There is sometimes a misconception that homeschoolers like to keep to themselves and that they are not social. This is not why I began homeschooling. I never wanted to be an island. I did not want to hide out in my house to keep away from others.
We Homeschool Moms Need to Stick Together
I am so thankful for my friends who are homeschool moms. I am part of a group of ladies that meets once per month to ask questions about homeschooling, laugh, pray, eat snacks, and chat. There are some months that I all of a sudden feel down and lonely in my job as a homeschool parent and then I remember that our meeting is just a few days away. Thank God! I need to be around other people that “get” what I am doing with my family. It’s so refreshing to be with friends that don’t question my choice to homeschool. It’s fun to get out of the house knowing that I will be meeting up with like-minded friends.
Kids, too!
My kids are the same way. They look forward to every single outing as if it were their first time going someplace fun. Dance and softball are not just activities to develop fitness, they double as social outings where my girls have the opportunity to interact with peers. They get to practice making new friends and enjoy the chance to stand on their own two feet. Over the past month, my three kids each came down with the virulent stomach bug one at a time about a week apart and then, of course, I caught the plague too. It was so awful being sick but it was almost as painful to have to cancel all of our outings for three weeks in a row. Let me tell you we were all mourning those cancellations. What a mix: stomach flu and stir-craziness at the tail end of the long winter. We were celebrating our re-entry to civilization once we had recovered.
Take the Challenge
When we first started homeschooling it was a challenge to put myself out there in new settings. I had to get used to the fact that every other mom I met might not be my new best friend. I had to push my kids to be friendly and open to playing with kids they didn’t already know regardless of whether they were homeschooled or not. Being a little bit uncomfortable for a while was just going to have to be ok for all of us. Right now I can think of a few ladies whom I haven’t seen much of because they don’t like going out during the cold winter months. They are more introverted and find it difficult to mix with others. Guess who is missing out? They are. They are feeling isolated but they are the ones who don’t come out and join in. I am missing out too because I don’t get to enjoy laughing with them and getting caught up on life together. On the other hand, I reached out to one mom I was not very well acquainted with and picked her up on the way to a get-together. We talked the whole way there and I am now blessed by her friendship. Every now and then she sends a text to check in with me and encourage me. How great is that?
We need each other on the homeschooling journey. Our voyage is sometimes stormy and sometimes smooth sailing. Either way, if I happen to fall overboard I know I will be swimming to shore where there are coffee and a smile waiting.
Sarah Brutovski is a homeschool mom of three children. She grew up just down the street from where she and her husband are raising their family now in rural Upstate New York. When she is not teaching her kids, grocery shopping, or drinking coffee you might find her training for a half marathon, escaping for a morning at the beach, or chatting on the phone with one of her four siblings. Sarah loves writing on her blog sarahswritingcafe.blogspot.com and currently teaches creative writing at her kids’ weekly co-op.