How I Know Homeschool Moms Secretly Wear Capes
Moms in general are strong, courageous and dedicated. We will do whatever it takes to protect our children, provide for our children and nurture our children. However, homeschool moms are a special breed. I know - I am one, and I’ve been hanging around other homeschool moms for going on 13 years now. You may not see the capes they are wearing under their clothes, but I do. All moms are heroes, but here are some ways I know homeschool moms are superheroes.
We take dedication to a whole new level.
All mothers are dedicated. We know that’s true. Otherwise, the human race would have died off long ago. However, homeschool moms take this dedication to a whole new level. Not only do we cherish our children, we cherish them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Admittedly, there are times we wish they would give us an hour or two of alone time, but for the most part, we love having our kids with us, and we would not want it any other way.
We put our money where our mouth is, so to speak.
It’s easy to say you want your child to succeed in his or her education, but it’s something more when you volunteer to be in the trenches with your child. Mothers of schooled kids help their kids with homework and volunteer in the classroom, and they are definitely dedicated. However, homeschool moms make the lesson plans and the assignments. We spend countless hours preparing and planning for our kids so we can help them learn all they can. We go above and beyond to make sure our kids are well educated.
We work hard to make things work for our kids.
I’ve heard mothers of kids in school say things like, “If you don’t understand the lesson, you need to ask your teacher to explain it to you again.” In fact, I’ve said that to my kids before, during the brief period in life where they went to school. Homeschool moms don’t have that option, nor do we want it. Instead, we welcome the daily challenge of finding a way to help our kids understand their lessons. If little George can’t learn his multiplication tables by using flash cards, we’ll try bouncing a ball while repeating them or creating a game where he can only win if he can tell us the answers. We’ll let him stand on his head if he needs to. Maybe then, the math facts will sink in.
We support each other.
Moms of schooled kids find their community through the school. They go to PTA meetings, boo-hoo breakfasts and more in order to support their children’s schools and to socialize with each other. If homeschool moms are going to socialize, we have to find a way to do it. We create groups and co-ops and classes galore. We will do whatever it takes to find other families we can hang out with. Then, when things get rough for one family, we are there to help. If a mom is sick, we cook meals, run errands and drive kids to their lessons. We are there for each other, because we are part of a community – a family we have created.
What do you say?
Would you ever homeschool your child(ren)?
We are cut from different cloth.
Homeschool moms like their kids. We laugh with them, play with them and just hang out with them. While many mothers are counting the days until summer vacation will end and school will start back, homeschool moms are counting their blessings that they don’t have to drop their kids off at school. We are happy to have our kids with us all the time. Even when homeschool families gather to socialize, it is very common to see groups of mothers and kids all talking and sharing time together. There is no need to be separated by age group in our world.
We learn with our kids.
Many times, homeschool moms hear comments like, “Oh, I could never teach my child. I was terrible in math.” The secret is, plenty of homeschool moms were terrible in math or science or language arts or history. We all have something we did not enjoy in school and we don’t feel equipped to teach. However, we have discovered that learning can be fun! Personally, I hated history in school. Textbooks and teachers had a way of making the lessons boring. I did not understand why it mattered what year the civil war started. However, now that I am teaching my kids, I have discovered a love of history. The facts are fascinating when you find interesting ways to learn lessons and apply them to real life!
We live on less.
Not always, but many times, homeschool moms have to learn how to budget, really budget their money. Many families with children in school have double incomes, since the mothers can work while the kids are away. However, in homeschooling families, double income households are the exception instead of the rule. Most of us are living on one income, and we are doing it quite well. We can create a meal out of whatever is left in the pantry and in the fridge, and we’ll even make it taste good. We are creative with our budget, and we make it work.
The homeschooling trend in growing throughout America, so whether you know it or not, you are surrounded by superheroes. We wear average clothes, and we look like average moms, but if you pay attention, you’ll see we are so much more than that!
