You Might Be a Homeschooling Family If. . .

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Updated 12/29/2012

By: Lisa G. Coburn

We homeschoolers aren’t hard to spot. We’re often seen around town, kids in tow, at the oddest hours. (Say, 11:00 a.m., when all "decent" children should be in school)

We’re a different breed, that’s for sure. Books aren’t just something we read – they’re our friends. Walks through the woods aren’t simply hikes – they’re educational treasure hunts. Imaginations are nurtured, individuality is celebrated by many homeschoolers as we make this sometimes frightening, always rewarding journey with our children.

So, how do you know when you’ve crossed the line of no return into Homeschool Land? I’ve compiled a little list to assist you in determining whether or not you are a bona-fide homeschool family. Some of the criteria are just plain silly, but all have a ring of truth to them, based on our family’s experiences over the past few years of homeschooling four children.

Could this be you. . . ?

You Might Be a Homeschooling Family If. . .

1. You never had to turn on the heat last winter because all the books lining your walls provided enough insulation to keep a small village warm.

2. School uniforms consists of mis-matched p.j.s and fluffy slippers.

3. You consider giving your high schooler home-economics credit for doing his own laundry.

4. You go shopping and come home with more books than groceries because the Library was having a sale.

5. When introduced to strangers, instead of saying, "Nice to meet you," you automatically ask, "What kind of curriculum do you use?".

6. Your two-year-old’s crayon scribbles on the wall qualifies as "art" in your activity log.

7. You’ve heard the word "socialization" in some context of conversation at least one hundred times.

8. You can’t remember if that moldy piece of fruit on the kitchen counter is a science experiment or just something you forgot to clean up.

9. You cannot relate at all when parents of children in public school do the "happy dance" every September.

10. Your children can list "goat wrangling" under "skills" on their college applications. (You’ll just have to see that one on my blog.)

11. You always have room for "just one more book."

12. You plan trips to homeschool conferences and curriculum fairs with the same anticipation and enthusiasm most people would have while planning a cruise to the Bahamas.

13. Your children may never actually have been required to see the world at 7:00 a.m., but they know it exists, nevertheless.

14. You can’t go grocery shopping before 5:00 p.m. without at least one person asking the kids, "Why aren’t you in school today? Are you sick?".

15. Your children are best friends – with each other!

If you answered "yes" to, or at least understood at least three of the preceding list, then you definitely could be, might be. . . a homeschooling family!

Enjoy the journey!

Lisa Coburn is married 17 years to her sweetheart, Dan, a homeschooling mom of 4 children, ages 3, 9, 13, and 15. Her youngest child is on the autism spectrum, her 9 year old has ADHD, and her two oldest are gifted learners. The family makes their home in the beautiful mountains of WV, where they homestead among a menagerie of stray animals, wildlife, interesting (and sometimes carnivorous) flora and fauna.

Lisa maintains her sanity by keeping a crazy sense of humor, her faith, and by blogging about life on her homestead in www.homesteadblogger.com/wyldhousehomested. She blogs about homeschooling and adventures in special needs on her homeschooling blog: www..homeschoolblogger.com/LisaCoburn