Top 3 Reasons Why We Homeschool

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Making the decision to homeschool can be a hard decision to make.  For some, it is a no-brainer.  Perhaps you were homeschooled and it just makes sense in your mind and heart for you to homeschool your children.  Perhaps it has always been how you wanted to teach your children.

For others, deciding to homeschool can be a difficult decision.

There are many factors that go into the decision-making process.  We weighed the pros and the cons but knew deep in our hearts that we were destined to be homeschoolers.

What are our reasons?

Being There For Milestones

Many parents think of milestones for their babies.  Once they get to school age, milestones seem to be few and far between.  Little accomplishments seem to be overlooked, and we did not want to miss out on those things.

We wanted to be there and witness the academic firsts – the first time they read a new word, the first time they learned to dribble a basketball, the first time they solved an addition problem by themselves.

We love seeing the expression on our boys’ faces when they complete these tasks that they have worked so hard on doing.

I remember the look on Jack’s face when he first read the word “Memorial Drive”.  For weeks he had been trying to convince us that he did not know how to read.  He is the type of child who will not show you what he can do until he is confident in the fact that he can do it.  We knew he was getting close, even if he did not know it yet.  Then one day, we were driving down the highway and from the back we hear his little voice say “Zoo.  Memorial Drive.  Does that mean the zoo is on Memorial Drive?”  I looked back at him and asked him if he read the sign.  When he realized that he did, in fact, read the sign, he was so excited.  He was beaming ear to ear and was so proud of himself.  I am so glad I was able to be there and witness this moment.

Life Learning

Another reason we wanted to be able to homeschool our children, was because we wanted to allow them to progress at their own pace.

I learned early on in my life as a mom that comparison is the thief of joy.  We cannot spend our lives comparing our children to others.  They grow and develop at their own pace.  This also applies to school ages children.  No two children are going to be on the same level in all subjects across the board.

I wanted to be able to teach my children in accordance with their interests and their needs.  I wanted to be able to teach them through life.  I, a few years into my journey, learned that this is commonly referred to as unschooling.  I am all for the philosophies of unschooling, though I prefer to call it life learning.

I love being able to use what my kids are interested in and impart knowledge based on those interests.  I can teach fractions while baking, multiplication while playing Pokemon, patterning while playing Minecraft, science while gardening… the opportunities are endless and learning is never a struggle.

Freedom from a Schedule

My third reason, and final one for this post, is a very selfish reason.  I did not want to be busy.  The idea of being tied down to such a rigid schedule was very off-putting for me.  I wanted to be able to go on hikes on a nice day and learn how to identify wild herbs.  I wanted to be able to eat when we were hungry, take a break when tired.

Being busy, and sticking to a schedule is very stressful for me.  My kids know when Mommy is stressed, and a stressed mommy never leads to a happy and fully functioning household.  Being able to listen to our bodies and focus on our needs has been so important to our learning journey.

Embracing and enjoying free time is a hard thing to do.  It has been ingrained in our brains that we must be busy to be happy, but it is not true.  The value of becoming unbusy is amazing, and a topic I have really been reading about quite a bit over the past year.  I am so glad that I am able to slow down and allow my children to go at their own pace.  To be able to listen to their bodies and know when they are hungry, or antsy, or whatever they might be feeling, is so important.  It is a skill that is neglected when you are forced to sit at a desk and have everything, including your bathroom breaks, regulated by a schedule.

I would love to hear your reason for homeschooling.  Please leave me a comment or tag us on social media!  We also did a video collaboration on this topic so please check that out if you feel like hearing my ramble about this!

Have a great day!