Skip to main content

Thinking about homeschooling your child? Here’s why it’s a bad idea

If you want to homeschool, consider these reasons not to homeschool first

Mom homeschooling two kids
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Homeschooling isn’t necessarily a new educational concept. The process where children are educated at home by their parents has been around for ages. It wasn’t until the 70s that the practice gained in popularity. The late 90s and early 2000s also saw a resurgence in the number of students being homeschooled. Numbers again increased during the pandemic after remaining at around 3% since 2012, according to the United States Census Bureau.

The reasons parents may choose homeschooling over conventional education usually involve safety concerns, flexibility, frequent moving, and wanting to create a more individualized learning environment. While the idea of homeschooling your child might be attractive, it’s actually not as simple as you may think. Before removing your child from school, consider these reasons not to homeschool.

Recommended Videos

Legal requirements for homeschooling

Homeschooling isn’t as easy as just not sending your child back to school. There are legal requirements for homeschooling children, and they differ in each state. Some states like New York and Pennsylvania have stricter guidelines, while others like Florida have few. Before making the decision to remove your child from school, take the time to review the homeschooling laws for the state you live in.

Commitments involved in homeschooling

Making the decision to homeschool means one parent is about to become your child’s full-time teacher. The idea that school can now easily become a year-round activity is an attractive one, but for the parent doing the teaching, it’s another full-time job. In addition to being a parent and all that responsibility it entails, you’re about to become your child’s teacher, tutor, and principal. You will also be in charge of creating multiple daily lesson plans and researching curriculum, as well as finding materials. If you have multiple children, you will be planning and teaching for different age groups.

Frustrated mom homeschooling her children

Inability to work outside of the home

When choosing to homeschool, at least one parent must be home all day. The time commitment to homeschooling means it will be difficult for the homeschooling parent to manage a job outside of the home. A work-at-home job would still be stressful to maintain along with the rigors of homeschooling, even with its flexibility.

Cost of homeschooling

While the loss of one household income is challenging on its own, there will be costs associated with homeschooling. Unlike public schools, books and materials aren’t provided. Sure, parents pay for school supplies and field trips when their children go to school, but they don’t have to pay for the daily resources teachers use to teach. Homeschooling will involve spending money on books and additional resources needed to educate your child. Costs will be higher if you’re homeschooling multiple kids.

Missed opportunities for your children

While the conventional school environment does have its drawbacks, it also has its pluses, especially as your children age. Homeschooling takes away the opportunity for kids to participate in social, athletic, and artistic activities. Since your children aren’t members of the school district, they will not be able to play on any sports teams or be a part of the music or drama programs. Children also won’t have the opportunity to experience certain hands-on classes like chemistry unless you happen to have a lab in your home.

Socialization

As many people found out during the lockdown, too much togetherness isn’t necessarily a good thing. When children go to school, they interact with other kids and adults through social and classroom situations. When homeschooling, kids are spending all day, every day, with you and their siblings. Sure, you can search out other homeschoolers in your area, but there is something to be said about educational time away from home with peers.

Why not to homeschool

Choosing to homeschool your children isn’t a decision to make lightly, especially if it comes on the heels of an issue with a specific teacher or a problem at school. Homeschooling is not as easy as some parents assume, and the process becomes more difficult as your child gets older. It’s even more involved if you’re going to be homeschooling multiple children. Before deciding to homeschool your child, take the time to look at the drawbacks, starting with the legal requirements of your state.

Dawn Miller
Dawn Miller began her professional life as an elementary school teacher before returning to her first love, writing. In…
5 600-calorie dinner ideas your family will love
Delight your family with these healthy, budget-friendly dinners
Chicken and vegetables

Eating low-calorie meals on a family-friendly budget can almost feel like an unattainable goal these days. Especially when these meals need to be prepped and served within an hour, sometimes even in shorter time frames. Busy lives, kids' after-school activities, work commitments, and long hours are just a few of the obstacles families face to sit down together and share a meal.

If your goal is to feed your hungry family without breaking the bank or sacrificing flavor or health, grab your grocery list and a pen. We've found five of the best 600-calorie or less dinners for families.
Baked lemon and herb cod

Read more
What exactly is an almond mom? A “new” parenting style to know about
How to avoid being an almond mom
Measuring tape around a fork

TikTok has become the go-to for lots of things, from dances to recipes to parenting styles. Popular parenting styles making the rounds on TikTok are gentle, crunchy, silky, and scrunchy. There are likely more, of course, but seasoned parents understand that parenting for most is a blend of several different styles. One particular parenting style most mothers want to steer clear of is becoming an almond mom.

If you've never heard of an almond mom, you're probably not alone. Almond mom is a term that went viral on TikTok because of 10-year-old clips from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The offending shorts show real housewife Yolanda Hadid giving eating advice to her then teen, Gigi Hadid. Gigi is now an international supermodel. Back then, her mom's response to Gigi telling her she was "feeling really weak" after only eating half of an almond was to eat two more. Now, she did add to be sure to "chew them really well." From this somewhat misguided motherly advice formed the term almond mom. Yolanda Hadid has since defended herself in an interview with People, saying her eating advice "was taken out of context." The term has stuck though, but what is an almond mom?
Almond mom meaning

Read more
What to do when your child is obese
How these healthy habits can help with childhood obesity
Standing on a weight scale

Parents only want what's best for their kids, and that means facing health challenges head-on. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity is a major issue in the U.S. with around 13.7 million young children and adolescents falling into the obese category. A child is considered obese if his or her Body Mass Index (BMI) or body fat measurement is over the 95th percentile. Most BMIs for kids and teens are in the fifth and 85th percentile range. A child above the 85th percentile is considered overweight for their age.

The concern with obesity in children and teens is the impact on overall physical and emotional health. Obese children and teens face an increased risk of high blood pressure and cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, joint problems, low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Future health problems include a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer. An overweight child is more likely to be obese as an adult, as well.
The concerns with childhood obesity

Read more