Do It Right: Success Tips for New Working Homeschool Moms
Today I’m going to be discussing something that many new or newish working homeschool moms struggle with – how to do it right.
I’m someone who likes to get things right in whatever I do so I totally get this need. I don’t know if you can relate, but I often also find it so frustrating, exhausting and often impossible to achieve!
But before we dive into the topic today, I want to say one thing. What’s right is so different for every single working homeschool mom. There are so many elements involved that it’s impossible to have a cookie-cutter answer.
That being said, let’s reframe this a bit. If there’s no one right way, then that means you can make it whatever you want it to be. You can decide what your working homeschool mom life is going to look like. Pretty cool, right?!
Why Am I Getting it All Wrong?
There could be a number of reasons why you don’t feel you know how to do it right. And they probably don’t have anything to do with your abilities. Doubting yourself is so very normal.
It’s uncomfortable, sure. But it’s also a good sign! It means you’re doing something that’s stretching you. And this is how you grow, change and progress, mama!
Let’s have a look at why you might be feeling like you’re not doing it right…
You Lack Confidence
As I said before, you probably lack confidence. But very few people are amazing at something right from the beginning. It takes practice, determination, an open mind and patience to master something. And being a working homeschool mom is no different!
It took me years to gain confidence! I bumbled through the first 3 or 4 years without a clue! My schedule was overloaded, I was trying to force my kids to do things they didn’t like, and my household chores caused me a daily headache.
You're Striving for Perfection
If you’re striving for perfection, you’re definitely not going to feel like you’re doing it right! There are so many elements involved in being a working homeschool mom – work, homeschool, chores, having a life etc. So the chances of all of these coming together in perfect unison is pretty slim!
I had dreams of my kids doing arts and crafts and daily nature walks. In this fantasy land, my house was always tidy and Pinterest worthy too. We were all just one big homeschooling happy family.
But reality hit me hard! Nobody in my family had the same idea of what a perfect homeschool day and family looked like. So being the perfectionist that I was, I doubled down. It did not go well!
You're Comparing Yourself to Others
You might be playing the comparison game. Now I know logically you know that you can’t compare your life to someone else’s. But who of us is that strong? Not me, that’s for sure! 
My comparison weakness have always been Instagram and Pinterest. There are so many beautiful crafts, homeschool rooms and field trips for me to feel bad about. Even now, almost 8 years down the line, I have to stop myself! It’s so easy to be sucked into the magic and make believe of it all!
How to Do It Right - For You
As you can see, feeling like you’re doing everything wrong is normal for new working homeschool moms. Well it was for me and many of the other working homeschool moms I’ve chatted to since I started my journey in 2017.
But once you’re aware of why you might be feeling like a failure, you can take some positive steps in the right direction. And before you know it, you’ll be feeling like you never even knew what you were worrying about!
I recommend spending some time unpacking why you’re feeling like you’re feeling. What stories are you telling yourself about how things should be and how they are? I’m always here if you need some help figuring it all out.
Here are some things that could help you to feel like the badass and confident working homeschool mom you are!
1. Figure Out What Right's For You
Firstly, you need to know what right looks like for you. It’s impossible to achieve a goal of you don’t know what you’re aiming for, right?
Spend some time looking at:
- your values and goals as a working homeschool mom,
- what the end goal of homeschooling is for you and your kids,
- the strengths you have and how they can be leveraged,
- the practicalities of your life.
I’ll use myself as an example and give you a glimpse into my life:
- A few of my values are freedom, good health and family connection. So I run my own business, make time for self care every day and prioritize spending quality time with my family. My whole schedule is worked around these values so that I feel fulfilled and aligned every day.
- Our kids have decided they want to start a business, so homeschooling is geared towards that. We concentrate on life skills and entrepreneurial courses and resources.
- I’m a teacher and entrepreneur so I’m very involved in teaching my kids about running a business. That being said, I’m a lazy teacher so I outsource homeschooling entirely.
- I work from home and my kids are neurodivergent. That means we homeschool year round so that we can do less every day and also help the boys succeed by not overloading each day.
Your life is going to look so different. But I want you too see how what’s important to you, what your life looks like and what you can manage, translates into your every day life.
2. Open Your Mind!
I can’t stress enough how important it is to have an open mind as a working homeschool mom! Figuring out what’s right is going to need you to let go of so much. And to do things in a way that might feel weird, uncomfortable or downright wrong!
Often we feel something is right because society or our friends and family tell us so. And we all know how much easier it is to swim with the current.
In my experience, being a working homeschool mom is a life that so many women wouldn’t even dream of! I’m constantly asked how I do it and even why I do it.
So you’re going to need to learn to swim upstream! You’re going to go against societal norms in order to figure out what’s right for you and your family. And the best way to do this is to open your mind right up to all the possibilities out there.
The world might be in a terrible state at the moment. But at the same time it’s changing and growing so fast. And as a working homeschool mom, you can harness this all in order to do it right!
Here are some of the weird and wonderful things out there to help you…
- There are so many curricula, programmes and resources (even for free) out there to match any learning style, interest, level and time availability.
- You can homeschool at any time you like because it’s so flexible! This means that you can shift homeschooling around so that it suits your daily responsibilities and tasks. Yes you can homeschool at 11 at night! Why not?
- Life can be made so much simpler with a million different apps, programmes and services. Think ChatGPT, CTCMath and meal kits!
Final Thoughts on How to Do It Right as a New Working Homeschool Mom
At the end of it all, you WILL figure out what’s right and how to do this well. If you’re motivated, open minded, patient and committed to make it work, you WILL find a way. I did. All the working homeschool moms I speak to have. It is possible and you can do it right!
But if it’s feeling too much and like you’re not getting there as fast as you’d like, then I’m here. Learn from my mistakes and experience so that you can get to the good part much sooner!
Follow me Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more homeschool shenanigans, advice and resources. And please check out my working homeschool mom coaching if you need some extra help and support.
