by Selena Robinson

Created on: October 08, 2009   Last Updated: October 10, 2009

If you've talked to home school enthusiasts, you might have an idyllic picture of what homeschooling is like. As a home school mom, I can tell you that every day is not rosy. There are days when you feel frustrated, days when you're at a loss and days when you just don't feel like doing anything at all. Here are a few of my "confessions"; my honest experiences as a home school mom.

Yes, I get tired. There is no homeschooling supermom. We are regular people and we do get tired. I wish I was peppy and upbeat all day, but that's just not me. I get tired from sitting up at night with our newborn, I get tired from planning lessons for the next day, and I get tired from trying to carry out the full day's schedule. But, when I feel myself getting exhausted, I have a proven remedy. I rest. It works every time.

Yes, I get bored. Teaching your own children everyday can become a little tedious. As far as activities go, we are somewhat limited right now, since we have an eight week old in the house. So there are times when our routine gets somewhat stale and I find my teaching inspiration waning. When that happens, I drastically change our layout for a few days. I might stop using worksheets for the rest of the week and switch to stories and games only. Or we might stop right in the middle of a lesson and retire to the library for the rest of the day. The secret to keeping motivated, for me anyway, is to adjust my teaching resources regularly.

Yes, I get irritable. We have three children under the age of five, so by the end of the day, and sometimes, by midday, I can become testy. To keep it from infecting the children, I take personal time every day. I schedule it for a particular time, but if a day is becoming more difficult than normal, I stop the lesson and move my personal time to an earlier time than usual. It helps to keep me calm, which helps to keep our children calm. Calm mothers teach better and calm children learn better.

Yes, I get lonely. On days when we're at home all day, I miss adult conversation. But, I've found a cure for that too: our local library. It regularly holds a "Home School Storytime", which is a great resource for homeschoolers because it allows the children to meet other homeschooled children and moms to meet other home school moms. It gives me an opportunity to spend time talking about my children, instead of just to my children. It also allows me to tap into experienced homeschoolers for their opinions and advice, which brings me to my last confession.

Yes, I get scared. Despite our relaxed homeschooling style, I still get nervous from time to time about covering all the necessary state standards. I worry about the state-administered standardized test that our children will eventually have to take. But, in speaking with other veteran home school moms, I get the reassurance and encouragement I need to stick with it!

So, even though I'm not (and never will be) a homeschooling supermom, I feel more and more comfortable with our decision to home school every day. When I express my homeschooling "confessions", I have the confidence that we will continue to home school successfully and that I will work through my insecurities along the way.

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