When I was growing up, my mother was the primary teacher and the frustrations that we ran into during school hours continued after school. It made for a strained relationship between my mother and I for many years, which is why I believe it is very important to separate these two areas of life.

The Teacher

First, you need to determine what your role as a teacher is. Each person will have their own definition of this, but it`s important to make sure that you know what you are as a teacher. Here`s an example:

• Nurture a love of learning
• Ensure that your students are learning what they need to
• Teach your students HOW to find information, not just to repeat it back from memory
• Teach discipline and diligence

You may have drastically different ideas as to what a teacher needs to be and do, but just write it down so you can refer back.

During school, you are a teacher and you`ll find that things run far smoother if you leave aside the issues that you have outside of school and focus only on the actual learning during this period.

The Parent

A parent has much the same responsibilities as a teacher, but there is  more focus on nurturing the child (not the student) and the non-school time can be different. What does this mean? It means leaving school in the school time.

For example, let`s say Jane has acted out during school time and refuses to do her math. She has quite the tantrum and disrupts her brother`s school time, as well. The discipline should take place during the school hours. It was a problem with school and any repercussions can take place during that time. If, say, Jane`s mother decides that the punishment will be doing sums for the rest of the afternoon and evening, there`s no separation between family time and school time and the resentment will pass over, as well.

This doesn`t mean that you should have these two areas completely separated, but it really is important to make sure your children have time to enjoy life outside of the stricter guidelines of school. Having to write an extra report because he stayed out after curfew will only serve to confuse issues, not just for your children, but also for the parents!

Separating the parent from the teacher will help you relate better to your children as well. The teacher might be strict, but the parent can afford to be a little more lenient. And it`s important to switch out of teacher role at the end of the school day. Your children will appreciate having a mom or dad rather than a strict professor all the time, trust me.

One of the best reasons, parent-wise, to school your children at home is the fact that you are going to be able to forge bonds that last a lifetime.

We are all too familiar with the concept of teens . . . angry, self-loathing adolescents who rebel in any way they can. We hear about their antics constantly from parents of teenagers, see it on television (if you watch it) and read about it in the news. Yet, many homeschooling families find that they traverse the waters of adolescence without all that extreme behavior. While it`s still completely normal to have some issues while your teen makes that transition from child to adult, the majority of homeschool families find that they are able to still maintain that bond with their teens, at least to some degree.

Why Homeschool Parent-Child Bonds Are Stronger

When you send your child off to school for 7-8 hours a day at a tender age, it`s not surprising that they find other people to confide in and learn from. Within a few short years, they are far more likely to turn to a teacher or, more frequently, a peer, for counsel and information rather than a parent. It`s very easy to lose touch with what your children are up to when they are attending school outside the home and you also run the risk of losing that special bond that parents and children have.

When you are with your children all day, you will find that they trust you more and are far more willing to talk to you about things they are facing in their life. It`s good for both you! After all, do you want your fifteen year old getting advice and tips from another fifteen year old? Wouldn`t it be better to be able to get that same advice from someone older who has already lived through it? It just makes sense, doesn`t it?

Being in contact with your children for the majority of the day can be a challenge. No one ever said homeschooling was easy! But the benefits are huge and being able to sit down and talk with your teen and have them open up to you is just one of the biggest ones.