Should I Quit Homeschooling?

Have you ever wondered if you should quit homeschooling? If it hasn’t happened yet, it will.

That moment, while working and homeschooling, when you are sure you Can. Not. Do. This. Any. More.

This can hit the hardest when your teen has decided to push the boundaries day in and day out.

Or when your toddler decides to get creative on every surface with a permanent marker and there is just not enough of you left at the end of the workday to go around.

Or maybe it’s because you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in 6 million years and the bills are piling up.

Whatever the reasons are, there will be at least one moment when you feel DONE!

Listen To The Audio:

Do You Ever Feel Like This?

Do you ever struggle with the feeling you aren’t giving your kids all the focus and time you need to, because of your work? 

Maybe you feel like your kids are sheltered and not getting what they need.

Is getting involved with outside homeschool groups too hard because of work? Are you wondering if working and homeschooling will continue to work for you and your family? 

These are the questions that often plague us as working moms. The ones that haunt us at night when we are trying to sleep. 

Doing the right thing is not always easy to see. But, rest assured, you are not alone in asking if you should quit homeschooling or keep going. 

Those that say homeschooling is “brilliantly delightful” day in and day out lie. #sorrynotsorry

We ALL have bad days. We ALL have days where that pretty yellow bus looks kinda fantastic.

But what if the question lingers beyond “some days”? What if the guilt of working while homeschooling eats away at us? What happens when the joy is sucked out and it is tears and tantrums day in and day out instead?

What then??

Questions Are Good!

Dear momma…It is okay to question whether ANY life is the right one for you.

Public school, private school, road school, homeschool, the school of hard knocks… they all suck some days.

You have the right to question, to doubt, to wonder if you are doing the right thing. NEVER feel guilty about questions.

After all, we tell our kids that there are no bad questions. Shouldn’t the same go for us?

6 Questions To Ask When First When You Feel Like Quitting

In fact, here are 6 questions you should consider before you throw in the towel and call it a day.

#1: Should I Stop Homeschooling Because My Kid Needs More Of My Attention?

My gut says no. But my gut also says it is hungry so never listen to someone else’s gut.

Only you know what is best for your kids… what does your gut say?

When you step back from the situation have you worked with your child to find one on one time every day?

Are you using your time wisely and finding one thing (hobby or homeschool activity) you can do together each week/month?

Are you making those connecting moments even though you are busy?

When it comes to flexible items or your kid, choose your kid. Or better yet, involve them in the process.

6 Ways To Connect With Your Kids:

• Cook together
• Clean together
• Run errands together
• Play games together
• Do yard work together
• Giggle and laugh at cat videos on Youtube

The point is, are you buying out the time to connect with your kids?

Let’s be honest, raising healthy, happy, and confident kids doesn’t happen on its own. It takes hard work, being intentional with our time, and determination. 

And it doesn’t happen overnight. 

To help you do that, I’ve pulled together a collection of my BEST resources, ideas, tips, and tools to help you really get to know your kids. You can find that here.

#2: Should I Quit Homeschooling Because Every Time I Leave For Work My Kid Cries?

Yeah, that sucks. In fact, for the first few weeks, I dropped my kids off at childcare and bawled all the way to work.

Then I got over it. Maybe your kids will, too, AND maybe they won’t.

When you add something new to your life be it a change in your job, new homeschooling schedule, a new pet or baby… anything “new” requires time to adjust.

Give you and your family that “time”. And while you are all adjusting focus on what you can do to help your kids.

How To Help Your Child Adjust To Change

Depending on the ages of your children and your own viewpoint, explain to your kids what you do and why you do it.

“I go to work because it makes me happy to help others. In a couple of hours, I’ll be home and you can be my special helper.” <–whatever, make it your own and be honest. Don’t lie if you hate your job. Just skip that part!

Look for ways to connect with your kids while at work.

• Can they text message you and you can get back on lunch breaks?
• Can you use Google Hangouts and make calls on breaks?
• Why not write in a journal and share it back and forth?
• Can you leave them a note before you go to work for them to find during the day?

The key is to give them something to look forward to. 

#3: How will my kids make friends if all the activities happen when I am working?

Everyone needs friends. But how can we make sure they have enough opportunities to make friends when every social activity seems to be during working hours?

You might need to get a little creative! Ask yourself these questions:

• Can anyone help you by taking them to places, libraries, museums, play dates? 
• Is there a way to change your work hours so you can make those local activities? 
• Can you invite their friends to your house? 
• Can you spread beyond your current circle to include non-homeschooling peers and homeschooling peers?

Start looking for opportunities for social activities outside of the normal places. Think of local museums that will hold guided tours, parks that have nature walks, and even playgrounds but go after school hours when there are children present.

Oh, I know it is not always fun to be in a crowd of screaming children but sometimes it is exactly what our children need. A chance to run, play, build and create with other children.

Don’t give up. You can help your homeschooled children to find friends.

#4: What If Public School Is Better?

Yeah, you are right, maybe it is. But here is the thing, you decided to homeschool for a reason.

What was that reason? Has it changed?

If you truly feel that public school is best, talk to your kids (if they are old enough). Get their opinion, what do they want?

You might be surprised to learn that they don’t want to go back to public school. What they really want is to do the same projects as their friends. And that is a problem you can solve. (See point above.)

Asking why you homeschool, reflecting on your kid and the BEST decision for them is KEY. Because the truth is, it’s not about you, it’s about them.

And if public school ends up being the best decision for your family then go ahead and enroll. It does NOT make you a homeschool fraud.

I believe that each family (including YOU!) should make the decision that is best for them at that time.

Nothing is forever.

If it works, yay! And if it doesn’t then you know in your heart you CAN homeschool your kid. It might just look different than you planned.

#5 What If My Kids Are Asking To Go Back To Public School?

This question comes up a lot. Often times I find that moms are asking the WRONG question when it comes to deciding whether to send their kids to public school or sticking to homeschooling.

I shared my best advice in this video on what to do if your kids want to go to public school. 

Be sure to ask these two questions:

1. What’s best for MY child?
2. WHY do they want to go back to public school?

Getting answers to these questions can help you identify the real problem and come up with solutions. 

#6: Should I Quit Homeschooling?

Yes. For the day. A  week. Maybe even longer. 

Quit for as long as it takes for you to reflect and review what is going on in your life.

Sometimes a big change has happened like returning to work and you mistakenly thought it wasn’t going to change anything about your homeschool.

Or maybe it is something smaller such as a work schedule change, a homeschool lesson that just won’t click, or a loss of interest on the part of your kids. 

I like to do a quick review when things start feeling off.

You can’t really fix the problem until you figure out what the problem is.

Working, Homeschooling, And Juggling All The Things Is HARD!

But it can be done AND you can enjoy it.

Not every day will be a walk in the park. Every mom has moments where they question their decision and feel like quitting.

No doubt you’ve heard of the saying, “behind every great kid is a mom who thinks she is screwing up. “

It’s true.

Here is something that makes it a little easier:

Remember: There is no one way to do this “working homeschool mom life”. If something isn’t working you can and should change it up!

Be brave and try something new.

And if you DO decide that public school is best than that’s okay too! Do what works for you and your family. 

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