Why I decided to homeschool

The Start of My Homeschool Journey

I have been asked a few times why I decided to homeschool.   At first I wasn’t sure how to answer that question.  I tried to tailor my answer to what each person wanted to hear.   After homeschooling my two boys for the past 7 months the answer is very clear some days and other days I’m asking my self that same question.
I homeschool to help my boys.  My 8 year old has some learning struggles.  He loses focus and really struggles with self doubt.  He was at a public school last year and he really struggled with feeling smart.  There were many days he came home from school sad and upset because he said he felt stupid.  The reason he felt stupid…he couldn’t focus and get the work finished, especially with math.  He knows the answers its just getting it done in the allowed time that he struggles with.
Though these last 7 months I have really tried to focus on helping him make learning fun.  We started with worksheets which are just not something he does well with right now.  Now math worksheets get done maybe once a week.  My main focus these days isn’t getting worksheets done..it is getting him to realize he CAN do the math problems and get the right answer.   Together we have found he does really well with math games.   Most days we use those types of resources for our math lessons.   I want to help him build confidence in himself and know he is smart it just takes time and focus.  One day down the line we may focus more on worksheets but at this stage in our journey it isn’t important.
My 7 year old struggles with reading.  He loves to read however when there is a word he doesn’t know, he just makes a new one up.   For him it is me taking the time to get him to back up and sound out the word and focus on if it makes sense in the story or not.
I’m ALWAYS learning and experimenting with new homeschool ideas and lessons.  I don’t think I will ever stop searching Pinterest for new homeschool ideas.  I think now is an amazing time for homeschooling.  There are so many resources out there it is just a matter of finding and utilizing them.
I think MY main struggle is not comparing what we are doing to the public schools or to other homeschool moms.  There are so many times when I’m asked a question about what we are doing and I feel the need to not just answer but to justify my answer.  What I am doing is trying to make this a good fun learning experience.  I want my boys to enjoy learning if that means we do it in ways that seem unconventional to others then that is the way we need to do it.  I love the freedom to experiment with different lessons and ways of learning.

To other homeschool moms:

I say don’t be so hard on yourself!!   I know there is that mom that homeschools that seems to have it all together and they have a certain curriculum that works great for their kids.  Don’t beat yourself up if that curriculum doesn’t work for you and your kids.  Take time to try different plans until you find what works.  All kids are different.  My boys learn totally different ways and I love being able to tailor their lessons to their specific ways.  I think that is what helps them to stay engaged and want to learn.

Why do I homeschool?

There are many times I find my self starting to answer that question in a way I think others want to hear.  I am trying to STOP and answer it short and sweet.  I homeschool for my kids.  To help them to succeed in learning and growing.