Dear Homeschool Mom,
I get it. In my first month homeschooling, my toddler stopped having naps and I wondered if my little whirlwind would ever let me have some uninterrupted time homeschooling my eldest child. The house was cluttered, the schedule felt chaotic, and every day seemed to start two steps behind. You’re not alone if you feel that way right now.
Here’s the truth: I’ve seen many moms quit in the first weeks or months because it feels messy. But that messy start is normal. Often, moms put way too much pressure on the first week and even the first day of homeschool. Remember that it’s OK to deschool for a time if your child is coming from a traditional classroom. The early days are less about perfect lessons and more about building trust and habits.
Stick with it, because the good stuff is still ahead. You’ll see your family grow closer as you spend real time together (instead of evenings spent slogging through the busywork sent home as homework). You’ll find built-in flexibility that lets you slow down when a family member is sick or go hiking or to the beach on a sunny day. You’ll watch your child grow in confidence as the curricula you use and their learning is tailored to them specifically.
Kids who homeschool are more likely to finish high school, more likely to be involved in their communities, and do well in college and in life because they know how to learn. That focus on the long-term benefits is important. You’re investing in your child’s character, curiosity, and the joy of learning.
In this article, you’ll get simple reasons to stay the course, plus practical steps you can try this week. You’ve got this, fellow mom. Let’s take a deep breath and keep going together.
It Takes Time to Find Your Rhythm
Homeschool is like a dance. You and your child are learning the steps together and it takes a little stumbling before it feels natural. Give yourself time. A slow first month, even if you’re struggling, can still lead to a smooth year filled with fun learning. When you stop trying to copy school-at-home and start building a home that nurtures learning, the stress eases and the joy of learning begins.
Why Deschooling Comes First
If your child has been taken out of government school to homeschool, deschooling is a pause from former school rules and routines so your family can unwind. Set aside formal lessons for a short time, then rebuild a learning rhythm that fits your home. Think of it as taking off a tight pair of shoes and walking barefoot until your feet relax.
If you’ve already jumped straight into textbooks and timed math drills, it’s not too late to deschool. Pause now. Let your kids follow their own interests for a few weeks, then reintroduce structure, one subject at a time.
What can deschooling look like in real life?
- Unscheduled mornings: Sip hot chocolate, read a book aloud and discuss it together
- Interest-led projects: Your dinosaur fan sketches fossils and watches a dinosaur video
- Real-world math: Bake muffins, double the recipe, and compare fractions
- Reading without pressure: Audiobooks during LEGO time instead of forced silent reading
- Nature days: Long walks, nature journals, sketchbooks, and a pocket full of rocks
Why it helps:
- Stress drops: You release the push to “keep up,” and your child relaxes
- Curiosity wakes up: Kids ask more questions when they feel safe and unhurried
- Relationships heal: Fewer power struggles and more eye contact and laughter
- Confidence grows: You see how much your child learns independently, without worksheets
- Realization that learning doesn’t only happen inside school walls: It can happen anywhere, anytime
Things to try this week:
- Pick one daily habit such as reading aloud curled up on the couch together.
- Have your child pick 1 interest to explore, such as birdwatching or learning how engines work.
- Keep a journal of what your child notices and learns.
A season of deschooling doesn’t set you back, it sets you up for success. Once you and your child realize how much fun learning can be again, you are less likely to quit too soon. And if you and your kids adore deschooling, you can give unschooling a try.
Strengthen Your Family Ties
Homeschooling gives you time together that typical household schedules don’t allow. When you slow the pace and learn side-by-side, trust in each other grows, laughter fills your home more often, and arguments are more easily smoothed over. If your kids have been taken out of a school setting, you’ll also start to see more of who your kids are, instead of merely what their grades or teachers say about them.
Homeschool Helps the Parent-Child Connection
When you teach your child at home, you set the pace. You notice what makes them freeze up and what makes them light up. Tailoring lessons to your child, you will discover their passions up close. You can shape your days around what helps your child thrive as you discover their passions together.
Try simple routines that can make a big difference in the parent-child connection:
- One-on-one time every morning
- Read-alouds that spark easy conversation
- Weekly interests hour (or day) when your child takes the lead
Connection comes first and academics follow. Every good educator knows that children learn best when they are connected to their teacher. I believe that you, homeschool mom, are your child’s first and best teacher.
Homeschool Fosters Sibling Relationships
Siblings become teammates when they learn together or even teach each other. Shared projects teach kids to wait, listen, and help. Homeschool siblings learn how to work side-by-side…for chores, in free play, and when learning as a group.
Remember that sibling squabbles are normal. However, away from the school atmosphere (where siblings are considered annoyances), many families find that sibling rivalry improves. With practice, squabbles largely fade as you all settle into a routine.
Easy wins that shift sibling rivalry into teamwork:
- Joint science experiments: assign jobs, work together, compare results
- Read-and-retell: one reads a page, one sketches, then swap
- Buddy math: an older child checks answers and celebrates progress
Praise any shared effort, not merely the outcomes. Over time, you will see more your kids developing more patience with each other and gaining a sense that they’re on the same side.
A Relaxed, Flexible Lifestyle
The Freedom of Your Daily Routine
When your child leaves behind the rigid bells of a school environment, your home breathes. You can all sleep in after a late night, cook breakfast together, learn outside on a sunny day, and pause for sick days without guilt. You control the pace, fitting lessons around errands or hobbies. Many families find their kids are less stressed when they set flexible routines that match their child’s energy. Little shifts make a big difference. Try an audio book in the car to make use of the time or a nature study after lunch when your child’s attention span tends to flag. Your mornings can start calmer, your afternoons can feel lighter, and your evenings are no longer crammed with homework.
See Your Kids Thrive Through Homeschool High School and Beyond
You are planting slow, steady seeds that grow into a curious learner and a capable adult. Daily choices you make now can shape how your child handles pressure, builds habits, and loves learning later in life . The payoff shows up in high school, college/university, and life.
Your steady effort now grows grit, focus, and joy in learning. Many colleges and universities across North America and beyond actively seek out homeschooled students because they step into college with strong learning habits. Why? They know how to manage time, ask questions, and learn on purpose.
You will see it in small ways first. A teen who plans a week, balances their own workload, or emails a coach politely. Many homeschool grads build great paths, with or without a 4-year degree. You will see homeschooled entrepreneurs who turned a hobby into a business, tradespeople who love their craft, and artists who manage clients with confidence. They learned how to learn, then applied it.
Stay the Course
Dear Homeschool Mom, don’t quit homeschooling too soon. You are in the early dance, and it often feels unsure at first. Give yourself grace. As you ease into your own family rhythm, you’ll see family bonds strengthen and settle into a flexible routine that fits real homeschool life. You can kindle the joy of learning for your child to carry through to homeschool high school graduation and into college or university with confidence. Most moms who hang onto homeschooling celebrate that choice for years.
Take a deep breath and stay the course. Commit to one more month. Curl up on the couch with your kids and read together from a variety of fiction and nonfiction books. Keep learning to short blocks of time. Have your child choose a project that interests them.
Let homeschool be simple. Track small wins so you can see progress. Join a local or online homeschool group this week (links in the sidebar or scroll all the way down if on a mobile device), or start a one-line-per-day journal to capture what goes well.
You are capable, your child is learning, and the messy middle is where growth happens. Keep going, my friend. You’ve got this!
Love, Luck &
Laughter,
Kimberly Charron
Please note: Yes, homeschool dads are out there in the trenches too, I see you 👋! But the overwhelming majority of parents who contact me are homeschool moms, which is why I’m addressing them specifically as one mom to another.
