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When making major life decisions such as how to educate your children, you have to be willing to ask yourself (and your spouse) some very tough questions. You also have to be willing to answer those questions honestly. Here are some good ones to ask concerning the education of your children:

Am I willing to take on the responsibility of educating my children? Truthfully, the responsibility was yours the moment you became a parent. This question should read more like: Am I going to do-it-myself, contract it out, or allow the government to educate my child? When contemplating home repairs, often contracting it out is the best choice if you don't have the skills and do have the money. When contemplating your child's future, this takes on much different dimensions. You are considering a human being, one that you love beyond bounds, and that no one else cares for like you do. You also have to realize that the consequences of doing it 'wrong' or poorly are definitely not the same as with a home repair. Home repairs can be re-done. Homes can be sold, moved out of, even torn down. Your child's emotions, brain, education, skills, etc. CAN be re-done also, but not without serious delays and consequences.

Am I willing to make the necessary sacrifices? Many of us have two-income households that would most likely lose an income if one parent stays home to teach the children. The financial sacrifice is a big one, but not by any means the only one. Are you willing to lower your standard of living in order to teach your child yourself? If you are already an at-home-mother (or father), ask yourself if you are willing to give up the privacy, solitude, and silence that you enjoy each day. If you have toddlers at home, ask yourself if you are willing to spend less one-on-one time with them, instead juggling little ones while educating older ones.

Am I enough of a disciplinarian? This is a big requirement and probably one of the most unexpected struggles that home schoolers face. You have to be tough enough to enforce whatever rules and standards you set for your children. Of course, this is true no matter if your children leave the house for school or not. But, you will need more rules and better enforcement in order to teach your youngsters with any degree of success. Homeschooling parents must always be parent, teacher, and principal. These roles don't get turned off and on throughout the day. Although we all want to be friends with our kids, it's much more important to be good parents.

Am I too restricted by society's norms to step out of the accepted boundaries? Lots of people are still skeptical, if not outright disapproving, of home schoolers. Not very many are outspoken enough to give you grief, but be prepared for it anyway. If you can't stand knowing others consider you weird, strange, wacky, or worse, you might have a problem homeschooling. Be able to take some criticism, possibly from neighbors, friends, and family.

Am I willing to learn everything I forgot in school? Homeschooling is lots of work and even with all of the teacher's aids, curriculum choices, computer programs, etc., you WILL learn lots of stuff that never stuck in school. As the teacher and parent, you will spend far more hours than your child or children will first you prepare, then teach, then grade (and re-grade) each lesson. In the end, you will be more knowledgeable than you ever thought you would be.

Learn more about this author, Cheryl Hochstettler.
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