Unschooling and Painting the Hallway // Mommy Etc 

My parents “unschooled” me and my siblings and I’ll never forgive them for it. I couldn’t pass a GED test at 19, I won’t even be able to think about college for a few years because as an adult I have to learn all the stuff they didn’t think was important enough for me to learn. I didn’t get to go to birthday parties, play sports, go to dances and all the fun stuff I see and hear about from others. I feel completely robbed and my mom claims she was protecting me and I can never get those years back.

I think you would be sooooo much happier if you put the kids in traditional school. I started homeschooling my 3 when Covid hit and did that for 2 years, I thought I would keep doing it too because I was really worried about bullies and gun violence, etc. I couldn’t take it anymore and my house was always a mess and the guilt I would feel if we didn’t do as much as we should was overwhelming. I finally put them back in school and OMG I have my life back! I’m no good when my house is a wreck and I’m stressed about schooling them all the time, I finally feel like I can take a breath. When I put my kids back in school though I realized just how far behind they had gotten - I thought I had been doing a good job but they needed a lot of extra help to catch up. They’ve thrived since being in school, now they have friends and they sleep better at night… it’s been awesome. I think you’re doing a good job not I know how hard it is, how stressful it can be with multiple children. As for unschooling, my cousin did that and she loved it but man did her kids have a rough time transitioning to college. They had to spend a year doing non credit courses just so they could do basic college freshman math and English.

I have a lot of sympathy for you with this situation. I have been going back-and-forth on homeschooling my girls for the past two or three years now but I’m really worried about messing it up or having a really rough time with it. My oldest is would definitely have a hard time with wanting to actually do her work.

Hey Jill ❤ I'm wondering how this affects getting into college? Just curious. You may just have to put your foot down at some point. Take away privileges. I mean, who really did look forward to going to school lol. Oh I'm sure some kids did, but I think the majority felt like it was just something we HAD to do. I cant even begin to understand how hard it would be to homeschool 3 (and soon to be 4) children of all different ages. Good Grief!! 🤯 I worry about you.. I really do. You don't seem as happy as you used to be and it's perfectly understandable. You need time off to do things for YOU !! Maybe Greg could do some homeschooling on his days off, so you can go do something for yourself. You NEVER get a day off !! 👍🌻

Jill , i think you're the best teacher for your kids ❤If i had littles , I'd homeschool them . You're doing great. Don't worry , it'll get done 😊 🌻🌻🌻

I totally understand what your saying. Home schooling and having multiple children is beyond hard. It was very difficult for my husband and I to decide whether to send our kiddos back to school. Luckily we took a leap of faith and we’re both very happy we did. My daughter is a little younger than Maddison but they have some similarities. It took some time for her to adjust. I almost thought maybe I’m doing the wrong thing and just completely second guessing myself. By the end of this year she was thriving. Making friends, talking more at school, playing with kids and recess and actually looked forward to school. Don’t get me wrong she’s still a kid and loves to sleep and relax lol.. I just wanted to share this with you and I’m not saying send the kids to school because it worked for us. Just wanted to share. Also I just have to say your cleaning videos are so motivating to watch. Because of you I now clean under our refrigerator 😂

I think you are doing great Jill. Kids have time to learn. I mean isn’t that one huge benefit of homeschooling? The time? 🌻❤️

Jill you do what is best for you and your kids don't listen to all the views everyone has something different to say because all kids are different, you are doing a great job do what feels right for you and your kids , the more fun the kids have the more they learn keep doing what you! home school your kids with lots of playing with them they learn much easier i support whatever decision you make it's the right one because you know you kids better then anyone ❤🌻🌻

That’s a true kids can learn many ways I hope you find what you like 🌻🌻

There is a site out there somewhere (saw a TikTok about it) that you can put in what the kids did that day and it will give you all the subjects they “worked on” for school purposes. I’ll see if I can find the name of it.

Hey!! Unschooling is interesting to me but it’s the same for my kids, I’m not sure how well it would work for them 😆 I do try to mix a bit of “normal” homeschooling with whatever they want to learn when life is really busy. I need to keep reminding myself this isn’t public school, we can have our own schedule and not rush things 💜

Have you looked into Seton Home Study School for homeschool? The curriculum is all organized which is less planning on your part. You can always supplement with what works for your family.

Jill don’t take this personally but I often wonder if your kids are really learning what is recommended for schools. I feel like you aren’t the best teacher to your kids furthering their education. Madison should not dictate to you what she wants and telling the boys she hate school . Put your foot down and get tougher with your kids for their sake of what is required to get further in their education!!!!! As far as painting goes that’s great you started it. But finishing one thing is better than starting in the basement decluttering. Your not getting anything accomplished that way, I don’t want to criticize Greg but I feel personally he doesn’t help you. No wonder you feel the way you do.❤❤🌻🌻

This is the first year in my five year homeschooling journey that we had a more laid-back approach and leaned a bit into unschooling. It was a successful year. My kids all did well on their end of the year evaluations. I will say I craved a little bit more structure though. Next year we’re going to be switching to fully online curriculum through Power Homeschool. I’ve been doing a lot of research and it has great reviews. I like that it takes the pressure off of me and is more student lead and because it’s all online we can take it on the go. Using workbooks and sitting at the kitchen table just wasn’t working for us anymore.

Have you thought about a co-op? I think homeschooling can be great for younger kids but as they get older, having some outside influence can only benefit children by broadening their horizons and expanding their worlds. Do your kids have friends they interact with periodically? My kids go to public school and we do all those other extras you mentioned on weekends or breaks (games, weird but true episodes, etc). They don’t love school every day but the value we all get from it is priceless. I’m an introvert so homeschooling would never work for me. We’d be in a bubble lol. Kids need peers. Plus, the values you instill in them as a family will override outside influences.

Im in the same exact boat as you with homeschooling i really like the unschooling approach like were so ussle to societal normal public school but since im homeschooling i just want my kids to learn freely not feel forced or pressure like they were in regular school and us all get along and have fun with it, i did however have my kids pick something they want to do so my daughter goes to art class twice a month to learn from a teacher on on one and my son is either going to do a sport or music lessons that way they are getting out of the house and learning something they can do at home thats their own thing 🌻

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Follow your gut and your heart. I don’t know much about homeschool, we ended up taking our kids out of the public system and sending them to a private Christian school because we didn’t agree with what the public school was teaching so I totally get that. My neighbour homeschools her 4 children and has times where they meet up with other homeschoolers in the area, not sure of that’s an option for you? Maybe over the summer, take a break and see if you can do any of the unschooling mixed in to see how it works with them😉 Start fresh in September with a new routine. Don’t forget to pray for direction and patience ❤ and don’t forget to take time for you, you can’t fill your child’s bucket if yours is empty, or however that saying goes 🌻

🌻 we have had similar situations when it comes to homeschooling. The only thing that worked for us even though it was tough at the beginning, was to stick with a routine. I have the kids earn their screen time or whatever they would rather be doing after the school routine was done for the day. I had to be very consistent for about a month or two then it became so much more enjoyable, trust me it gets better! It doesn’t have to look like school but having a routine of what your morning looks like and do the same things in order on the days you are doing school, being very consistent for a month or two will be life changing! My kids now know what to expect and know that they can’t talk me out of it or argue or they loose their screen time or whatever they usually want to do. Not all days are great, but we definitely have a more enjoyable time homeschooling now. We also only do our school routine four days a week and have a day for field trips/co-op or just a lazy day. We also take a long summer break along with other weekly breaks when needed. They eventually get a hang of it and not complain (as much)/ hate it since they are earning something and they know we get plenty of breaks. We also use open and go curriculum to have less work from me. This was honestly way easier for me to switch to then trying to unschool with multiple kids.

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Thank you for the transparency. Homeschooling is difficult. I am on year 7 with my daughter and we’ve made many switches throughout the years. We are fully online with textbooks now. We are doing Abeka…which is amazing, but not for the faint of heart. Do what works for you. Don’t be afraid to keep changing it up. Do hybrid school, online, textbooks, coop- whatever works.

I liked IXL I also like the game on the iPad marble math.

When my middle daughter was younger I did online schooling for her. We went through a couple different ones. One of them sent all the supplies which was really cool. It included slime kits, volcano kits, and a bunch of really neat activities for her to do. The way they incorporated other subjects wasn't just all worksheets, it was more about hands-on learning through activities. Maybe look into different online schools and what they provide and what their curriculum is. It might be beneficial for your younger kiddos and you wouldn't have to stress for hours. My daughter was a lot like Madison, which made it hard for her to learn and stay focused. She went back to school in 9th grade and still didn't do well. It's really hard for me to say this, but she didn't end up graduating. She's 19 years old now and trying to get her GED. I'm in no way telling you what to do, but in my opinion you need to push Madison to continue learning/doing school, so she can graduate. If she doesn't she's going to eventually have friends graduating and accomplishing all these things and she'll likely feel like a failure and she'll blame you for not pushing her. She'll end up only being able to work in fast food/retail/other businesses where you don't need a diploma. In the end she'll either live with you and Greg until she decides what she wants to do or she'll have to get her GED if she chooses to go to college to further her education and get a decent paying job. Working in retail or fast food she won't ever be able to live on her own. Can you imagine what rent will cost in another 8-10 years?

I’m curious Jill. When children are homeschooled do they have to be tested by the state to see if they are where they should be, grade level wise?

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Have you thought about k12? I think it's available all over the US. But they send you the laptop, school supplies, etc. And that takes a lot of the stress off Mom.

As your kids get older(say high school age) and they want to go to public school, will you let them?

My opinion is unschooling is ok. The discipline of sitting down and learning and having some routine will help them as they get older. The do what you want to is not going to prepare them for entering into a job.

Have you tried to ABC mouse? For the younger ones

Have you looked into a public online school! Especially for Madison as she getting older to make sure she is learning the stuff she needs to learn for the grade level she is at! I would look into free ones in your area! They have teacher that help and Madison could probably do most of it on her own! The littler ones will need some help but it will be better for your knowing they are learning what they need to for there grade levels! I would also look into homeschooling co-op ground in your area they take field trip and meet friends.

🌻♥️. Nina in Seattle WA USA

I highly recommend Readings Eggs and Mathseeds, although I’ve heard there are some books that are pro feminism and other activist type of agendas… my kids have been using it for three years now and I havent seem them, but my kids don’t really freely read on the app/computer… they just do the lessons.

Maybe do an online homeschool for both of them

Why isnt public schooling an option?

Oh I hear you about unschooling. I don’t think my kids would ever want to do anything but be on the tv and ps4 all day! And I am definitely it a “there’s a lesson in everything” kinda mom. That’s exhausting. Colleges actually are starting to prefer homeschoolers because they interact better with professors and test above public students. It’s also hard to keep in my that not everything mindlessly “taught” (forced memorization) in schools is necessary for all people to “learn”. The public schools agenda to make everyone learn the same thing for over 100 years kills trades and arts. The variety of peoples is going to diminish and eventually we will all be robots (or at least the children will). I do not think you are unhappy. You are just an exhausted mom like the rest of us. Loves ❤ 🌻🌻🌻

Your "unschooling" method sounds like a double-edged sword. Have you thought about a Montessori approach to home schooling? I think having the kids learn basic life skills at home would be great while they are young and it also help them create a daily routine and take pride in their home.

I totally get you disagreeing with things kids are being taught in school. Here in the UK, more & more parents are finding ways to homeschool their kids due to issues like the government trying to force schools to teach s*x ed at unhealthily younger & younger ages. That's just one example of the UK government trying to take over. My sister who lives in Texas has put her eldest into a private Christian school where parents can trust that the school will leave parents' roles to parents, & will do that with her youngest & the two children they're hoping to adopt. But I realise that isn't an option for everyone. I hope you & Greg find the best way to do things for your family very soon.

I understand what you're saying and think it would work but the teacher has to create those learning opportunities. I think it's too hard to be the Mom and the teacher It's just my opinion, I have no experience homeschooling, but understand it's got to be REALLY tough and I can also understand why you don't want them to attend school these days. 🪨🧱 (stuck between a rock and a hard place). 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 sending you many Sunflowers, you deserve it!

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