Working and Homeschooling: Finding Balance

I toss a stack of books into the leather ottoman that discreetly stores my children’s textbooks. A and C gather pencils , clean excess paper and schoolwork off the dining room table then rush off to read silently for half an hour while I dress for work. My husband and I discuss dinner and practice schedules, and I leave a few last minute instructions with the kids before I head out to the library where I will spend the next five hours tutoring. My husband steps in to handle the afternoon duties of shuttling the kids to practice, feeding them dinner, and preparing them for bed. When I return home from work, I will run upstairs where my two little ones arewaiting patiently for books and good night hugs, thus ending another day for our homeschooling family.

An oft-repeated comment I hear from moms who wish to homeschool is “I’d love to homeschool, but I have to work.” I’m often greeted with looks of surprise when I share that not only do I work but so do many of my homeschooling friends. Working mom and homeschooling mom need not be mutually exclusive. In fact working while homeschooling can provide real-world learning experiences for your own children.

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Homeschooling Challenges

Whenever someone finds out that I home school, I’m usually met with this standard response: “I could never do that. (Insert child’s name here) and I would kill each other.” Since I usually know these moms very well and can assure you that they, nor their children, face any real mortal danger, I usually smile and nod knowingly. Recently, when a friend asked how homeschooling was going she said, “I’d love to do that, but I’m afraid my daughter and I would kill each other,” it hit me: people must think that my daughter and I have a relationship that ensures our home school routine is smooth and pleasant. Dothey think we have somehow escaped the rigors of relationship battles that accompany schooling your own children? Friends, I am here to assure you that is not the case. I can assure you that my children and I battle on a pretty regular basis.

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