Dear First-time Homeschool Mom,
I know that you are feeling overwhelmed and everything is seeming so hard, but you are about to embark on one of the most amazing adventures of your life. I want you to know that it’s okay to have questions, we all had so many questions when we started. The best part about this community spanning all over the world is that there’s always someone who can answer those questions. You are never alone and believe it or not, someone has been where you are before, you’re definitely not alone.
When we first started homeschooling I felt like we were always behind, never doing enough, and I was failing. It turned out that I was the only one thinking this about our homeschool, everyone else was seeing all of the amazing things that were happening. What I needed to learn was that comparing ourselves to the brick-and-mortar schools. Things were obviously going to look different because what we are doing is different, all I had to do was realize that! Honestly, it’s all about finding the right balance, whatever works best for you’re family and your family alone.
Remember to take a break and get out of the house. Just because you’re at home doing school doesn’t mean you have to stay home. Get out of the house frequently or you’re going to drive yourself and your children insane. We try to have at least one weekly registered class or sport that the kids do. On top of that, we try to get out for field trips a couple times a week to visit the local science center, the zoo, or some of the museums. We also enjoy to just get out of the house and walk around in nature!
The absolute most important things to remember are to just have fun, let your kids have fun, and find your place in the community. Getting everything done can seem so important that you can actually forget to have fun! Finding your people is so important, these are the people you’re going to turn to when you need help, ask questions, and discuss your journey with. I didn’t think that finding my place in the community was important until I actually did, now I would argue that it’s, in fact, one of the most important things!
I hope that you have a fantastic first year and you continue on this joyful, exciting journey!
