Once upon a time, I homeschooled my two children.  I began when my daughter was a preschooler and finished when my son graduated from high school. It was a very good season of life. I wouldn’t trade that time for anything in the world and I would wholeheartedly recommend homeschooling as a family lifestyle.

And yet… It was not all flowers and rainbows. There were some frustrations and if I had to do it again, I would remember the following:

1. Everyone has their own story and no two homeschool families are alike.  Some families use online  curriculums, others go to co-ops.  Some are un-schoolers; others use traditional curriculums. Some go on lots of field trips and are involved in many  activities; others are homebodies.  And all of these families thrive because they are doing what’s right for them.
2. Don’t second guess your abilities.  If God calls you to homeschool, He equips you.  I always wondered if I were doing enough. Should I add this subject?  What about this extracurricular activity?  Were my kids going to be well rounded.   I was afraid that my kids wouldn’t measure up.  And you know what, they did.  Both of them are followers of Jesus, contributing members of society, and excel at what they do.
3. Limit electronics.  If I had to do it over again, there would be absolutely no electronics in  bedrooms, including cell phones.  I would limit TV time and computer time.
4. Stay connected to your kids, no matter how tired you are.  Homeschooling is a marathon, not a sprint. At times, my kids wore me out.  They knew what buttons to push and what they could get away with.  I went through a serious health crisis when my kids were 13 and 16, and I let things slide.  And to this day, I regret it. I wish I had checked their work daily and not assumed it was done.  Hang in there, and don’t let your kids wear you down.  Check their work daily.  Make them do chores in a timely manner and nip the complaining in the bud.
5. Don’t sweat the small stuff. I used to get so stressed over the smallest things that in the scheme of life, were not important. When my daughter was around 6, her handwriting was horrendous.  She wrote all over the place, was always in a hurry, and the letter formation was way off.  At that point, my goal was to get her to write on the line and she wouldn’t try.  She would cry and carry on, and I would get frustrated and yell.  I knew something had to change if I was going to continue homeschooling her.  I prayed about it and came to the realization that handwriting wasn’t essential, but having a peaceful learning environment was.  So I let her write however she wanted and  we once again had a happy home.  When she was around 8 years old, she expressed a desire to learn how to write in cursive.  I told her that when she consistently printed on the line and it was legible, then I would teach her cursive.  And at that point she began to take her time and print legibly and we did cursive.  And I am happy to report that she now has legible handwriting.
6. Don’t compare your children. Children are unique, not equal.  They have different abilities and interests. Some children are intellectual and others are athletic.  Some are shy and others are outgoing.  Some children are strong willed and others are more passive.  And therefore, children should never be compared because someone won’t live up to your expectation.  Comparison is the thief of joy and when you compare your children someone will be hurt.

Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9