This post is from contributor, Heather Haupt
Today was the first day of a new week! I awoke early and excited. Today, I resolved to joyfully embrace everything the day had for me! Turns out I needed this joyful resolve to simply make it through today.
I should have figured that something was afoul when I discovered a stinky diaper with contents oozing all over the crib mattress and bumper pad. Nice. An unexpected load of laundry. And that’s how the day continued to unfold.
My mom called this evening on her way home from work to ask how our day went. She got an earful. My strong-willed one didn’t want to do anything. We ended up focusing on character development most of the day and my dramatic one was very emotional and, well, dramatic. Everything was an ordeal.
I thought I heard a faint snicker on the other end. My mom mustered a “that must have been hard, honey.” I could tell there was a smile in her voice. It stopped me mid-sentence…Wait. I knew I had been strong-willed, but had I been over-emotional too? More suppressed laughter. I laughed too as she recounted memories.
That’s when it hit me. I still have emotional episodes. But you know what? I’m an adult now and ALLLLL those years of her helping me through them over and over again have paid off. Instead of listening to myself when I start to wig out, I talk to myself. And that self-talk sounds a lot like my mom used to sound. “You can do it.” “Break the problem down, Heather.” “Take a deep breath.” “You are an over-comer.” “The Spirit of God dwells inside of you and empowers you to accomplish everything He sets in your path.”…and on and on.
It was a weird deja-vu moment as I was experiencing this revelation now as a homeschool parent. I struggled with the very same issues. But my mom didn’t give up on me and I grew up to be {fairly} normal! Self-talk commenced again after I got off the phone with her – inspired to keep praying, keep training. Consistency: it’ll pay off!
This got me thinking about all of the unexpected benefits of homeschooling that I see now looking back.
10 Amazing Benefits of Homeschooling from a Graduate’s Perspective
1. Character flaws can be blunted and converted to strengths ~ Emotion and a flair for the dramatic aren’t all bad, but they need to be brought under self-control. I’m thankful my mom helped me harness this instead of letting my emotions control me. I’m thankful for the opportunity to work on this with my own children.
2. Watching character growth in a parent ~ When you are together 24-7 there is no hiding flaws. I still tear up when I remember my mom praying and working so diligently on one of hers. It inspired her girls to pursue God and watch Him work in our own lives. While others may think I have it all together, my children certainly know different. But they still love me and they know exactly where I’m going to go when I mess up…
3. The necessity of working through conflict ~ Unless you want your home to feel like a time bomb about to go off, conflict must be dealt with head-on. Learning to deal with the inevitable conflict as a child prepared me to work through conflict as an adult with others and especially with my spouse.
4. Socialization ~ It always boggled my mind when we would get the “what about socialization” question growing up. What I find even more amazing is that this question is still being asked today. I’m so thankful for my homeschool years. I learned to effortlessly converse with the clerks at the store, the office that I had the luxury of working at during my high school years, my friends’ moms who I also counted as my friends, as well as those younger than me. My socialization experience was quite well-rounded.
5. Children learn to pursue an education instead of merely “receive” one ~ In a culture where children are spoon-fed and handed nearly everything in life, I’m thankful for the time and opportunity I had to pursue an education. It is a beautiful paradigm shift and one that I’m still reaping the rewards of to this day.
6. Time to be bored ~ Homeschooling was certainly different back in the 80’s and early 90’s than it is today. There weren’t nearly the plethora of opportunities. We had ample time for boredom, which can be the key to unlocking creativity when children are denied things to mindlessly occupy themselves. Without tv or video games at our disposal, we learned to creatively entertain ourselves. We also quickly learned to never admit to being bored. It was a sure-fire way to be assigned new chores!
7. Time to Explore ~ Somewhat related to this was that homeschooling provided time to explore. There was flexibility to explore delightful bunny trails and expand our education beyond the scope of the lesson plans! Exploration stokes the fire of the imagination. It is the proving ground for innovation.
8. Time to think deeply ~ Are you seeing a trend here? TIME is such a huge gift that we give to our children…Homeschooling provides more flexibility and time to think deeply about things. My favorite childhood places to go and “think” were both outside. I would do my hardcore thinking while out for a jog around the block or from my perch atop the roof {yes, I had a permissive mother}. We were encouraged to ask questions {no question was off the table} and think deeply. We were also given time to process.
9. Strengths become stronger ~ It’s no secret that homeschooling allows us to focus on our strengths. My sister focused on her art and design; she devoured philosophy books, while my other sister could build anything and was a whiz at math. My childhood aspirations to pursue medicine drove me to learn Latin.
10. Weaknesses turn to strengths ~ Instead of a whole classroom progressing at the same rate, homeschool parents have the flexibility to really work on weaknesses and turn them into strengths. My mom and I just laugh at what God has called me to do. Writing was a daily battle for me. We went head-to-head on this subject for the entirety of my homeschool years. My writing took off in college and now I see a glint of wonder and triumph in her eyes as I show her a new article I’ve written or when I hand over the manuscript for my new book.
So dear mom, stick to it! Stay the course of what you feel God is calling your family to do. Some of these benefits may not become evident for years. But as you pray, as you faithfully sow, there will be fruit. Stay the course.
Heather H
Latest posts by Heather H (see all)
- 10 Unexpected Benefits of Homeschooling from a Homeschool Graduate’s Perspective - August 1, 2018
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- Adding Story to Your Homeschool History Makes it Come Alive - July 14, 2014
- The Secret Ingredient Every Homeschool Should Utilize - April 16, 2014
- A Frugal Approach to Building Biblical Literacy - March 12, 2014
Thank you so much! All of these points are so special and the reason I homeschool is the issue of TIME! Time to be with me and their father, their siblings, even their other friends. Time to be with themselves, to discover, explore, research their interests, and truly grow into literate, thinking, companionate, individuals. I just don’t see how all of that can be done speeding them to the bus, trapping them at a desk, wasting so much time handing out papers, handing in paper, lining up, marching down the hallways. And only with their own age group!
As a fellow homeschool graduate and current homeschooling mother, I have to agree! Fantastic points and excellent encouragement for us moms in the trenches of homeschooling.
Yes! Time is so critical and I’m so thankful that I can now give my own children the gift of time! Thanks for sharing.
My husband & I were both homeschooled during our high school years. We, too, are homeschooling our children and our oldest will be graduating this year. Just this week I had a priceless homeschool moment with my teenagers that touched my heart. As they were each at their desks, I shared with them a wonderful piece of news of a friend’s salvation. My girls immediately burst into a song of praise. I had to leave the room so they wouldn’t see the mist in my eyes. (It’s not cool for a mom of teenagers to cry, you know!) I cherish moments like these throughout the day. I will never pretend that the homeschool journey is easy, but the benefits are tremendous! Keep on, moms! It’s worth it!
Thanks for sharing. I really think kids today, need to be “bored” more often. If they were given more time to be bored, they might find that boredom would eventually come less frequently.
We just started homeschooling this year. My son is in 6th grade and the classroom never worked for him. I was so encouraged reading this! As a child who struggles so much with writing, I have hope that he will master it one day! Thanks!
As a first-generation homeschooling mama, too, this is very encouraging!! Thank you. 🙂
This is so beautiful!
I hope you don’t mind but i am going to print these points out and read them often, especially when i need encouragement to get through the days!
I’ve started the homeschool journey this year, and pulling my kids out of school is the most satisfying thing I’ve done! We’re all growing and learning as we go, but i have already seen what their time in the school system has done to them and it’s certainly been a challenge to “de-school” them and help them find themselves.
Looking forward to exploring your site – thank you for taking the time to share your journey!
Emily xx
I can’t say enough how I appreciate and love this article. I have spent many hours over the years crying and praying over the struggle and SECOND-GUESSING our desicion to homeschool. I know through faith that my children will, by God’s grace, be successful. Reading your experience has been a great blessing. Thank you!