It's okay to not homeschool!

I almost homeschooled. In fact, for a solid 2 months over the summer I was in homeschool mode. I read all the books, researched how awful the public school system was and was pretty sure I could have my children get their GEDs by age 15. I had all the reasons I was going to homeschool ready to explain when people asked, I could teach them more efficiently, they wouldn't be exposed to the horrors of public school and I'd get more time with them. But those were the secondary reasons. Principally, I wasn’t doing it for the right reasons; I was doing it out of guilt. I use to feel guilty every time I talked to a homeschool Mom or read a homeschool blog. Do you know why I felt guilty? Because I was under the illusion that homeschool Moms loved their kids more than I loved mine. They were willing to never have a “break” from their kids. They wanted their kids with them all day long because they loved them so much. They were willing to put all their blood, sweat and tears into the education of their children. They were willing to do hard every single day because they must love their kids more than I loved mine. So naturally, I thought to prove my love for my kids I should homeschool.

I don’t think I’m the only one who fell into this trap. In fact, several of my friends automatically bumped me into the next Mom category when they heard I was going to homeschool. I received more, “You’re such a good Mom!” comments than I can count.  But then I learned an important and necessary lesson. Homeschool Moms don’t love their kids more than the rest of us. I don’t think it’s the homeschooling Moms that project this attitude (okay, well maybe a select few) I think it’s the rest of us that can’t figure out how to acknowledge that that is what works for them but that we shouldn’t feel guilty that our choices are different. But, do we realize what a slippery slope it is to judge who is the better Mom based on a single choice? If you feel inferior for not homeschooling let me broaden the subject for you so you realize how outrageous it sounds. Those who feed their kids all organic must certainly love their kids more than you. Those who have just one child so they never have to split their affections certainly love their child more than you. Or is that those who have 10 children most certainly love their kids more than those with only 2? Those who let their kids run and play and get dirty most certainly love their kids more than those moms who are teaching their kids to read at age 4.

Guess what? We all love our kids enough to do what is right for them and our family. My kiddos are thriving at school with teachers who love and adore them. They are a good influence on their friends (most of the time) and they are exactly where they are supposed to be. Is the public school system perfect? No. Is the homeschooling system perfect? Guess what, it’s actually not. There are hundreds of reasons on both sides of the argument. So this is my shout out to all the Moms out there to quit feeling guilty. Take confidence that you love your kids in the exact, individual, and unique way that they need to be loved and that is the reason God saw fit to make you their mother.