If it hasn’t happened yet, it will.
That moment, in homeschooling, when you are sure you just can’t do it anymore. Maybe it’s because you’re just plain tired, your kids have been having attitudes, or you just feel like you can’t do a good enough job and everything seems to be going wrong. Whatever the reason, you suddenly find yourself thinking “I want to quit homeschooling!”
If you’re there, just know that you are not alone. Lots of homeschoolers go through a period when they want to quit homeschooling. There have been MANY days during the past 31 years of homeschooling that I wanted to quit! In fact, I told my husband on several different occasions that if homeschooling wasn’t a conviction for me, I’d enroll the kids in the Christian school that day!!
Don’t get me wrong – if I had it to do over, I’d homeschool my kids again. I believe in homeschooling, and I love it….but some days are just plain HARD!
It can get frustrating and make those thoughts of quitting enter your mind.
What should you do when you feel like quitting?
1. Go back to your reasons for homeschooling.
When homeschooling seems overwhelming and discouraging, and you start wondering what possessed you to do such a thing, remind yourself exactly why you are doing it. Go back to your homeschool mission statement and look at your original reasons.
Remember that homeschooling is about preparing kids for life, and serving God. Often, in the piles of books and assignments, we get focused on academics and forget what is really important.
Are you accomplishing what you set out to do? Often you realize how much you HAVE been accomplishing when you go back to your reasons and your goals.
2. Remember your goals.
Before you start each homeschool year you should review your list of goals. Add to it or change it as the years go by. When you face discouraging days, pull the list of goals out to be sure you are focusing on what will help you reach those goals. Often we let the academics distract us from the more important goals, such as pointing our children to Christ daily.
God’s Word tell us clearly what our goals should be in II Peter 1:8 where it says to add to our faith, virtue (character), and to character, knowledge. Give your kids a heart for God’s Word and teach them godly character, then work on the academics. God will bless the remaining time for academics when you make His Word and godly character the first part of your day.
Remember too that God has a plan for each of your children. They each have their special mission in life, and have been sent with talents and interests that will lead them to prepare for it. If we get too busy achieving educational goals to keep that perspective, we may prepare them in everything except that purpose for which God made them.
3. Re-evaluate relationships
Often we get so busy with our homeschooling that we neglect spending time with God. Soon we are discouraged and weary from trying to do it in our own strength. Every thing we do in our homes must rest on the foundation of our relationship with God.
You need to have a oneness of spirit with your spouse and share the same goals in your parenting. If that relationship is good, you will have the support for those hard days.
As homeschooling moms, we are with our kids 24 hours a day. We need to have a heart for them and enjoy being with them. Don’t let academic challenges hurt that relationship with your child! One of the most important things we can do as parents is win the hearts of our children!
The verse I always clung to when I just felt like I couldn’t do it anymore is I Thesalonians 5:24:
“Faithful is he who calleth you, who also will do it.”
God doesn’t ask us to do this on our own! However, many times that is what we are trying to do and that’s the very thing that leads us to discouragement.
Depend on God, and remember that He will be faithful to give you wisdom and strength for the homeschooling journey He has called you to!
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Thanks so much Wendy. Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I LOVE this article! Thanks so much for linking up with us at Hip Homeschool Moms! So many moms get discouraged from time to time and feel like quitting, but it’s possible to get through those hard times and keep on going! Thank you for sharing encouragement and practical tips with moms who’re having a hard time.