Back to Homeschool Blog Hop~ Day 5: What Is the Scariest Part of Homeschooling?

Here we are on the final day of the Back to Homeschool Blog Hop 2015! On this day, I want to share something that some people don't know. Homeschooling moms are scared. Yep, you read that right! We are scared about certain aspects of homeschooling. Some things keep us up at night as we worry about them. Homeschool moms need a lot of courage to be able to tackle the fears that threaten to overwhelm them at times. So what are these things we fear? I asked a group of homeschooling moms this question, and I think you will find their answers enlightening and yes, encouraging--because I think you might recognize some of your own fears in theirs!

What are my biggest fears relating to homeschooling?

I'm a scaredy cat when it comes to the thought of teaching ninth grade. Why? Well because that's the beginning of high school! It's scary enough for a public school mom--but for a homeschool mom? Why, you are moving into a whole new level of homeschooling...and I can summarize it in one word--TRANSCRIPTS! I fear the year I have to start keeping transcripts! And all those high school classes! Oy! I fear it so much, a part of me is tempted to just enroll him into an online school for those four years! Who knows though...I just might do that!

I don't think there is much I fear outside of that relating to things I myself have to do! Math doesn't scare me anymore. A good curriculum takes care of that. Science doesn't scare me for the same reasons. But high school. Yep, high school will make me shiver in my shoes!

Another thing that is related to homeschooling, is that homeschooling will bring so much work, that I will battle to keep control of my housekeeping. I fear that once we start full time with both boys, that my house will just slip away and I'll drown in the effort to keep it under control. It's a real fear for me and something I'm working on dealing with now.

On a more immediate note, I worry that my son will be made to feel bad, because he's not confident with some areas of math like multiplication and division. Someone who might put him on the spot for some reason. Or just make fun of him because he's homeschooled.

What do other mom's fear relating to homeschool? 

Let's see what some of my friends have to say!

*Alicia: "My biggest fear is failing him, not preparing him for his future academically. So yes transcripts, graduation, college, trade school all of that."

*Diana of Busy Homeschool Days: "I fear of failing him. Am I focusing too much on academics and missing the heart? Or too much heart and missing a vital piece of academics? Have I created a huge gap in his education that will be difficult to overcome when he enters adulthood?"

*Kate: "I'm scared I'm not teaching my child her way so she will learn. We started with writing she is 3.... but that is where her heart lies with drawing and I just learned it's typically learned with lower cases first because of reading. So I feel like I started wrong by doing the bigger letters first. But this is helping her visually see the letter and recognize it. She is learning. So I guess it's not wrong. 
My second is because anything can be considered homeschooling, I fear without a curriculum for pre-k I'll fail or be lost."

*Jennifer: "I worry that I am not teaching my whole children to become whole adults."

*Stephanie: "In high school and college I kept having this nightmare that I was set to graduate and the administration office called me the night before I was to walk across the stage and said that I was one credit short. I think that's my biggest fear--missing something pivotal that will keep them from meeting their goals. I have come to realize, however, that God fills in the gaps and by the time they're in high school, they share some of the responsibility. Teaching that responsibility is where I'm focusing right now."

*Andrea: "Paper work! Just meeting standards, and balancing fun."

*Stacey: "Honestly, my greatest fear has nothing to do with my kids. I find it very difficult to maintain balance in my own life because so much of my time and energy is wrapped up in parenting and homeschooling. One thing I've learned about myself is that I need to have an identity outside of the role of mother to stay healthy, and it is far more challenging when we are homeschooling. I often worry about the imbalance in my life."

*Rebecca of Raventhreads: "My eight year old is a struggling reader, and I worry that sometime her grandparents or her friends at church will make her feel bad about it."

*Lori of At Home: where life happens: "I am afraid of two very specific things, other than the academic side of it.
1 - Acquaintances, not friends, will take things I say out of context and/or as an assault on our local schools.
2 - The girls will be bullied at church by public schooled students. There is one specific child. So far, Elizabeth has just batted everything right back at the young man with a smile and information that makes him stop and say "what!?!" Last night, she mentioned that she gets to sleep until she wakes up and the rest of the class started grumbling about having to wake up at 5:30 or 6. She also talked about getting take a lot of field trips and breaks during the year and they couldn't believe it."

*Kym of Homeschool Coffee Break: "I worry about figuring out college entrance and scholarships. I have basically NO CLUE how to help my kids hunt down all the scholarships they might be eligible for, and have ZERO experience with SATs or ACTs. (This is even after reviewing a college prep resource a couple years ago.) I am sure that we are missing out because we don't have access to the Guidance Counselors at the public school whose job it is to steer kids through the college application/entrance stuff."

Wow! See? We have fears and worries just like anyone else--because we DO realize the great responsibility that we have taken on as caretakers to our children's future. But we will walk boldly forward with courage, asking God to guide our decisions and lead us every step of the way!

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Well that's it! That's the last post for this week's blog series! I hope that you have enjoyed it and have found something helpful in what I've shared. If you missed any of this week's series you can find a complete list and links of my posts on the anchor post for the series. Now I encourage you to visit some of the other homeschool bloggers participating this week! You can find the full list on my anchor post...or you can try some of these lovely ladies:

Erin @ For Him and My Family

Lori @ At Home: where life happens

Margaret @ Creative Madness Mama

Nicole @ Some Call It Natural

Crystal @ Crystal Starr

Bonnie @ Write Bonnie Rose

Shawna @ Tenacity Divine

Carol @ Home Sweet Life

Kelli @ Adventure Homeschool 

Jacquelin @ A Stable Beginning 

Leah Courtney @ As We Walk Along the Road

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What are some of your greatest fears relating to the homeschooling experience? Do you relate to any that the ladies here have shared? That I shared?