Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

 So, you're considering homeschooling and have a few questions.  Hopefully this post can answer some of those! Getting Started: Yup, homeschooling feels pretty daunting at first. But keep in mind that with the right tools and resources and a healthy mindset, this form of education can be a tremendous blessing for you and your child. It's a unique opportunity to tailor your children's education to their individual needs and interests. And that is a pretty amazing opportunity, if you think about it! Getting started involves knowing your individual state's legal requirements for homeschooling families. HSLDA has a pretty comprehensive guide to each state's laws and standards, so consider taking a look at that site for more info. (I'll link it at the bottom of this post.)  You may need to submit notification of your intent to your local school district. There may be some curriculum standards that you will want to be aware of. For example, when my children were in hi...

 Is everything you do about your children's education? Or maybe you focus primarily on their interests in order to aid them in building their future and possibly their career. Maybe you just want your kids to be emotionally stable. Your end goal may be helping them get into a certain college or university or program. It could be an intentional focus on sports due to their athletic abilities (or any other myriad of activities wherein they excel).  None of those is wrong. Lots of parents choose home education for reasons such as these.  But as I reflect on my own five children and our 25 years of homeschooling, I know for sure that their character and their love for the Lord were the things I did right in focusing on, while simultaneously being the areas I wish I had spent more time, energy and focus on. It's a coexisting of two things in the same space; we did it well, and we should have done it better.  Some of their deepest struggles may have been lessened had I, th...