Starting to Homeschool When Dad Isn't On Board
One of the biggest obstacles that face many moms who have
decided to homeschool their kids is getting dad on board. It is a question that is constantly repeated
on homeschool support boards, “What do I do when my husband doesn’t want me
homeschooling our children?” This
question is always met with a variety of answers such as “pray for a change in
your husband’s heart” or “just do it anyhow”.
If you are a mom who is trying to get your husband on board with
homeschooling these are not the types of answers that you want to hear. You want to hear real advice, with real
steps that you can put it into action.
Pray
Yes, I did say that praying for your husband to have a
change of heart wasn’t the answer you were looking for but if you are a
Christian then praying should be your first step. Pray for guidance, pray for your husband to
have a change of heart, pray for your children, pray, pray, and pray some more.
Find out Your Husband’s
Reservations about Homeschooling
In a calm manner, not in an argumentative one, talk to your
husband about homeschooling, find out why he doesn’t want you to homeschool,
and find out what his reservations are.
Don’t try to change his mind at this point, listen to what he says,
really listen, and don’t respond. Once
you have heard him out sit down by yourself and try to address his
concerns. If he is concerned about your
children being around other children, join a local homeschool support group
that offers activities, put your child in a scout troop, or have them join a
sports team. If he is concerned about
you being accountable, find an online academy that you can use that will help
you to be accountable. After you have addressed each of his concerns,
sit down with him and tell him how you can help to alleviate these concerns.
Have Him Talk to
Fathers of Homeschooling Families
Another way to help set your husband at ease about
homeschooling is to have him talk to fathers of families who are
homeschooling. Set up a family play date
at your house for some local homeschooling families or put him in contact with
the father of another homeschooling family.
This will give him the chance to see what a father’s point of view is
when it comes to homeschooling.
Agree to a Trial
Period
See if your husband will agree to a trial period for you to
try homeschooling. The trial period could
be a school semester or a full school year.
Try homeschooling for the trial period, and take it from there. Allowing him to see homeschooling in action
in your home may give him a different perspective on homeschooling your children.
Homeschool Over the Summer
Several families use the summer as a trial homeschool
period. This allows mom to have a chance
to try homeschooling without having to take the kids out of public school.
Join us for Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.
Comments
Post a Comment