My Favorite Questions and Comments on Homeschooling

Over the 8+ years as a homeschool mom, I get the same questions and comments over and over again. It just came to me one day that it would be fun to write down those questions along with my responses! It used to make me nervous when the questions started rolling, but now I’m happy to respond. Here are my favorite questions and comments on homeschooling.

Why didn’t I think of this sooner? I did wonder this question myself. I could have created business cards with a link to this blog post and not say another word!!! Just kidding. But it does make a good story.

If someone would have told me when my kids were born that I’d be homeschooling, I’d laugh. It was not my original intention to homeschool. I wanted to continue my career while caring for my children. Yet, God got a hold of my heart and convicted me to stay at home and raise my children in God’s Word.

I’m not perfect and make a lot of mistakes. I’ve lost my temper getting frustrated. We’ve had tears getting through 3rd-grade standardized tests with my daughter. Teaching her to read was a lot harder than I expected. Showing my son alternative ways on how to add fractions with different denominators was not easy.

However, we learned, cried, and laughed together. We created a bond that can never be broken. My kids will have memories that include me in them. My kids know their grandparents because of our flexibility with traveling. They don’t know about the latest trend. They get to wear the same clothes without fear of negative remarks.

And those reasons, my friends, are more than enough. These reasons are not why I homeschool, but they are nice bonuses. Without further ado, here are my favorite questions and responses on homeschooling.

How long do you think you’ll homeschool?

This is my #1 most common question. How about you? When I would meet someone and she found out I homeschooled, it was one of the first questions asked. I always responded with “I take it year by year.” I didn’t know what the future would hold. What if my husband fell off a roof and couldn’t work any longer? My goal was always to teach through high school, but life has a funny way of showing us we are not in control. At the time of this writing, my daughter is in middle school so we’ll see if we get to high school!

I could never stay at home with my kids all day; they wouldn’t listen to me.

It took a lot of time and tears to get my daughter to sit for an extended period of time. She was very hyperactive and stubborn (still is!) when we started in Preschool. I had to train her to sit still and listen. It was easier for my son since he had an example to mimic.

What about socialization?

We purposely put our kids in a lot of activities to make new friends and learn to interact with others. My kids are very social, especially with adults. Over the years, I’ve had several adults compliment my kids’ conversation skills. This includes professionals and parents.

We could never afford to homeschool.

I was the breadwinner in the family when I quit my technical job in 2006. We made a huge sacrifice and had a lot of growing pains with the loss of income and financial burdens. We have old cars, our house needs repairs, and don’t eat out much. But, we are debt free, and it took many years for us to get here.

Do you have a teaching degree or experience?

Nope. But guess what . . . they have curricula for any type of teacher, experienced or not. Plus, my previous job as a Tech Project Manager gave me the organizational skills I needed to keep me focused.

We started with boxed curricula that held my hand, step by step. Now that I have several years under my belt, I focus on what subjects I need to fulfill according to the law. Then, I find the best suitable curriculum based on my learning style and theirs. Plus, I find subjects that are interesting to them.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Staying home with your kids isn’t for everyone. Everyone has to make a decision based on their abilities and situations. Being with my kids every minute every day can be exhausting, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The memories will stay with us for a lifetime. Homeschooling was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

What are your favorite questions and comments on homeschooling? I’d love to hear them in the comments.

Natalie Fullmer is married with two children. After leaving her IT career in the healthcare industry, she decided to stay home full-time and homeschool both children. In the early days, she used boxed curriculum but has now adopted a Charlotte Mason & Eclectic-type style the last few years. She works part-time as a Virtual Assistant and teaches English to Chinese children. Natalie is also a proud member of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Besides homeschooling, her passions include raising animals on her mini farm, reading non-fiction, gardening, learning the latest tech, and sharing her minimalist approach with other homeschool moms on her blog at http://contentwithsimple.com. Favorite bible verse for encouragement is Philippians 4:13.