A Message for the Moms Who Are Doing it All Alone
The single moms who are trying their best to make homeschooling work even though it’s tough.
The married moms whose husbands work so much that they can’t help out with schooling.
The moms who live in an area where your family is one of the very few homeschooling families.
I know it must be hard not having the support that many of us have. Homeschooling is a grand adventure, but it’s also a challenging one. And doing something like this without support can be more than just lonely – it can make it seem impossible at times. Not just physically, but mentally/emotionally.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. There ARE ways for you to create (or find) a homeschool support system that can be there to encourage, uplift, and inspire you on your journey to educate your children. Here are a few suggestions:
Join Homeschool Communities on Facebook
When I tell you there are a LOT of homeschool groups on Facebook just waiting for you to join them, I am not exaggerating. There are groups devoted to just about every method of homeschooling, homeschooling goal, and type of homeschooler. It is so easy to find homeschoolers on Facebook that if you threw a virtual rock in the crowd, you’d hit one, lol. Of course, you are always welcome to join my group, The Relaxed Homeschool Community. I might be a tiny bit biased, but I think we are a wonderful group of homeschoolers. And with over 30,000 of us, we’re definitely a big group, so you’re sure to find some people you connect with.
Here are some other Facebook groups you may want to join:
The Working Homeschool Mom Club
Homeschool Successfully: Perfection Not Required
Hip and Single Homeschooling Moms
Honestly, I could share Facebook groups all day, but neither of us wants that, lol. Besides, you know your situation better than I do, so what I recommend is grabbing a sheet of paper and a pen (go get it right now) and then jotting down a bunch of homeschool-related keywords that fit your situation. Write down the type of homeschooler you are (relaxed, unschooling, Charlotte Mason, eclectic, etc), the type of homeschool MOM you are (Type A, working mom, rebel, single military wife, Christian, secularetc), the type of homeschooling family you are or want to be (roadschoolers, wild and free, etc), where you live (city, county, state, etc), and even the type of homeschool curriculum you use or need (Easy Peasy, Sonlight, Discovery K12, Timberdoodle, Acellues, etc). Once you have that list, head to Facebook, and start searching for each keyword to see what kind of group you find. To get you started, here are a few keyword results(you need to be logged in first):
Seek Out Local Homeschoolers
I know that when you don’t know any other homeschoolers in your are, it may seem like you’re the only one. However, you may be surprised by who else in your are homeschools. Here are some tips on finding them:
Post in Local Facebook groups
Again, I recommend that you turn to Facebook. It’s such an immensely popular social media tool (I mean, think about how many generations of families use it – from great-grandkids to great grandparents!), that if there are other homeschoolers in your community, they are probably active on Facebook. If your town or city has a Facebook group, make a post in there saying that you are a homeschooler and that you would love to connect with other homeschoolers in the area. You may find several homeschoolers that way. You may also find that there are already groups set up (both online and offline) just waiting for you to join. I have a friend who lives in a small town in a neighboring state who thought she was the only homeschooler only to find out that her county is home to hundreds of homeschool families!
Create a Facebook Group
If you can’t find a Facebook group for local homeschoolers, why not create one? There may be several of you looking for one, so get the ball rolling by starting the group yourself. You could also go the extra step by promoting it in any local Facebook groups to let people know it’s there.
Ask Family and Friends
Even though your family and friends may not be supportive of your decision to homeschool, they may still know of other homeschoolers you can connect with. It’s worth a shot! Just ask them if they happen to know of anyone else who homeschools and see what they say.
Post on Community Boards
When you see a bulletin board in your community, do you stop to see what is on there? I know I do! So other people probably do as well. Create a flyer letting people know that you’re looking to connect with other homeschool families. Leave them with a reliable way to contact you and then see what happens. You might be surprised! (If you’re concerned about creepy people contacting you, I recommend creating an email address specifically for this and check it weekly.)
Reach Out to Family and Friends
I can’t end this email without encouraging you to reach out to your family and friends. Perhaps for the first time. Perhaps for the 10th time. Let them know that you need their support. Tell them that even if they don’t understand your decision to homeschool, you hope that they understand that you are working hard to make sure your children have a good education and that it would be a lot easier not having to do it alone. Let them know some real ways that they can help you even if they know nothing about homeschooling. Make it about supporting you and your kids – not about supporting your choice. Even if you can only get one person on your side, it’s better than nothing.
I hope that this gives you a bit of hope and helps you find at least one homeschool BFF to share this journey with you.
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