, we have

opportunities for socialization that we don’t even do everything!

First of all, homeschooling has gotten really common in the last several years. And, with how popular social media is, it’s

to find other homeschool families in your area. The minute I said we were thinking about homeschooling, I immediately got added to 10 local groups.

Add to that the book club, field trips, and extra curricular activities, and I don’t think my kids will lack socialization at all.

As far as the weirdness goes? They’re

kids. They’re definitely going to be weird, and it has nothing to do with homeschooling. Are you telling me you never met a weird kid in public school? I promise. That weirdness doesn’t come from being unsocialized. It’s purely genetic, and we’re all really proud of it.

What about the structure and rules of {traditional} school?

I’ve been getting this one a lot,

in relation to my youngest daughter. Charlotte is, well…some would call her spirited. Or, maybe they’d call her a strong leader. Then again, maybe she’s just stubborn.

Whatever you want to call her, the rules aren’t super high on her priority list. Doing what

want isn’t super high on that list, either.

my child needs structure. That’s why I give it to her.

We wake up at about the same time every day. We have a set routine as far as meals and activities goes.

What my high energy, stubborn, spirited child

need is to be forced to sit at a desk all day, doing activities she despises. All that’s going to do is get her into trouble. Trust me, I tried for 2 years to do the same activities I did with my oldest. She wasn’t having

When I first started thinking about it, I didn’t think this homeschool thing would work.

In the last few months, though, I’ve seen

strides in her behavior. I think she just wasn’t ready for those structured activities everyone insisted she needed. Now that she’s mature enough, schooling has been totally doable.

, even. She’s learning, she’s involved, and she’s not destroying anything.

All because I waited until

was ready, and I made it fun.

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I guarantee that if I’d come in to this school year with a “drill and kill” attitude about letters, numbers, and colors in an effort to stay on track, we’d all be in tears and hating life right now. Instead, I was able to cater my curriculum choices specifically to her learning needs.

There is more than one way to get “structure,” and I promise you, my kids get plenty of it. It just looks different than it does at school.

How do you know they’re not falling behind? What about when you put them back in school?

This is a two-for-one question, because I feel like they kind of go together. First of all, the question about “when I want to put them back in school” is all wrong.  The question is,

I want to put them back in school.

I know it’s early in our first year, but so far, I don’t see that happening. Of course, we agreed to reassess at the end of the year and decide from there. Things could definitely change in that amount of time. And, if that’s the case, I’ve already spoken with the school about re-entry and know our options. (I won’t go into specifics, because I’m sure they’re different everywhere).

As for whether they’re falling behind? Well, there are articles, books, and checklists

the internet with that information. I know what my 4th grader needs to know. I know what my 4 year old needs to know before entering kindergarten!

The information isn’t that hard to come by.

At the same time, the beauty of homeschooling is that we can work at our own pace. I don’t need to pressure my kids to fit a certain mold. If we go slower than what’s expected, we can do some extra work, spend a little more time, and catch back up. At the same time, if they get really excited about a subject, there’s nothing holding them back from learning everything they can!