You Need to Have Extra Patience to Homeschool – Homeschool Myth #1
Having my kids out and about during the school day often brings out a lot of questions. When people find out that we homeschool about 75% of them say something to the effect that they would never have enough patience to homeschool.
I’ve been thinking a lot about that comment over the last number of years and thought it would make the first homeschool myth I want to bust.
You Need to Have Extra Patience to Homeschool – Homeschool Myth #1
Can I just start things out by saying that I have no more patience than the average parent (I honestly probably have less patience than the average parent).
“I would never have enough patience to homeschool.”
When I hear that comment it always makes me feel like they think homeschoolers begin homeschooling because they have an abundance of natural patience.
When people make that comment I wonder what they are imaging homeschool looks like?
Are they picturing a classroom setting where there are 20-ish children?
Most families don’t have quite that many children so that isn’t an accurate representation.
Are they imagining that “school” needs to take place during normal school hours and sitting in a desk?
While it can, we, and most homeschoolers, definitely don’t operate that way.
Are they thinking about how little patience they normally have with their kids?
I think this is usually what they are thinking and I always want to tell them my little secret: I felt like I needed less patience with my kids and liked them better when we started homeschooling. I think there were two main reasons for this:
First, my daughter used to come home from school completely exhausted but now I could hang out with her when she was in her prime of the day.
Second, my kids know that I am the teacher, there is none of this “Well, Mrs. So-and-So tell us to do things this way.”
Oh, and bonus: when we started homeschooling my kids really became each other’s best friends. And even though they are pretty much complete opposites in every.single.way. they get along better when they spend more time together.
And truthfully, maybe I don’t need less patience but I’ve just had extra time to practice my patience.
Yes, homeschooling does take patience, but if you are homeschooling in the way that is best for your family, it really doesn’t take any more patience than parenting in general, and I may even argue some days it takes less patience!
Do you think homeschooling takes more patience than regular homeschooling? Any myths you think I should cover in the future?
Other thing that I always heard is that my boy need to socialize. Like in the only place he can find kids to socialize is at the school.
Yes, absolutely, that’s a very common myth, I’ll address this one soon!
I am 100% with you on this! I heard this one again just two days ago. I love that I get to spend my days with them and don’t feel like it takes extra patience to do so! I would need so much more patience if I was trying to keep track of meaningless homework assignments and demanding fundraisers and yada yada yada.
I totally agree with you! I could hardly keep up with all the things I needed to do when Raeca was in kindergarten! Sign permission forms, send money for hot dog lunch, send this thing for this craft, remember show and tell days, squeeze her reading practice in in the few hours she was home (and awake) . . . there was no time for family time or anything!