Dear New or Undecided Homeschool Parents,

Many of you are unsure about your child education options.

You're asking each other if homeschooling is right for you?

You feel homeschooling is the best option but you are doubting if you are worthy to be your child's teacher.

You worry that you won't find that perfect curriculum.

Or even worse you feel that you may screw up your child.

These are common questions and doubts every homeschooling family has pondered over and over, even me.

But let me ask you a few questions, they will help you find your why. A family's why is individual; it can only be answered by you.

Why are you even considering homeschooling?

Please don't take the easy way out and just write masks, covid, or government changes. Write out why you don't want your child to wear the mask, why you don’t want your child in a situation that can result in them getting covid, or why you disagree with the new regulations.

Why do you feel insecure about teaching your child or children?

All of us are going to feel unsure about many different parenting decisions we have to make. This is sometimes a daily occurrence, which is perfectly normal! Being a parent is the hardest job in the whole world. You have made decisions about the food your child eats, the clothing they wear, even the best time for them to go to bed. Why is the decision to home-school harder to make, because you believe your children's education will depend solely on you and that scares you to death. When I was feeling these exact thoughts, I came to two conclusions.

First, God put my children in my arms for a reason. He saw something in me, only he could see. Something that was beyond my understanding. God has a plan for my children, that was written down in the Book of Life before they were even born. How could I possibly mess up God's plan? And you can't either.

Second, my children’s education does not need to rest on my shoulders alone. There are so many programs, curricula, and books that can teach them everything they need to know.

Charlotte Mason says “Books and God are your child's two teachers. It is only the teacher's job to place the good, beautiful, and holy in front of the child and they will learn what God is ready to teach them.”

This may bring up another doubt.

How could I possibly teach my children everything they need to know before they graduate?

The answer is you can't, and neither can the government systems. They just pick and choose and leave out loads of stuff and so will you. This is perfectly okay! No one can learn all the knowledge of this world, but through a lifetime. You are still learning new things every day. So, as your child’s teacher, your job will not be to cram everything into their little brains but to teach them to love learning and how to gain knowledge. By succeeding here you will be giving your child the advantage of a lifetime of knowledge not just 13 years.

But, now you're worried, how can you even do that if you hated school or struggled. Let me let you in on a little secret. You probably have already done this when your child was young and you didn't even know it. Do you remember when they were about two or three and your child began to ask you why about everything and when I say everything, I mean everything! What did you do when you didn't know the answer? You said you didn't know but that you would find out. Then you found the answer and you shared it with your child. This is teaching in its raw form and you already are pro at it!

Let me let you in on another little secret, you are your child's parent and have lived with and loved your child longer than any person on this Earth. You know your child! You know your child's worries, his or her struggles and even their triumphs. For that reason alone you are already the perfect teacher for your child.

Why do you need to have a why?

Homeschooling is not going to be easy, just like parenting isn’t easy. If I were to ask you why your child eats what he does you probably already have a list of whys and reasons and everything reasoned out. And, on those days your child refuses to eat what you put in front of them, you will have your list ready. The same will be true for homeschool. There are going to be days when you or your child, will butt heads or not want to crack open the books. There will even be days when you or your child will want to quit. This is when knowing your why will help you get through those hard days. That is why it's important to have a why beyond one word like, “masks” or “Covid”. They might be the match but the true reason may be as simple as the fire of love that burns in your heart for your child.

Your Love alone is why you will succeed as your child's teacher!

From the seasoned homeschooler,

Pray, Just Plant!

P.S. Your doubt and uncertainty is why you are perfect for the job.