3 Unexpected Ways Homeschooling Changed My Life, & Why I Give Thanks

Thanksgiving is this week, and gratitude for homeschooling has been heavily on my mind. Our days seem to fly by, and I can see how the years with my children are doing the same. It’s bittersweet. While I love getting to see them learn and grow everyday, I know that each day we come a little bit closer to them becoming adults and leaving the nest. It tugs at this mama’s heart, y’all. Most parents don’t get to be with their children as much as I am with mine, and I want to always keep this in mind.

I’ve talked about being an empathic introvert in the past, and even though I can become overwhelmed by their presence and energy, I am thankful for our time together. Snuggling on the couch. Working on math in a fun way. Meeting friends at the zoo. Having random dance parties in the kitchen. Taking nature hikes. Running errands together. I am truly grateful for all of these moments. Why? Because one day I won’t get to do these things with my children any longer. That realization stops me in my tracks and causes me to give thanks every time.

Choosing gratitude hasn’t always come naturally to me. Homeschooling changed all of that, and here are three unexpected ways it has done it and why I’m ever so grateful.

Homeschooling is the catalyst for a new way of life

When I found out about homeschooling, my life started going in a new direction. A change happened within me almost overnight. The idea of it awakened a passion inside me that I didn’t know was there. It was a natural fit, like a piece of a puzzle that I hadn’t realized was even missing. It felt like home. From that day to this one, over six years in all, the thing that has pushed me beyond any limits I or anyone else has placed on my life has been homeschooling. It requires SO much, yet gives so much more. It’s a calling that was placed on my life and has opened me up in many more possibilities than I ever imagined, for my children, family, and myself. I am grateful that it chose me and that I continue to choose the homeschooling lifestyle everyday.

Homeschooling gives children a true childhood and education

Childhood seems to have become an enigma these days. The push to grow up fast is evident and even promoted as the right way to raise your children. What’s developmentally appropriate doesn’t come into play. Children aren’t allowed to be children. They’re to be robots whose primary role is to be quiet, regurgitate useless facts at will, and to care about whatever the adults around them care about. This may sound harsh, but if you think about it, it’s true. Homeschooling disrupts this narrative, and for that I am deeply grateful.

Home education allows for the whole child — his personality, temperament, quirks, interests, comfort, and abilities — and gives way for a childhood full of play, wonder, exploration, meaningful connections with people and information, lots of time to dive into topics that interest him, and many more wonderful experiences than I can list here. It’s what childhood should be about, and I get to give that to my children. How could I not be grateful?

Homeschooling connects a community of world changers

It might sound cliché, but homeschoolers are world changers, and I’m not just talking about the extraordinary homeschooled children you see on the news or in your social media feed. Mother Teresa said, “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” Homeschool parents have taken that quote to heart by choosing to create a life where family comes first.

In today’s world, where families are separated for most of the day, stress levels are at an all-time high, and education is measured in test scores rather than mastery, homeschooling families are breaking the mold and setting a new standard of success for their children. If that’s not world changing, I don’t know what is. Realizing the power I have in shaping my children, and in turn them shaping the world, can only make me say THANK YOU for the blessing of homeschooling.

This Thanksgiving, while you’re giving thanks for family, food, and time together, I encourage you to also give thanks for homeschooling. This lifestyle isn’t for the faint of heart, and you’re doing it anyway, and doing it well. The more challenging the experience, the more refining, right? Give thanks for it all, Mama. There’s power in gratitude.