Is homeschooling hard? An in-depth look at four difficult homeschool situations.

Preview: Is homeschooling hard? Yes, but there are so many benefits of homeschooling too! Learn how to overcome four difficult homeschool situations.


Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart.

Is homeschooling hard? Yes, but there are so many benefits of homeschooling too! Learn how to overcome four difficult homeschool situations.

Some of the challenges of homeschooling include

But these are also benefits of homeschooling.

  • You have an opportunity to develop a deep relationship with your children.
  • You can invest time and effort in developing your character and your children’s character.

Even though we may know that there are benefits of homeschooling and that we want to make this work, some days are just hard! In this article, we’ll look at four homeschool situations that feel difficult and how to overcome them.

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Do you need patience to homeschool?

Have you said, “I don’t have the patience to homeschool!”? I did too!

In episode 20 of the All in a Homeschool Day podcast, I share what happened when I said that and how you can develop the patience and mindset to successfully homeschool your children.

  • Pray and ask God to help you develop patience.
  • Examine why you do not have patience. Getting to the root cause of your beliefs can help you begin to align your beliefs with the truth so you can begin to develop patience.
  • Learn to become a thermostat instead of a thermometer so you can help control the atmosphere of your home and reduce the amount of patience you need.
  • Revise your schedule so you have more margin and are less rushed and busy.
  • Plan how you will get a respite. Having a plan in place to allow you to take a break from the demands of parenting and homeschooling is essential!

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

And really, let’s be honest…we all need more patience. Having more patience will help us not only be better home educators but better parents as well. Even if we have been working on developing patience, we can always use a reminder to be more intentional and stay the course.

Is it okay to want a break from my children?

Many parents wonder,

“Will I still like my children at the end of the day?” 

The truth? Some days you will, and some days you will want to escape to a quiet room with a bar of chocolate, a good book, and earplugs. But really, can’t we say the same thing about parenting?

It’s okay to love your children, want to homeschool them, and still want a break from them! Homeschooling is a demanding, 24/7 job. It was especially difficult when my children were young because I felt like was always on duty. I would often feel guilty when I made comments about wanting a break.

I came to realize that I needed time away so I could rest and recharge in order to be a better mom and teacher. In episode 32 of the All in a Homeschool Day podcast, I share strategies and tips to help you find time to recharge as well as encouragement to let go of the guilt.

How do I get my child to respect me as his teacher?

Are you frustrated that your child doesn’t take you seriously as his teacher? Or, do you see your child working hard and staying attentive for others, but not you?

In episode 81 of the All in a Homeschool Day podcast, you’ll learn four things you can do to gain your child’s respect.

Can you homeschool while working?

Yes, you can! Jen Mackinnon is a working homeschool mom of two teens. In episode 18 of the All in a Homeschool Day podcast, she shares insights on learning to integrate working and homeschooling and how it’s not about learning to balance it all but redefine our definition of balance.

Whether you work outside the home, work in the home, or work to get dinner on the table, you can apply so much of what Jen shared with us to help your homeschool run smoother and teach your children important life skills.

What we talked about:

  • How it is important to embrace homeschooling the kids you have instead of trying to compare your homeschool with everyone else’s. What works for other families may not work for yours, and it is important to find what helps your children be successful.
  • How checklists and schedules can provide boundaries and guidelines to help your week run smoothly.
  • How she schedules time each week for her children to pursue individual interests. This has helped her children learn how to learn, thus accomplishing one of her goals in homeschooling her children.
  • Why we need to redefine our definition of balance. You cannot do everything. You need to ask for help, delegate tasks to your children, and establish systems.

Connect with Jen at Practical by Default

What’s homeschooling really like?

We’ve talked about some of the challenges of homeschooling. Even though homeschooling your children is a demanding and sometimes exhausting job, it is the best educational choice for our family.

My daughters and I wanted to give you an honest assessment of what we think about homeschooling. It is unscripted, so you’ll hear about what they love and what frustrates them about homeschooling. There are pros and cons to every choice. Homeschooling is no exception. You’ll hear them talk about that.

Learn more about The Homeschool Roadmap, your step-by-step guide to establishing your homeschool with confidence and joy.

Should you homeschool?

“Should I homeschool?” is a question many parents struggle to answer.

There’s no one right answer, but these 10 questions will help you decide if homeschooling would be a good fit for your family.

The right educational choice is the one that best meets your child’s and your family’s needs. There is no one right educational choice!

Do you have questions about homeschooling?

Watch the FREE Homeschool 101 Workshop. It’s an on-demand workshop you can watch at your convenience.

Want a little help?

Homeschool Coaching might be a good fit. Through our 1:1 sessions, we can help you create a homeschool you love. Schedule a free Discovery Call to start your journey today. (Or, click here to learn more about Homeschool Coaching.)

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