Is Homeschooling the Hardest Thing You've Ever Done?

If we’re being completely honest, most of us will say that homeschooling is the hardest thing we’ve ever done. There are exceptions, of course: a mom of an only child recently told me she thought homeschooling her son from kindergarten through 8th grade was pretty easy, and I just smiled, thankful that she was able to embrace mostly smooth days.

But for the majority of us, homeschooling can be a major buzzkill. I believe that’s why the most popular episode on HomeschoolingIRL is called Homeschooling is a Buzzkill. Over the years of homeschooling our own kids, writing for homeschoolers, and speaking to homeschoolers, I’ve listened to sweet moms cry at the end of my workshops and watched concerned dads wring their hands, hoping to help their wives and children through what seems to be stressful beyond their strength.

And that’s just it: homeschooling requires strength from us that we don’t often possess. It forces us to see our own frailties. It causes us to deal with the stuff that is under the surface, stuff that we can hide pretty well in public but not so much when a kid or two are pushing every button at home.

I’d love to have some pithy thing to say to you that will help you buck up, grin, and bear it all. But God doesn’t do that to us. God doesn’t tell us to pull ourselves up from our bootstraps and deal. God gently redirects us to the One who stands in our place, perfectly bearing our burdens and taking on all that threatens to crush us. In our weakness, He is strong. Remember?

In those moments that drive you to the closet to dissolve into a puddle of tears, remember the truth. The truth is this: God loves you, He knows the end of the story, and Jesus has paid it all on your behalf. When homeschooling is a buzzkill and you have lost all of your ability to even be nice to anyone in your home, God looks at the mess and the failure and the burden and He sees Jesus. In your place stands the King of Kings.

Don’t be afraid to admit that homeschooling is the hardest thing you’ve ever done. When we admit our weaknesses and drop the pride, our transparency brings freedom for us and safety for others struggling just as we are. Then don’t forget to place it all back on the One who paid it all. There are many ways to regroup and start over, but begin at the cross and tilt your chin toward the One who has all the answers.

~Kendra