Are you researching homeschooling?
Are you ready to take the plunge … but aren’t sure where to start?
Deciding to educate your kids yourself is a big job and can feel super overwhelming … but it doesn’t have to.
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The trick is to step back and get grounded before you begin.
In today’s video, I’m covering 5 key things I recommend any mom do when she’s first starting out.
These are key things that will help you whether you are beginning with a preschooler or a kindergartener … OR you’re pulling your kids out of middle school or high school.
I recommend you do these things before you --
Or even learn the laws of your state
Seriously. These 5 need to come first.
Then you can do everything else on the list above. 🙂
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7 Ways to Create a Homeschool That Works (and you LOVE!)
Hello. My name's ToriAnn Perkey, and from my homeschool to your homeschool, today I want to talk about how to start homeschooling, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed.
You know, you're just sitting there, you're thinking, I need to get started, or I'm thinking about starting and there are just so many things. And I don't know if I can do this. And the thoughts are swirling in your head, and you're feeling overwhelmed. I want to take just a little bit of that overwhelm out today. We're going to talk about five things that you can do right at the very beginning to get you settled and get you going just a little bit better.
So the first one I want to talk about is Breathe. You've got this. You have decided to homeschool your children. You are the number one person who is going to be able to do this. You are going to figure it out because you're taking the time to do the research, to read, to watch videos like this and other videos. You're talking to people. So breathe. You're going to figure it out.
And that actually leads right into number two. Give yourself permission to take the time to figure it out. You cannot figure it all out in one day. It is a really big task. You are taking on the responsibility of educating your children. You know that. This is not something you're going to figure out in 15 minutes. So give yourself permission that it's going to take time. Give yourself the time to figure it out and not just before you start, but also as you get going. You're still going to be figuring this out. I've been doing this for a really long time. I am still figuring things out, so give yourself permission.
Number three, remember that nothing you do in your homeschool will ever be perfect. It's impossible. No matter how much you plan, no matter how much you try, no matter how much you think you have it figured out, something will happen to change everything. That's the nature of kids. That's the nature of homeschooling. So right now, remind yourself it's not going to be perfect and that's okay because done is better than perfect. If you get started, if you dig in, if you start trying, you're going to figure things out that you can't even figure out until you get started. So give yourself permission to not let it be perfect.
Okay, number four. Number four is remember that you're the Mama. Remember that you love your kids more than anybody else. And because of that you have a special connection, a special awareness, a special ability to know what they need. And because of that you are the best suited person to figure out the very best thing that they are going to need. And in your homeschool, you're going to custom and tailor and tweak and turn and get it just where it needs to be. And then things are going to shift, and you're going to tailor and twist and tweak and turn again. But because you're the Mama, you're not going to give up and you're not going to let anything keep you from figuring it out.
Number five -- the number five most important thing I recommend if you're just starting out and you want to figure this out is to create a vision for your homeschool. You need to know how, how to get from point a to point B and the way you figure that out is by knowing where point B is. It's by looking ahead and saying, where do I want this to end? And that's going to be different for you as it is for me as it for is for every other homeschool moms. So you can't look at someone else and say, I just want that vision. You can look at lots of visions and say that's ...and pick and choose and then create the one that's right for your family.
Now if you want some help doing step five, I actually have a free webinar that I would love to have you come take a look at. It's called Confident Homeschool Secrets. And one of the things we do in that webinar is we talk about how you create a vision for your homeschool. It's completely free. If that's something that you'd be interested in, just check out the link up above or down below. You know, wherever you're watching this video, and you can go check ...and you can go watch it and hopefully it will help you not only create a vision, but it will also talk about six other key things that you need to know in order to really get your homeschool in an awesome place. And it's all for you for free. So just check on that link up above, down below, wherever you're watching this video.
So five things, how to get started homeschooling. Number one, above everything else, breathe and remember, you've got this. I'm ToriAnn Perkey, and I make these videos every week so that you can be a successful and confident homeschool mom.
After 15+ years of homeschooling, my oldest is off to college in the fall.
And I have three more kids -- ages 12 to 16 -- who are still homeschooling.
So we have a lot of teenagers at my house right now. And homeschooling teenagers is different than homeschooling young kids.
They’re more independent.
They can make their own lunch and they can do all their own laundry. And, joy, they can drive themselves to activities once they have a license!
But homeschooling teenagers is definitely a different ballgame BECAUSE they are more independent.
You have to approach it differently. You have to structure your day AND your expectations differently.
And the #1 secret to homeschooling teenagers is what I’m going to share today …
It’s a secret that was shared with me years ago by a veteran homeschool mom and now I’m sharing it with you. 🙂
Hello, ToriAnn Perkey here, and today I want to talk about the number one secret rule when it comes to homeschooling a teenager. I have four kids. They're all in teenager mode. And this year I just graduated my first teenager. Officially, she's headed off to college in the fall, and I'm so excited for her. That means that I officially homeschooled her the entire way through her educational experience all the way from kindergarten.
We actually started in preschool up through 12th grade. And I can't take all the credit. Of course she worked so hard and she is going to go off and do amazing things. And so now that I'm looking back and thinking “What was the hardest thing? What was the secret that I kind of wish I could share with other people about what it took to go from point A to point B with her specifically as a teenager?” And I want to tell you that I think the very hardest thing is actually trusting that she was going to turn out.
Okay, now I know that every teenager is unique, but I'm here to tell you there is a time period in that teenage stage where you look at that kid and you think there is no way that child is going to turn out. There is no way. And it's usually 12, 13, 14. And I know because right now I'm looking at my 12 and my 14 and even my 16, and I think there is no way this child is going to turn out.
And that's what I used to think about my daughter. I used to think she ... she's quirky. She had these quirks that I thought were there was no way she was going to grow out of them. She was really, really distracted all of the time. She had such a hard time getting her schoolwork done. She would take forever getting her assignment completed. She would worry about assignment. She would freak out about assignments. We had fits about writing papers, and we had lots and lots of stress when it came to you know how to do math. And and I would look at her and I would think, “How does this kid become a successful adult?” That's where I would think.
And now I'm looking at her and I'm realizing ... I'm realizing that she has turned somehow, miraculously, into a successful adult. And I don't think it's because we did anything all that special. I think I just needed to trust the process. Trust that her brain was going to kick in. Trust that all these things we were doing we're going to work. And so now that I look at my 12 and my 14 in my 16, I'm working really hard to trust the process there -- to trust that their embryonic adulthood state is going to turn into something amazing as long as we continue along the path that we are going on.
So that's my number one secret rule about getting this homeschooling thing working for your teenagers. It's that you have to trust that what they look like. A 12, 13, 14, 15, even 16 is not what they're going to look like at 18 and beyond. Isn't that exciting and hopeful? I find so much hope in that. So that's my my tip for you today -- my tip.
Now I have other tips that I'd like to offer you as well. I have a special college master list. It's really cool. It's something we started a long time ago with my daughter. I've got one for all my other kids. And it's an easy, easy way to keep track of everything they're doing so that when they get to ... you get to that application stage, you have it all mapped out for you. And it's free in my Homeschool Help Center. Just click on the link above or down below -- you know, wherever you're watching this video. You can go grab that master college list for free.
And I have several other helpful things for you in that Homeschool Help Center as well. And those are for you just to ... you know, help your homeschool be a little bit better, just like these videos. Because you know, I'm ToriAnn Perkey, and I make these videos every week so that you can be a successful and confident homeschool mom.
I’m going to get real and honest with you.
This is the first video I’ve posted in 8 months.
And I’ll be honest … it’s been tough. I’ve missed making weekly videos that encourage and help. I’ve missed sharing my thoughts. And I’ve missed interacting with you!
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Several of you have reached out concerned that something might be wrong. Thank you for thinking of me and my family. 🙂
And yes … things were a little dicey for a bit.
So I took my own advice. And I took a break.
In this week’s video, I’m going to talk about what happened AND I’m going to share why you might need to take a break too!
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Hello, ToriAnn Perkey here and from my homeschool to your homeschool, I want to talk about the number one reason why YOU need to take a break.
Mama, homeschool Mama, you are doing a lot. I know because I'm doing a lot. And every homeschool mom I talk to is doing a lot. And you are not able to do everything 100% all of the time.
Let's think about everything that a homeschool mom is doing. A homeschool mom is managing a home, which includes -- I'm gonna make a list, but it will not include everything -- it includes meal prep and planning, which includes going to the grocery store and purchasing the groceries. It includes laundry. It includes cleaning up the house. (Hopefully a little bit, but maybe not nearly as much as you would like.) It includes driving kids two lessons. It includes character training. And so there's the housekeeping piece.
Then there's the “momming.” So there's the character training and the disciplining and the teaching values and the snuggling and the nurturing and the listening. And on top of that -- on top of that -- you are also planning and teaching and and coordinating field trips. And many of you are also helping run classes or involved in co ops or planning field trips that involve other people or park days. Oh you are doing a lot.
And on top of all of that, you're trying to maintain relationships with other key people in your life, whether it's a husband or other family members. You're trying to do that and you're trying to -- most likely you're trying to serve in other capacities, whether it's in the community or church. The list goes on and on and on, and at times you probably feel like I have felt where the weight of everything you're being asked to do is sitting so squarely on your shoulders that you think it's going to crush you.
Yeah, I've been there. I have I've had times where I feel like I have so much that I am responsible for that I don't know how I can humanly possibly drag myself out of bed to do one more thing. So if you're feeling the same way, or you sense that that's coming, it's really important to take a break. And not just even a little break, but possibly a big break.
One of the favorite things I do, of all the things that I do, is actually sharing and teaching in these videos. One of my very favorite things. But several months ago I was involved in a fairly serious car accident, and I hit my head and I had a concussion. And while I didn't want to believe it at the time, my brain just wasn't functioning as well.
On top of that, we had several other things happen in our homeschool, including all of my kids shifting all of the activities they wanted to do all of the same time. And I was taking on some additional work at our co op in which I had more responsibility, and there were other things going on in my family life and my extended family.
The weight was just a lot, and everything was so much, and I took my own advice -- I made this in a previous video. I took my own advice and I said, “What can I say no to? What can I take off my plate -- even temporarily -- so that I can breathe?”
And the number one thing that I felt I needed to step back from was making these videos. And part of my heart just broke because I love making these videos. I love sharing. I love teaching. But I also knew that there was a lot of time involved in making these and that as I looked at the priorities and I looked at what I could cut out, this was one of the things.
And so I did take a break, and I didn't know if I would ever come back. I didn't know what it was going to look like. But life has a funny way of sort of sorting things out, and now I get to make them again. I get to make these videos, and I get to share, and I'm so excited.
And there's been other things that were on that priority list that now have fallen off the wayside. Because when you're homeschooling, just like when you're living life, your priorities are always kind of morphing and and changing and switching, and it's really important to consistently and consciously and intentionally be looking at that list of your priorities and saying, “What can I say No to? What can I let go of? What can I lower my expectations on over here so that I can excel where it really matters? Or what can I do to my mindset so that I can allow myself to lower the bar, maybe across the board right now because my life has shifted in a way that I have to do that?”
That is how you successfully manage your homeschool. And sometimes we take a break from homeschooling. Sometimes we take a break from doing other things. Sometimes we take a break from the things that we love the most. And it doesn't mean that we're never coming back to them. It just means that sometimes we need to take a break.
So not that you need this for me, but if you need to hear that someone will give you permission to step back, to re-prioritize and possibly take a break and say no to some things, then I am giving you permission to do that. I promise you -- you as a mom, as a homeschool mom and all the other things you're doing, you will figure out a way to breathe again. The wait will begin to lift, and you will be in a position to come back and revisit the things that matter the most to you and wish you the best.
I'm ToriAnn Perkey, and I make these videos every week so that you can be a successful and confident homeschool mom.
They come out of nowhere …
You’re standing in the grocery store line … or at a family gathering … or at the park …
And someone lays a “really tough” homeschool question on you.
How do you respond?
What do you say?
No worries -- I’ve got your back. Here’s what you do ...
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Hello! My name is ToriAnn Perkey, and from my homeschool to your homeschool, today I want to talk about how you answer the really tough homeschool questions - the really tough ones, the ones that they come at you out of the blue maybe from a family member or a person in the grocery store line and you just kind of like, “Well… ???
They're hard, and we don't all get the same tough questions, but if you're homeschooling, you are going to get tough questions. So, how do you answer them? How do you answer those really tough questions in a way that makes you feel okay?
Well, you guys, here's the deal. There's no perfect way to answer a really tough question, and because there are so many different kinds of homeschooling questions, I can't really give you the perfect answer for any of them. I can give you some, and we could go on and on and on about those, but I want to talk more about the way you answer a tough question matters almost more than what you actually say.
Here’s the deal. When you answer a question, the way you say it, the tone of your voice, your body language -- those matter way more than the actual words. So, if you get asked a really tough question -- the kind that just throw you for a loop -- and you're like, “I don't know and I'm really worried too” and everything in your voice and your body language says, “I've no idea what I'm doing, and I think I'm destroying my children, and it's a train wreck at our house, and don't even come in my front door because you would see the dishes in the sink, and then the Cheerios all over the floor, and you would see that we haven't folded laundry in 3 weeks, and homeschooling is a train wreck but I just …” -- okay, if you do that, guys, guys, everything about you screams, “I have no idea what I'm doing and it's a train wreck.”
But you can get the same question, and if you can find it in you to stand strong with your feet firmly planted and your shoulders back -- even if you don't feel this -- like you are faking it. Pretend -- you're pretending, you're pretending even if you don't feel it -- and you say, “You know what? You're right. That is a tough question.” And label it a tough question. Say, “Here's what I'm currently thinking. Here's what I'm currently thinking,” which gives you space to change your mind, which gives you space to say I'm still figuring that out. Even if I'm just still figuring that out -- but here's what I'm currently working on or here's what we're currently doing.
Confidence in your voice and in your body language and the way you present that information -- what you're communicating to that other person is “I've got this. I've got this even though I have dishes in the sink, and there's Cheerios all over the floor, and I haven't folded laundry in 3 weeks. I've got this even though we just spent 2 weeks watching screens because we were sick. I've got this even though parts of my life are kind of messy and chaotic and I'm a hot mess. Even though … I've got this.”
If your body language says that, then it doesn't really matter the words you say to answer that really tough question, because what they hear is “I'm confidently handling that really tough question.”
So, that is my recommendation for you. And if you don't feel confident -- like if you're still learning the confidence thing -- I'm here to tell you pretend, pretend. Pull back your shoulders, plant your feet, look them in the eye, and take a deep breath, and say, “That's a really tough question and here's what I'm currently thinking.”
If you can do that, their energy will shift and everything will go more smoothly.
I'm ToriAnn Perkey, and I make these videos every week so that you can be a super successful and confident homeschool mom.
Do you ever feel guilty giving your kids screen time?
I certainly have! Every time I would use screens to “babysit” or “keep the peace” - I would feel guilty.
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And over the years we’ve tried all kinds of systems to try and keep screens from overwhelming our life.
BUT …
There are also times when using screens has SAVED my homeschool.
And now that my kids are older, I’m starting to understand that a lot of what I worried about I didn’t need to worry about.
So when did my kids ONLY watch screens? You’re about to find out ...
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Hey guys! ToriAnn Perkey here, from my homeschool to your homeschool, I have a little confession. There have been times in my homeschool where we have watched a lot of screens as in like months of screens. Is that even okay to say?
Kind of debated whether to say this or not because I don't want to give anybody permission to just watch screens all the time but I think sometimes we hear about these amazing homeschool families and like they don't ever do screens or you feel like you are the only one who plops your kid down in front of screens and I wanted to make this video and talk about this because there have been times in our homeschooling life where we watched a lot of screens.
A couple of the times were every time I had a new baby they just weren't sleeping. I was tired -- like new baby recovery was always really hard for me. So, we watched a lot of screens while I was recovering.
There's also been times when my kids have been super, super sick and not just the one kid but the one kid who'll be sick and then all the other kids are not sick but it's like we can't homeschool because the sick kid's taking all the time and so we actually had several months where somebody was always sick. So, there were so many screens on.
That's happened a couple of times, and we've also had times when other things were going on in my life private, personal things or other responsibilities. I'm not saying this happens all the time, but like the only way I could homeschool was if I put him in front of "Liberty's Kids," and I put him in front of "Cyberchase," and I put him in front of "Bill Nye the Science Guy" and that's what school was.
This is the thing I want to tell you. We didn't do that all the time. I don't want you to think that all of our homeschooling is screens. You guys know that, right? I talk about all the other cool stuff we do. I'm trying to keep it real over here, but - but here is the thing. My kids are turning out pretty darn awesome.
It's not perfect, they're not perfect, but they're turning out okay. They like to learn. They learn lots of things. They all know how to read. They all know how to be creative. They all know how to entertain themselves without screens.
So, screen time in and of itself is not going to destroy your children. If you are in a stage of life where all you can do is get up in the morning, and you're just on survival mode, and it's all you can do is to push the button, then it's okay.
If you go for years - no, I'm not talking about that. But I'm saying new baby, husband loses his job, packing to move. Okay that we watched a lot of screens. Moving across the country - a lot of screens.
It is okay to sometimes have to put your kids in front of screens. You're going to be okay. They're going to be okay. Go back to your regular schedule and then kind of pick up wherever you left off. I am living proof that your kids will be okay.
I'm ToriAnn Perkey, and from my homeschool to your homeschool, I make these videos every week so that you can be a super successful and confident homeschool mom.
While we don’t watch a ton of screen time most of the time, sometimes we use it quite a bit n our homeschool. Here are my rules for screen time for my kids, whether they’re watching tv or another device. Because screens aren’t inherently bad -- and sometimes they can be just what your homeschool needs! | how much screen time | teenager | baby | toddler | 9 year old | recommended screen time | homeschooling and screen time | home education | #hsmomlife
School is just getting started for some of you.
For me … we wait until after Labor Day (because we can!). I absolutely believe school shouldn’t start until September (but that’s another conversation).
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As I’m gearing up for another school year, I’m thinking about priorities ... What subjects I’ll teach ... What order we’ll do things in.
And with all of that, I’m also thinking about what I put before ALL academics in my homeschool.
Because over the years I’ve learned that if I put this first … everything else has a much better chance of falling into place.
Hey guys! This is ToriAnn Perkey, and from my homeschool to your homeschool, I want to talk about a really important topic today -- it's the question of what's more important relationships or academics.
This is a tough question because any time in your homeschool you're going to wrestle with both. You're going to have to be worrying about making the academics happen. We’ve got to be teaching the subjects, and the skills, and the learning, and all of that, but we're also in these relationships because we're interacting, and we're the parent, and they're the child and there's us and the spouse and all of this.
Sometimes everything's chugging along, and it's going awesome. You're like, “Woo-hoo, it's working!” And then sometimes everything is a mess -- the academics aren't working or the relationships aren't working, and it's like, “Well, which is more important? If something's not working and I can only focus on one, what should I do?”
So, everyone may not agree with me, but I strongly, strongly, strongly believe that if you have to pick between relationships and academics, you want to pick relationships and this is why. If you pick relationships, and you get your relationships in a good place -- so, let's say you're struggling with a kid. You don't have a good relationship and you're fighting every day and it's like, “Well, do I solve that or do we still …” You're fighting and they're not doing school work or do we do school work?
If you stop the school work and you focus on the relationship, if you focus on getting in a good place, then you can go back to the academics. You can go back to the learning and you can go back and say okay, now we're going to work on this. But if you try to force the academics, you try to make this happen when the relationship is not in a good place, this is not going to do very well. It will not go well.
We can't learn if our relationships aren't in a good place. Like Maslow's hierarchy of needs -- after you have your basic needs met, like eating and safety, the next level is relationships, and learning comes after that. If you don't take care of relationships, this learning stuff -- it will be a train wreck.
So, if I have to pick -- and there have been times when I have picked -- I have picked relationships because the parenting was an issue, the discipline was an issue, or a kid was really struggling, or we were having depression, or anxiety, or a learning disability, or there was friction -- there are all sorts of things happen in relationships. I will always stop, address that. Sometimes it takes a while. Sometimes it takes days, or weeks, or months. I will address that and then we'll figure out how to problem solve this. Sometimes you can do a little bit of this while you're working on this, but I'm here to tell you this is my focus, this - relationships.
I always will pick that first because in the end if they learn their times-tables, does not matter to me as much as whether or not we can still communicate. In the end, if they don't learn whether or not World War II came before or after World War I, that does not matter as much as whether or not we get along and whether or not we have a good relationship. Because if this is intact, the kid can go learn this on their own later on. It's not ideal, but if this isn't working none of this will happen.
So, which is more important? Well, they're both important, but which one do you pick first? I say pick relationships. If you're in a situation where it's really you're doing this with a kid right now, and it's kind of a train wreck or it's super toxic, would you step back and assess if maybe it's time to pull back from academics and put more of your energy and bandwidth into healing that relationship? Please, please because I think it's going to really serve you well in the long run.
Yay! Okay. So, that's what I wanted to say today about relationships and academics and trying to sort all that out together.
My name is ToriAnn Perkey, and I make these videos every week so that you can be a super successful and confident homeschool mom.
Pssst … I have a secret.
I have a big change coming into my life soon.
And so do you.
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Did you know that?
It could be in your homeschool … or in your home … or something else entirely.
But it’s coming.
And this week I’m telling you all about HOW I know that -- and what you can do to prepare.
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Hello! My name is ToriAnn Perkey, and from my homeschool to your homeschool, is a big change coming? Is it coming in your life? Well, actually it is ... because here I am to tell you that everybody experiences big changes in their life about every 6 months. So, if you haven't just had a big change, you're going to. I know that I'm also going to have a big change in about every 6 months. Now, why is this important to know?
Well, here's the deal. We get all settled in our ways. We get things organized, or we kind of get a rhythm. We get a routine -- and then something happens and suddenly it's not working anymore, and it can be really frustrating. We can be frustrated with ourselves, and we're like, “Argh, what's wrong with these kid? Or what's wrong with me? Or why is this not working?” When in fact it has nothing to do with you, or doing it wrong, or your kids are a problem. It has everything to do with the fact that the kids changed
The kids are growing at a phenomenal rate. Their brains are growing, their bodies are growing like all over the place. And because of that, they're changing, and so therefore the way you're doing things is going to have to change in order to continue to adapt to the new family dynamic.
It used be that I didn't even realize this, and I'd be so frustrated because I’d feel like we just got everything settled, now I've got to change everything again. Or I’d think “Why is this not working? Why is this not working?” And then I realized -- I started to see the pattern. I was like -- oh, now we've hit the 6-month “change window.”
Like the moment when it's going to go, and I’ve got to go pull out my charts and redo them. Or we’ve got to rethink the chore list. Or we’ve got to pull out a new book, or well -- that curriculum's done. We're going to try something else, or well -- that game's over. We’ve got to try something else.
I want everything to stay the same because it would make it so easy, but the reality is it can't stay the same. It can't because the kids are changing, and I'm changing -- like I would hope that I continue to grow and be interested in new things. And what we were interested in in 6 months ago isn't what we're going to be interested in now, and things have to change. So, we might as well embrace the change and charge forward rather than being frustrated that I'm being derailed or the kids are a problem or whatever.
So, I just wanted to share that tip with you that there's a good chance that if change isn't coming, it hasn't come yet, it's coming. Some kid is about to change, and you're going to have to rethink how you do stuff. And hopefully that will save you a little grief and a little frustration.
I'm ToriAnn Perkey, and I make these videos every week so that you can be a super successful and confident homeschool mom.
I’ve never met a single homeschool mom who doesn’t worry about her kids.
And even though we tell each other NOT to worry, we still do.
So today, I’m sharing my thoughts on “worry” and what you should do about it.
And I’m including one little thing I try to remember that helps me on the days when the worry seems to be spiraling out of control.
Because the truth is . You’ll never stop worrying.
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Hello! My name's ToriAnn Perkey, and from my homeschool to your homeschool, I've got a little secret for you. You are never going to stop worrying about your homeschooling, but I also want to tell you that you need to worry less. What? Like how can I hold both of those in my brain?
Well, here's the deal, guys. Everybody worries. Whether you homeschool or not, every parent worries about their kids. We worry. We want them to be successful, and we don't know what the end result is going to be. So, of course we're going to worry. We're going to worry if they get into college. We're going to worry if they're going to know enough. We're going to worry if they have the skills to be successful. We're going to worry if they're going to find the right person and get married. We're going to worry about all of those things. That is super normal. That's called being a parent. But when worry becomes paralyzing, it's not so hot. So, so, I also want to encourage you to worry less.
The reality is that if you are showing up every day, if you are trying, if you are making an effort, you're doing a lot better than you think you are. I know that's hard to believe, but it's true. You are doing better than you think you are. I know because I stand in groups of other homeschooling moms, and we're all talking, and we're all worrying.
And yet when I look at their kids, and I'm teaching their kids in these homeschool co-ops with teens, I'm looking at their kids I'm thinking, “What are you worried about? This kid is amazing. I'm seeing this, and I'm seeing this.” And they're like, “Yeah, well, what about this?” I'm thinking, “No, you are doing amazing things, and this kid is doing amazing. He's amazing.”
And then I start talking about my kid and I'm like, “Oh, I'm worried about this, and I'm worried about this.” And they're like, “Are you kidding? I love this kid of yours. I love this about them and this about them.” I think, “Oh yeah, I guess those things are going pretty well.”
So, as a homeschool community, we need to worry less, but we will never stop worrying. We're never going to stop, but I want to encourage you to stop worrying quite so much. Like I said if you're showing up every day, if you're trying, if you're trying to give an education to this kid, if you're working hard on the parenting and the life skills like if you're just trying -- and I'm talking trying. I'm not talking perfection. I'm talking trying -- then you're doing okay.
Your kids are going to be okay. They're going to grow up and be amazing people. You're going to do okay. You are doing okay. I meet you at conferences. I talk to you in the park. I talk to you guys everywhere. Your kids are going to be okay.
So, stop worrying quite so much. Just a little bit. Just a little bit of worry. You're going to have to worry a little bit. It's still going to happen, but you don't have to worry as much as you are worrying.
I'm ToriAnn Perkey, and I make these videos every week so that you can be a super successful and confident homeschool mom.
I’ve been there. More than I would like to admit …
I’ll have something new and exciting planned -- a fieldtrip, a game, an exciting video …
And at least one of my kids will start to whine and give me a hard time.
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OR
I’ll pull out the new curriculum that I’ve researched and poured over and been all excited about … and my kid will decide they HATE it before I even crack the cover.
And it is sooooooo easy to want to give up in that moment.
To throw up my hands and say “FINE!”
And that’s happened on occasion. I’m not proud of it … but it’s true.
But over the years, I’ve learned there is a better way to handle a situation like this.
And recently a friend of mine gave me the PERFECT phrase to help me remember what to do.
And that’s what I’m sharing with you today. 🙂
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7 Ways to Create a Homeschool That Works (and you LOVE!)
Feeling tired? Overwhelmed? Burned out?
If you do … you are NOT alone.
This time of year is particularly difficult for homeschool moms. Today I want to tell you why.