When Only One Parent Wants to Homeschool

Unfortunately, it`s all too common to find families where just one person is interested in homeschooling. In my own family, this was an issue. I knew from before I had kids that I wanted to homeschool them as I`d been homeschooled, but my husband, who was a teacher and who had never even thought about the concept of education at home, had his reservations. He was quite determined that his children would study in school and I was quite determined that they wouldn`t.

When this separation of ideas occurs, you can run into some serious problems if you aren`t careful. Since simply demanding your spouse do what you want isn`t really a good option, you may need to take more tactical steps.

Find Homeschool Examples
Look for examples of homeschool success to share with your spouse. You might want to start with the post I wrote last week on this very topic.

Write Down the Pros and Cons
You can talk til you`re blue in the face about the benefits of homeschooling, your spouse will likely come up with a list of their own on the benefits of going to school. A better solution is to sit down and take the time to work on a list of pros and cons together for both cases.

Meet Some Homeschoolers
Your spouse might be worried that your children will end up weird and socially stunted if you homeschool them, so find some other homeschooled families in your area and make a point of getting to know them. Your spouse might be pleasantly surprised and change his or her mind.

Suggest a Trial Period
Committing to 12 years of homeschooling can be frightening for anyone. By suggesting that you try homeschooling for one year and see how it works out, your spouse will be more likely to agree. If your children are still young, doing a year of kindergarten can be an excellent test to prove that homeschooling works.

Talk About Fears
Why is your spouse so against homeschooling? The best way to find out is to ask what their reasoning is behind the decision not to homeschool. Once you know why, you can do some research to find solutions to the issue or to dispel it completely.

Homeschooling works best when both parents are involved and on board with the decision. It`s not always easy, but it`s well worth the effort to show your spouse why you are so passionate about homeschooling.

Tags: homeschooling, parents, public school, spouse