I’ve been planning on homeschooling my boys since before I was pregnant with my first baby. It started coming up in conversation as he got closer to preschool age, about 2-3 years old. Now that he is turning 5 this Summer and would enter Kindergarten in the Fall, some weeks it comes up almost daily. I decided to write this post for a few reasons. First, so I have an easy place to point people to when they genuinely want to know my reasons for homeschooling and I don’t have time to explain it all. Also, I hope this post and my other homeschool posts might touch those who are homeschooling, considering homeschooling, or want to gain a better understanding of why parents choose to homeschool.
I wish I didn’t have to preface this post but we live in a world where people are always ready to be offended. Everything stated is my personal opinion. This is what my husband and I have chosen for our family. Homeschooling is a lifestyle that is not suitable for everyone. That said, I am extremely passionate about homeschooling and I want to be honest in this post. It is not my objective to offend ANYONE or to make anyone feel bad for their own choices when it comes to educating their children or anything else. If you are curious about homeschooling your own children or just wondering why the heck people do it, please continue reading with an open mind and an open heart!
Our Public School Experiences
I often get asked why I’m going to homeschool my children. This really isn’t something I can explain in a conversation though. My husband and I have complete opposite experiences in public schools here in Utah.
I hated school. My “peers” were mean and I was bored. I learned what they taught really easily, did great on assignments and tests. But I was never really happy in school. I had few real friends. The only consistent thing about school was my dislike for it.
My husband, on the other hand, loved the social aspect of school. He had many friends. However, learning in a traditional school setting was hard for him. He wanted to interact with his friends, not sit at a desk and learn.
We decided before we had our first baby that we wouldn’t be sending our kids to traditional school. Read the rest of the post to learn more!
Travel
This is our go to answer for why we homeschool. This answer is almost always accepted since everyone knows that schools require attendance, whether public, private, or charter. Sometimes we get follow up questions but usually the conversation about homeschooling ends there. I love when I have a chance to talk about homeschooling with another homeschool mom or an open minded person that wants to learn more, but like I said in the beginning of this post, I find it hard to talk about because these opinions might offend the person I’m talking to.
Traditional schooling requires consistent, near perfect attendance. Through traveling, the world will be our classroom as we visit different places, meet a variety of people, learn about and experience other cultures.
My husband and I have been dreaming of traveling our whole relationship. Before we had kids, went on road trips frequently and one or two airplane trips a year. Now we take the kids on a couple road trips a year and they have each been on airplanes from very young ages. As they get older and easier to travel with, we want to travel the world as a family.
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Customized Learning
Everyone learns differently and has different needs. In a traditional school environment, it is very hard to give each and every child exactly what they need. I have the ability and the opportunity to customize education for both of my children. At home, I can teach them exactly the way they learn best.
Parent-Child Bond
When kids start school it starts to build a bond between the child and society (their classmates and teachers). This can be a good thing. It is good for children to build friendships with other children and for them to build relationships with adults other than their parents.
However, I believe that by keeping my boys home with me, our bond will be stronger. These years we have with our children are so short and they go by so fast. Because they don’t spend 30+ hours away from home each week, my kids will get more family time and more one on one time with each of their parents. I believe that by having this extra time with our kids, we will get to know each other better and grow together as a family.
Sibling Bond
One of the best part of being a mom is watching the bond between my sons develop. I know it will continue to grow more powerful. They literally spend all day everyday together playing. Now at 3 and 5, they are virtually inseparable. When we go to a park or children’s museum, they stick together and help each other.
Through homeschooling, they will learn and have so many adventures together. It is one of my greatest hopes that this will set them up for a lifetime of friendship and that they will always lean on each other.
Child Has More Control
From a young age, I felt constrained by the demands of school. I hated the feeling of being controlled and told what to do. I desperately wanted to manage my own time. The K12 online education program was gaining traction and success by the time I entered middle school. I begged my mom to let me stay home almost everyday and be in control of my own education.
I want my kids to always feel like they have a say in what they do with their time. We have a limited number of days in this life and I want my kids to take absolute advantage of every single one, even as young children. I believe that this will empower them to trust their choices as they get older and find their own path in life with confidence.
Constantly Learning
There is so much to learn and to know in this world. We couldn’t possibly ever learn it all. But we can take advantage of every moment as an opportunity to learn. My husband and I have a great passion for learning through experience and trying new things. At home, in our home town, and on vacation, we will always seek out anything we can teach our children or learn together with them.
Life Skills
When kids are homeschooled, they spend more time at home and have more opportunities to help around the house, learning important life skills. My kids are still little but they both have a list of age appropriate chores they do every day. For the most part, they both love helping and learning how to do new tasks around the house.
Want to read more about homeschooling?
Click here for 8 more reasons why we homeschool our kids
OR
Click here to read 5 common homeschool myths you should stop believing
