Part of being a parent is feeling inadequate. Our kids aren’t talking soon enough, potty training at the same time as our friends’ kids, jumping as high, riding their bike without training wheels, reading on time – am I right? We’re plagued with it. Generations ago it was “feed them sometimes” and here we are in a world of never-good-enough.
So when you’re tackling homeschooling this is the thing you have to address first. Can you face your (misplaced) feelings of inadequacy? Because the key to homeschooling success is this – you are a co-learner with your child. There is precious little they need to be taught directly from someone who is formally trained.
In fact – my favorite subjects to work with my children on are the ones I know the least about. Learning is life’s greatest adventure.
Know this – if you can read, you can learn with your child. The library is your playground. There is curriculum out there that can help guide you and there may be things that you truly just cannot wrap your mind around, but there are resources for those things and you will find them when you need them.
Step one is not sorting through curriculum. It’s not understanding paperwork. It’s not reading homeschool regulations. The first step is to have a complete mental shift about what learning is, and what it isn’t and to view yourself as a guide rather than an expert.
And once you’ve done that, surround yourself with other homeschool parents who can love and support you along the way.
You’ve got this.
