The Hardest Part of Homeschooling (And Why It Has Nothing To Do With Academics or Socialisation)

It’s time to be honest, folks. Let me tell you something:

Homeschooling is hard!

It’s a huge emotional investment.

But let’s clear something up right out of the gate: for me—finding the best resources? Not a problem. Planning the content and academics? Not a problem. Ignoring the naysayers? I can do that, too.

Do you want to know what I actually find hard?

Engaging with and encouraging my children every single day, attempting to communicate my deep passion for their education and encouraging them to take on that same passion for themselves.

There is an immense, heavy frustration when, as a mother, you are so fiercely committed to homeschooling your child. You are so entirely invested in it. And yet when you try to convey that passion, what do they come back at you with?

• “Stop nagging me, Mum.”

• “Do we have to do this today?”

• “This is so stupid, when am I ever going to use this?”

• "This is BORING!"

Arrrrrggggg!!!!! 24 years in, and this is what I have always found to be the hardest part of homeschooling!

As a mother, I am certain that at some point you too are going to experience this. You are going to have days when you go all-in, thinking this is the most amazing, magical thing ever—and the minute you open your mouth to share that excitement, you get pushback.

You get moaning.

You get complaining.

If they’re younger, they’re probably whining.

If they’re teenagers, they’re probably rolling their eyes so hard you can hear it. (Assuming, of course, that they've even made it out of bed!)

(If you're really lucky, you may even get a full-on tantrum or meltdown!)

And all of a sudden, a cold wave washes over you, and you think, “Oh my goodness… they don’t love this the way I thought they would — the way I wanted them to! Where did I go wrong?”

Then, inevitably, the self-doubt creeps in...

Am I doing something wrong?

Am I failing them?

Are they missing out?

Can I even do this?

Or my personal favourite... I just want to go back in time, so that I can do it better...

We all do it. There is nothing wrong with you feeling that way. It’s not fun, but it is normal.

So, to all the mums out there sitting at the kitchen table nursing a cup of cold coffee after a rough morning: you aren't failing. You're just doing the real work.

Now for the big question:

How do you push past the meltdowns and eye rolls on your hardest days?

(I'll let you know when I figure that out.)

But for now, it's just one day at a time, one step at a time, one meltdown at a time (yours or theirs), one eye roll at a time...

By the grace of God, you've got this!

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;[a]

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him.”

(Lamentations 3:22-24)