Thoughts of a homeschooling mom…

As a full time homeschooling parent, it has been incredibly interesting to watch homeschooling suddenly go mainstream. What an unexpected and intriguing experience. Here are my thoughts on the topic.

As a full time homeschooling parent, it has been incredibly interesting to watch homeschooling suddenly go mainstream. What an unexpected and intriguing experience. As day 5 of national homeschooling comes to a close, I’ve witnessed so many heartfelt pictures, stories and posts of families experiencing homeschooling for the first time. 

My heart smiled as parents connected with their kids in ways they often could not. Maybe they cannot due to their busy work schedules, or packed extra curriculum activities, social plans and/or an array of other distractions that take up too much of our valuable time. 

Contrary to those stories, I also witnessed a lot of jokes and funny memes expressing frustration about this new sudden reality. And I get it. It’s hard. It’s a full time job and who has time for a full time job when you already have a full time job? 

Truth is, homeschooling is not easy. Some may think homeschooling families get to lounge around in pajamas watching movies and eating popcorn all day. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. While yes, some days we may keep pajamas on longer than most but we have active days full of learning, reading, laughing and piano practice.  

We’re always striving for a healthy balance of learning and play, because to a young mind, there is nothing more important and more captivating than play. Our young years are so incredibly special. It is a time when we are full of hope, curiosity, wonder and joy. These are the years life is the most interesting it will ever be and as a parent I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to facilitate and foster this joyful learning environment for my child. What a gift. What an honor. 

Today I can honestly say that my son is my best friend. Our connection is unparalleled. He trusts me unconditionally which allows him to follow my guidance without painful power struggles. If he does not agree with what I’m asking off him, I allow space for him to respectfully  disagree and voice his perspective. I must admit on many occasions he makes a good point, and I give way. 

I hold nothing against the traditional school system. I just don’t think it should be the only way. It should be just one of the options. In today’s day and age with the availability of the internet and portable smart devices, answers to almost any question is within reach wherever we may be. Remote learning is now more available than ever before and it is incredibly liberating. 

I understand that homeschooling is not feasible for everyone. In most households both parents work full time, which literally means both parents are not home. Parental presence is ofcourse vital to being able to homeschool. However, these days, more and more parents are starting to work from home which makes homeschooling more accessible but is still a challenge as it requires a delicate balance between working and facilitating education. 

I happen to fall in the latter category, and I attest that it is not an easy task. But, life is not meant to be easy. Life is full of challenges and complications which we are continuously tasked to solve and overcome. So while homeschooling is not always easy, it is one of the most rewarding and satisfying experiences of my life. 

Being there for every moment of my son’s growth and development into an individual, allows me to help him navigate through this complicated world with the help of my acquired knowledge and experience while still giving him the space to be a child and to rejoice in the short-lived beauty that is childhood. 

I along with my husband and other wonderful people I get to call family and friends, have full time homeschooled my son who is now 8 years old since the day of his birth. I can honestly say that he is incredibly mature, wildly friendly, super funny and really smart. Mostly because he is free to develop himself in a judgement free/pressure free environment. I don’t take credit for his progress, I’m just here to facilitate and support his growth.

Does it ever get hard, yes, yes it does. But mostly the only time I struggle is when I revert back to my institutionalized rationale of worrying about what society thinks he should be doing or how he should be performing at his grade level. Which I believe is an unfair judgement placed on the children given that each one of them is completely unique and learns and grows at an individual level. 

But then my son suddenly brings me be back to reality by saying or doing  something that reminds me of how incredibly wise and kind he is for his young age and my heart smiles and I relax and the panic subsides. 

So dear parents, I hope you find the curiosity to enjoy this new and exiting homeschooling experience. And if its not right for you, that’s ok, no judgement. But it just might be right for some who had no idea what schooling was all about until they got to experience it. Or maybe it might work for children who tend to thrive in a homeschooling environment, they just never knew it until they tried it. 

Whatever the future brings, I’m happy that so many parents got to experience homeschooling first hand. Maybe it works for you, maybe it doesn’t, but most importantly I hope it opens many minds to the fact that institutionalized schooling is just one way to bring up our young ones, it’s certainly is not the only way. (And maybe then I’ll get back some of my schooling taxes haha not)

And remember, we don’t have to have all the answers, we simply need to teach our children how to search for answers. Many parents feel they are not equipped to be teachers, but I think if they had the right outlook and were expose to helpful resources and tools, they would quickly gain confidence and believe in their own power to raise their children hands on. 

I would be so happy to share my tools and strategies with anyone considering taking on this path. 

I wish you so much joy in this process, it will be one your kids remember forever so make it special for them. 

Sending you so much love, peace and good vibrations

Mason’s mama