WHY YOU SHOULD CHILL OUT: FACING YOUR HOMESCHOOL FEARS

Really. Just chill out. While your fears are totally normal, they are mostly not worth stressing about. In this episode, DeeDee and Ximena breakdown the most common anxiety-provoking elements of homeschooling and explain why you need to take a deep breath and trust the process. You are not failing your kids!  QUOTABLES Ximena: "That's something I get from a lot of people that don't know much about homeschooling. They're like, 'Oh, I'm sure it's really hard for your kids to see you as a teacher when they see you as a mom.' Yeah, it is hard, and I don't expect them to see me as a teacher one hour and then see me as a mom another hour. I expect them to see me as this messy, conglomerate of teacher and parent together, because that's who we are. Ximena: "We're so scared of failing, but how can we fail our children when we love them? Are we perfect? No. Are they perfect? No, but who's asking for perfection? If we are, then we're being fools and we're missing out on what's important." DeeDee: "When we spend time with our kids, we are investing in who they're going to become in the future." ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code to use on any purchase at bookshark.com. Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com. TIMESTAMPS 14:32 How you set the mood in your home.  18:26 Teaching and parenting are one and the same. 20:22 How self-care, routines, and community all help you face the difficulties of homeschooling.  22:52 How to overcome the fear of not choosing the right curriculum. 24:22 Straight talk about academic gaps.  27:11 Fear of failure. Ximena says, "Even if perfect robots raised your children in the perfect setting, in the perfect atmosphere, your kids would still have issues." 29:00 Broaden your scope to go beyond academics and include character.  29:33 How to embrace the mess of homeschooling. SPECIAL SEGMENTS 01:19 Hack of the Week: Exercising early before the kids are up. 14:32 A Memorable Quote: "Creating a positive home atmosphere has more to do with who you are than what you do." —Leah at My Little Robins If you'd like to share an aha moment, an inspirational quote, a homeschool hack, a book you're loving, or a suggested podcast topic/guest, leave a comment at bookshark.com/podcast. We'd love to feature your reflection on a future episode.