Homeschool Cons? What? You Mean Life as a Homeschool Family Isn't Perfect?

The first thing anyone who doesn't homeschool will tell you is that homeschool kids never "get socialized" properly, as if our kids are puppies and not human beings.

And to some extent, socialization can be an issue for some families. I myself have never known any, and my daughter's number one God-given gift is truly gabbing her mouth off for days and days on end to people she hardly knows or hasn't seen or heard from in years. She was born that way - and no, she wasn't starved for attention when she was homeschooled as a teenager.

Some kids have that gift of gab, and some kids don't. Homeschool has little to anything to do with it. Shy kids are shy regardless of where they learn fractions, and it has no bearing on homeschool cons.

But that doesn't mean that homeschool parents ignore their children's need for social situations. They seek them out. Many homeschoolers like to join groups where they meet every week or so and get together for parties and celebrations.

Others get their friends fix from:

1. Church
2. Band
3. Sports
4. Dance
5. Art class
6. Horseback riding,
7. Boys and Girls Scouts
8. Junior theatre
9. Play dates, or in our case
10. 4-H.

Socialization is the last thing you'll worry about when it comes to homeschool cons though, leave that for the public school parents who keep telling themselves that "socialization" isn't the reason that so many public school kids do drugs and get pregnant.

No, I'd have to say the biggest homeschool cons will probably be mom burnout and mom anxiety. Mom burnout is real and it can hit you like a ton of bricks. It will usually manifest after a particularly long day of begging and pleading with your children to follow the rules, work efficiently, and clean up after themselves. You see, being home with children all day is NOT every mother's cup of tea.

But thankfully, I learned to appreciate my children a little more as I matured. Not everyone does though, and if you aren't meant to be a mom who stays home to teach her children, I mean if you really can't see yourself doing that, you must consider other options. Either switch gears and find a better schooling situation or look deep into yourself and promise that you will not put blame on anyone when the burnout comes.

If you feel that mom-burn out might be hindering your homeschool success, please take a look at Personal Growth from SelfGrowth.com-- SelfGrowth.com is the most complete guide to information about Personal Growth on the Internet.

You see, parents that want to be home with their children will get over the burn out. Parents that don't, won't.

Discipline sometimes becomes an issue with children when they first start to homeschool. They are not used to being told what to do by their mothers so often during the day and sometimes they rebel. Additionally, they like to test the waters a bit. Don't feel like you've given up your discipline hand just because you are now their teacher.

If they are acting up and ruining your day:

1. Stick them in the corner
2. Make them apologize
3. Have them scrub toilets, and then
4. Sit them back down to finish their work that should have been done hours ago

It may not work the first time, but believe me, when they realize that this just prolongs their day, they catch on.

Time spent schooling is another thing to get used to - homeschool takes FAR less time that public or private schooling. Most of the time we finish in 3 hours or less. In the early elementary years do not feel like a failure and let mom anxiety get to you because you are only spending 1 or 2 hours on school. That is plenty of time.

So the homeschool cons here are that you might be wondering what to do with them all day after school and how can homeschool take so little time? Well first of all, if you have extra time and can't get them to do chores, this becomes the perfect time to:

1. Go the community pool
2. Chill out at the library
3. Watch some History Channel or
4. Do electives such as art and music

Homeschool takes very little time to finish the same amount of work (or MORE) because no time is wasted on other children. There is no standing in line and no teacher being pulled in 25 different directions while trying to accomplish something.

Mostly though, parents of homeschoolers always seem to fear that their kids aren't keeping up with the public schools.

I gotta say - the ONLY answer to this is to STOP comparing your kids to anyone else's. It isn't fair, they are unique individuals who have had an individualized curriculum planned out for them and they are being allowed to work at their own pace.

You cannot, after doing all that, yank the rug out from under them and expect them to perform to someone else's standards. It just isn't fair to anyone. So leave the public school mentality somewhere else and let this NOT be one of your homeschool cons.

Easier said than done, I know - so don't worry if you have trouble with this one for a few years, completely normal.

Another homeschool con would be if you only plan on homeschooling for a year or two. BAD idea unless absolutely necessary because it takes a few years for the effects to sink in and normalize. Statistics show that the more years the kids spend at home, the higher the benefit they gain over their public school counter-parts.

In fact, once you get over the 4-6 year mark for number of years homeschooling, the benefits go through the roof. So hang in there, this is the long homeschool con...(little LOST humor there...Sawyer and such??? Anyone?? NO??) Ok.

Let's move on...but keep that last bit about the number of years it takes to reap the rewards tucked in the back of your head...and please allow yourself to see the BIG picture instead of how much Little Moe's cousin knows about molten magma while Little Moe couldn't care less.

He's busy making music on the keyboard...Just remember - INDIVIDUALIZED and SELF-PACED!

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