Is Your Spouse
Anti-Homeschooling?

• State your reasons for homeschooling. Be sure your spouse is aware of the benefits to homeschooling. Make special note of specific issues in your family that homeschooling will address.

• Give him time. Realize your spouse loves your child as much as you do. It took time for you to decide homeschooling was best for your child, and he may need time as well.

• Address his concerns. My husband was captain of the football team in high school. He was concerned our children would miss out on fun experiences, so I found homeschooling support groups that met our family’s social needs.

• Help him connect with other homeschoolers. My husband was worried that I’d want to move to the country and wear “prairie dresses”. I put on a pair of jeans, and took him to homeschool conventions where he saw families that looked like ours and talked to a few enthusiastic dads.

• Give and take. You want to use homeschooling unit studies. He wants you to use workbooks. Your spouse needs to feel comfortable with your homeschooling method. Use a complete home school curriculum if that is important to your spouse, and tailor it to meet your children’s needs.

• Give it a try. My husband and I agreed that I would homeschool my son for kindergarten, then reevaluate. Now he’s a big homeschooling proponent!

For ideas about honoring and connecting with your spouse, read this article about homeschooling dads.

Follow these links for information about:

• Homeschooling Facts,
• Homeschooling Statistics,
• Homeschooling Pros and Cons,
• Disadvantages of Homeschooling,
• Homeschooling vs. Public Schooling,
• Homeschooling a Reluctant Student, and
• Defending Yourself to those who are Against Homeschooling.