This is the eventual and sometimes constant question homeschool parents ask themselves. We fear letting our children down and ruining their lives somehow. So, how do we know if we are doing enough? I think my experience as a non-typical homeschooled child really gives me a different perspective than most. I was homeschooled all but one school year. Unlike so many success stories of homeschoolers finishing early and/or being highly prized by colleges, I was not. My mom was very sick for much of those years, and our schooling took a hit because of it. My siblings and I largely schooled ourselves, and I got behind. I ended up only finishing 7th grade and took the GED just to be done. Despite this, I scored very high on the GED and moved on with life. Even though I wasn’t schooled perfectly and didn’t finish completely, I still came out with a love of learning. My setbacks never held me back with anything I wanted to pursue.
This realization impacted the way I school my kids. They aren’t behind if they read later than their peers. Nobody will ask them in a job interview if they learned to read at 4 or 10 years old. I won’t ruin them if I back one of my kids up six months in math because they aren’t confident yet. If we are consistently moving forward and they come out with a love of learning, I believe that is more successful than any amount of high marks or stellar report cards. So breathe, slow down, and know that if you give them that gift of seeking knowledge for their own edification, then you have given your kids a treasure trove that never ends.
Hi there! My name is Lara, and I’m a homeschool mom of 4 kiddos. I am also an illustrator and creator of Heart Spark Homeschool. My family has lived in an RV for a couple of years and traveled from Yellowstone to Mexico and California to South Carolina! Even when we aren’t mobile, we school around busy life. We love nature and traveling! Unit studies and interest-led learning are probably the homeschool styles that most fits our family.
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