181: 3 Homeschool Lies You Need to Ditch Now

Are you constantly wondering if you're doing enough — or panicking that your kids are falling behind? The stress and overwhelm you're feeling as a homeschool mom may not be a "you" problem. It's 3 sneaky lies you've been believing, and it's time to let them go.In this episode, we break down the 3 biggest lies homeschool moms believe and how to flip the script so you can finally homeschool with confidence. Here's what we cover:✅Why "I'm not doing enough" is keeping you stuck in busywork that doesn't actually help your kids✅The truth about "falling behind" — and why your timeline is the only one that matters✅Why chasing the perfect curriculum is costing you peace (and your kids' love of learning)✅The simple 3-step process that replaces overwhelm with intention — no perfect curriculum required✅1 question to ask yourself this week that changes how you see your whole homeschoolStop second-guessing yourself. Listen to this episode and walk away with a simpler, more purposeful way to homeschool.Grab the free Read, Write, Discuss chart in the show notes and start using it this week!Resources for YouFree Read, Write, Discuss ChartHow to Simplify Your Homeschool (free 3-day video course)Show Notes:The Struggle Is RealAre you ending your school day thinking, did we even do enough today? Or even worse, you're thinking, am I messing this up completely? What if I told you the problem isn't you? It's the beliefs that you've been handed over the years and through your own schooling.Today, we're going to be talking about the 3 biggest lies that homeschool moms believe, and how we can correct them. Because a lot of times, the stress and the overwhelm that we feel, we are putting on ourselves. And it all starts up here in our mind.Lie #1: I'm Not Doing EnoughA lot of y'all are really worried. Am I doing enough? Am I doing the right activities? You feel behind, so then you add more, and more, and more, and you live right there, constantly second-guessing yourself.This belief comes from the public school mindset. You left a school system, and yet you're bringing it with you, and you're comparing yourself to the school system. And that's not going to help you whatsoever.Thomas Edison was labeled difficult in school. His mom pulled him out and taught him at home differently. She did not do the same kinds of things they were doing in school, and he actually became one of the greatest inventors in history. He didn't need more and more school. He didn't need more and more activities. He needed a different kind of education, a better kind of education.Here's something I want you to do — today or tomorrow. Ask yourself about your activities. Is this helping my child think? Or is it just completing something? Checking off that checklist that someone else gave you.I am not opposed to a checklist, as long as it's your checklist — not a curriculum scope and sequence where you gotta make sure you get everything done every single day. If your kids have bad attitudes, that's probably one reason. So stop checking off someone else's list.If it's just a completion activity, that means it's optional. It may not even be helpful. Ask yourself: does this build character in my kids? Does it help them think? Does it help them learn? If it doesn't, maybe get rid of all that busy work, because they're not retaining much of it anyway.You don't need more school. You just need a different kind of education. Start looking at ways you can develop your kids into thinkers.Lie #2: My Kids Are Falling BehindBehind whom? Seriously. The public school system should not be your standard. Other homeschoolers should not be your standard. Don't get on social media and start comparing yourself. Your kids are all unique. Your family is unique. You need to look at what is best for your kids.My youngest, Hunter, did not do a formal math curriculum until sixth grade. When he started in 6th grade, he caught up in a year and a half to grade level. He did not do math for 5 years, and he turned out okay. We did send him to a private Christian school in high school — his first year in 10th grade, he won the Math Award. He wasn't falling behind. I was doing what was best for him. He needed to focus on language. He didn't like reading, and we were going to work on that.My daughter, Gentry, we took off of math for a whole year around 7th grade. Her attitude was not good, she didn't like it at all — but no math. For a year. Did she fall behind? No. She finished in time. In fact, in college, she would help her friends do their math homework and tutor them, because she knew the tools.Abraham Lincoln had less than one year of formal schooling. He was self-educated through reading and discussion. He wasn't behind, because they didn't really compare. He just had a different and more powerful path of education.You care enough to homeschool your kids. They are not going to fall behind.When I think about Abraham Lincoln, it reminds me of the process that we teach our moms — Read, Write, Discuss. It's so simple. You don't even need a curriculum. You can use any book — a book about music, history, science, even math. You read about it every day, you write in your journal or do narration, and then you discuss it once a week. Super simple.I have a free chart in the show notes you can download to help you get started with our Read, Write, Discuss process.Lie #3: I Need the Perfect CurriculumI know a lot of you — this is coming out in April — you're getting ready for the next school year and you're like, I don't know what to do. I'm not opposed to all curriculum, but just have a reason. If all it is is checking off the boxes, that's not a very good reason to get it. And for many of you, you bought, you switched, and then you tried again, and you're just constantly in flux and not really sticking with anything.Curriculum doesn't educate. Curriculum doesn't create leaders or prepare kids for life. Thinking does. What are you doing to encourage your kids to think well? One of our goals in homeschooling was to think biblically and to think critically. You don't need the perfect curriculum. You have the freedom to do whatever.What to Do This WeekStop searching for new. Use what you already have. But in the process, ask better questions, or let your kids narrate back what they learned. That encourages a thinking skill.Here's another secret — don't answer your own question. Give your kids time to think.There is a completely different and better way to homeschool that removes all three of those lies. Take a step back and start asking questions. You can do it. You don't need a curriculum, and you don't need a checklist. You just need the right tools and the right process to go along with what you're already doing.Resources Mentioned📥 Free Read, Write, Discuss Chart — Download it here free to get started with our simple process right away.🎥 How to Simplify Your Homeschool — This free 3-day video course goes right along with everything we talked about today. Grab it at here and see if it gets you going!