The Imperfect Homeschool: It Isn't Perfect, But It's All We've Got

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As homeschoolers and parents, we have this idea in our head of what our homeschool is going to look like. Everything will go smoothly, the kids are eager to learn, there will be art and music and foreign language, possibly even two and then we are struck with reality.

Homeschooling, just as parenting, is not always going to be perfect.

And you know what?

That's okay. They are going to be just fine.

I'm here for those times when you've spent hours upon hours pinning everyone else's perfect homeschool rooms and plans and panic has set in at how imperfect you and your homeschool are.

When you've followed all the advice given by wiser, more experienced homeschoolers and failed miserably.

When the kids hate the project that took you a week to plan out and gather the material. When you read the book everyone has recommended and you cannot stand it.

It happens.

It all happens to us all.

Maybe it's because we're afraid that homeschooling is viewed as being difficult when done right already. If we don't put on that brave face, others might think we can't hack it. Then we'll be turned into the example of what not to be like when homeschooling. Does she really have piles of laundry all over the house? The kids haven't showered in two days? Tsk tsk She just isn't able to cope with it all. She really should just put them in public school.

Maybe it's because we want to be that Type-A female that can do anything, but realistically we're more Type-B.

Maybe we're feeling a bit of girl power and think to ourselves, we got this.

We can make our own schedule.

We can go wherever we want.

We don't have to play by the bosses rules.

We can read all day and stay in our pjs.

We can sip tea at noon, eat pizza and read poetry at the park.

We can spend all day long with our kids, watching them make connections, consoling them when their favorite character dies in their favorite book and struggling alongside them with their math.

We have it really good.

You know, we really should be on top of things more.

Some of us may feel like we have something to prove. I'm a homeschooling stay-at-home mom who has been out of the workforce for years and this is what and who I am. I have to look a certain way or keep the house a certain way or those judgey-judgers out there are going to judge me.

Watch out for the judgey-judgers; for they will steal your self-worth right out from under you.

I'm not really sure what it is that makes us put on our blinders when we plan and dream of our perfect homeschool.

When all else fails, remember, when the kids look back on their homeschool days with you, they'll be thinking of the time you spent together and maybe those imperfections are what they'll love the most. The time you burned the cookies that they made for the history lesson. The time you forgot about the mummified chicken in the garage and freaked the movers out. And hunting down every last library book so the already huge fines didn't require dipping into the college fund. It isn't perfect, but it's all we've got.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I have been homeschooling since 2009, but have been reading about it since 2003. Homeschooling is rapidly growing. Whether you are a veteran or new to homeschooling, I hope to filter some of the vast amounts of information for you