There are many reasons people choose to homeschool. One such reason is the gift of time. Slow down and savor the moments you’d miss if you sent your kids to school.

I am always amazed at how quickly time flies. It seems I am sitting down to start planning the start of a new school year, and then I blink and the year is over. 

I am about to start planning my sixteenth year of homeschooling! But, it really doesn’t seem that long. Most of the time, the days just fly by. 

That’s the reality of life, though, isn’t it? My kids are growing fast – much faster than I’d like, in fact. One of the unexpected benefits of homeschooling, though, has been the gift of time.

The time I get to invest in my children. The time they get to invest in their relationships with each other. The time the get to invest in pursuing their dreams. 

Why Homeschool? The Gift of Time

It’s being here now that’s important. There’s no past and there’s no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can’t relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don’t know if there is one. ~ George Harrison

Time is precious! It goes by so fast. People say to ‘treasure these days, because they go by so fast.’ It used to bug me when people told me that when my kids were babies. But, it is true.

These years do go by so quickly even when the days seem so long. My youngest is 17, and my oldest is 26. It seems just yesterday I was bringing my oldest home from the hospital.

Just five minutes later, I sent him off to kindergarten.

An hour went by, and he was in high school.

Now, he’s a daddy himself!

I can’t imagine missing out on all of those years with him {or my other two children}. I’ll admit that there were days in the early years of homeschooling when I would gaze longingly at the school bus as it drove by. But, the reality is that I know my kids are {or were} right where they are supposed to be. Home. With me. With each other. Building relationships.

If I were to put them on the bus and send them off to school eight hours each day, I would be missing out on so many important milestones in their lives. And, they’d be missing out on each other.

Homeschooling has allowed my children time to bond with each other. They aren’t just brother and sister, they’re friends. They typically enjoy hanging out with each other.

When they aren’t getting along, we can talk through our issues instead of sweeping them under the rug while they pass each other in the hallway a few minutes each day.

We have time to talk to each other. I know what my kids’ dreams are. I was there when they chose to accept the Lord. I listen to their struggles with friends and tough subjects. I’m there to celebrate their successes. I know them. 

I have time to feed their spiritual side. I build daily Bible time into our homeschool schedule. We memorize verses and review them all year long. I’m planting seeds in their souls. In our weekly devotions, we’re building a biblical worldview. We study our subjects through a Christian lens. We study missionaries and how God works through ‘regular’ people to do His works.

Homeschooling affords my daughter the time to pursue her passion of dancing. She is currently in a pre-professional ballet program, and she spends 2-3 hours at the studio most school nights. I’m so glad that she doesn’t have the added stress of homework.

I listen to other mommas struggle with sending their kids off to school for 7+ hours each day only to have them come home and spend their “at home” time doing homework around their dance schedules. I can tailor our schedule so that Emma has the time to get her academics done before heading off to class or a competition or a private lesson.

Even though our days are busy and many times I don’t know whether we’re coming or going, I am still able to spend the bulk of their days with them. I know them inside and out, because I have the time to really get to know their hearts and their souls.

This season is short. I thankful for the time I get to spend with the most precious creation on earth – my sweet children!

What do you treasure most about homeschooling? 

Encouragement for Homeschool Moms

Below, I’ve featured just a handful of books meant to encourage homeschool moms that will help your readers celebrate their favorite characters. You should be able to find them at your local library or bookstore. If you can’t find them locally, you can click each image cover to purchase them on Amazon.

Creating Homeschool Balance – “Creating Homeschool Balance” will help you understand what balance looks like, feels like, and how to create it.

Your Goals This Year – No matter which kind of homeschool parent you are, this book will help you understand the stages of homeschooling high school, put you on the path to success, and keep you from feeling overwhelmed. You can homeschool through high school, and here are the tools to help you.

Scheduling: The Secret to Homeschool Sanity – When you homeschool, it’s important to take time to plan and rest, and not just work, work, work! Using schedules in your homeschool can help you avoid burnout.

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