10 Mistakes Homeschool Moms Make

August is here and we all know what that means. Back to school time. Woot, Woot. We homeschool moms are just like any other moms out there. We’re not extra special because we homeschool (sorry to burst your bubble). We make mistakes, too. The mistakes homeschool moms make is just like any other mistake and can be corrected with an apology and correction.

Oh, All the Mistakes I Made

Sometimes I think back over our homeschooling years and remembering the mistakes I’ve made makes me cringe. And most of the time they were made out of pressure.

Feeling a pressure from society (or myself, maybe I just want to blame it on society) for my kids to be advanced or ahead of public schoolers.

I felt like I had to prove something because I don’t know if you know it but, there are a lot of preconceived notions about homeschooling and homeschoolers.

This was a problem I struggled with for a long time and as I tried to fix it, the pendulum swung too far the opposite way and that was a problem, also.

So, there needs to be a balance in this whole thing that we need to try to achieve, and to let you know that you’re not the only one who struggles with these things here are 10 mistakes homeschool moms make.

10 Mistakes Homeschool Moms Make

• Doing Too Much 

Ok, so I talked a little on what society expects of homeschoolers. I can speak of this with confidence because I was once one of those people who expected homeschoolers to either be really smart, really backwards and weird, or both. (Tar and Feather me now, I know.)

But, I expected something out of them that wasn’t fair of me. I was judgmental about it and I know other people are, also. Because of this need to  prove something either to yourself, society, or maybe you have family critics, we tend to do too much and make our day way too long.

Maybe you just have high expectations of your kids and want them to excel. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. We all want that, right? Just don’t overburden your kids in the process.

Choosing curriculum can be fun and starting a new curriculum can be even more fun. So, we moms can easily over do our homeschool day with too much.

Copywork and dictation can accomplish more than a hundred worksheets if used correctly and simplify your day in the process.

If you keep doing too much and before long you’ll be ugly crying and blubbering that you can’t do it anymore and your kids would be better off in school.

Just don’t do it, okay.

• Doing Too Little

Just like doing too much is a mistake, so is doing too little. Unschoolers get a lot of flack for this, but there is a difference between unschooling and not doing enough.

Unschoolers use everyday experiences to learn. They read about and study the world around them. They aren’t doing nothing.

If your burnt out and need a break, that’s fine. Take that break. We all need it.

However, don’t break too long. Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking you’ve got plenty of time to teach these kids all they need to know before they leave the nest and get way behind because of it.

Who knows, your mother-in-law might ask your kids the square root of 3,166,122. You want them to be able to answer it correctly, right? Just kidding (kind of.)

• Over scheduling

Don’t over schedule your day. Just don’t. We moms feel a need to save the world with our volunteer efforts. That’s great and all, but don’t sacrifice your sanity because of it.

We also feel a need to socialize our kids because we all know homeschool kids are weird, right. Ha. Just don’t let it get to be too much.

This is a red ribbon campaign for homeschool moms. Just say no.

• High Expectations

Let your kids be kids. Don’t expect them to win a Nobel Peace Prize at 9. It’s probably not going to happen.

Do expect them to do the best that they are capable of doing. If that’s only reading CVC words at the end of first grade, that’s fine, if that’s legitimately all the they can do. It’s all you need to expect.

• Staying Home Too Much

Like I said earlier, there is a stigma that comes with homeschooling and the biggest one is lack of socialization. And for some homeschoolers it’s legit. Sorry, it just is.

We can get stuck in a rut of school, school, school and forget that we need to go have fun, fun, fun. I know I have.

Your kids need exposure to the human race. They need to get away from the house, even if it’s just to go to the library. Go. Get Out.

We all get cabin fever from time to time, so if you don’t want your household turning into The Timberline Lodge from The Shining, go somewhere. Just kidding but, for real, get out.

• Make Comparisons

First time homeschoolers especially make this mistake. Comparing ourselves to other homeschool moms. Comparing our schedules to other homeschool families. We compare our curriculum and how we use it. It can go on and on.

As you continue to homeschool year after year, you will gain more confidence and see that what you’re doing is working and that you know what’s best for your kids and your family.

Don’t let the fact that a veteran homeschool mom is doing things differently than you dash your confidence and ability to teach your kids exactly how they need it.

• Changing Curriculums Too Often

Like I stated before, it’s fun to try new curriculum. It’s new and exciting. Our current curriculum gets dull and boring after a while. I get burnt out around February and always get that itch. I try to stick with what I’ve got because it’s working and there was a reason for choosing it in the first place.

You’ve got to be careful, especially with math, that it doesn’t leave too many gaps and get your child behind.

If it’s not working for either you or your child, that’s a different story. By all means, find something that works.

• Recreating School at Home

I met so many moms who tell me their kids hate it and want to go back to school. After talking to them about their day, I understand that they are trying to bring school home.

I was also guilty of this our first couple of weeks, and then I remembered that I am HOMEschooling them, not bringing school home.

Make your environment homey and comfortable, not stuffy and stiffling. Break out the snacks. Play some classical music. Try a morning book basket for some of your learning. Ditch a few of the workbooks and try letting them dictate back to you what they have learned.

• Not Doing The Fun Stuff

Have you ever heard the proverb “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”? Apparently I can’t get The Shining out of my mind. Ugh. The same goes for our homeschool. We want our homeschool to be vibrant with tons of great memories, not dull and unexciting.

I’m totally guilty of this. Straight up guilty. I HATE cleaning up the mess of experiments and crafts. However, children learn best when they are involved in the learning. When they are able to put into practice what they have just learned from what has been read to them, it helps it to permanently stick in their mind.

Here is some great ideas for hands on ideas to teach letter sounds, some ideas for math, and here is one for science.

• Getting Angry

James 1:20 says “For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

The righteousness of God is what I want my kids to strive for. This is what I want my kids to hunger and thirst for. How are they to do that if I’m not modeling that. My anger is not an example of godly righteousness.

I struggle with this. 4 kids and all the stress that comes with raising and training them, homeschooling, business, housekeeping. It gets me and I snap and get angry. Please tell me I’m not the only one.

Do you get angry when your child can’t get the math problem you’ve went over 16 times? What about when they can’t sound out a word that they’ve read before? I have and I still do.

Proverbs 15:1 says “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Oh my, this is so true.

So, there you have it. 10 mistakes homeschool moms make. I’ve made every one of them and I’m sure I’ll make them again. I’m just trying to learn from them and move on. That’s all we can do.

After reading these mistakes, remember, all homeschool moms have made them and children are so forgiving and love you unconditionally. We moms tend to beat ourselves up at the end of the day with all that we’ve done wrong, but these do not define your homeschool.

As Scarlett O’Hara said, “After all, tomorrow is another day.” So, pull yourselves up by your bootstraps and go for it again tomorrow.

What are some mistakes you’ve made and how did you fix them? Drop a comment below.