What If I Don’t Have Enough Patience to Homeschool?

Homeschooling and patience – do they really go hand-in-hand?

Well, the truth is…yes and no.

Yes, it does take quite a bit of patience to not only spend every single day with our children when our society has trained us to be more comfortable with not being around them, but it also requires an enormous amount of patience to take on the responsibility to see to it that our children are learning and thriving.

On the other hand… 

No. Patience isn’t something that all homeschooling parents are naturally equipped with, no matter how much we wish this would be so.

So the question is…how can it be done? After all, this is one of the most common reasons that people choose not to homeschool. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve had this conversation:

Them: “Oh, you homeschool?”

Me: “Yes, we do.”

Them: “Wow. You must have the patience of a saint. I could never do that.”

Yeah. That conversation. Interestingly, whenever my kids overhear this dialogue, I can see them out of the corner of my eye trying to hold in their laughter. Because they know as well as I do – this homeschool mom right here definitely does NOT have the patience of a saint.

So today I’m going to share with you a little piece of advice I’ve learned from my own experience…

You don’t have to rule out homeschooling simply because you’re a little short in the patience department.

Here’s why.

When You Don’t Have the Patience to Homeschool

Have you ever noticed how wishy washy we adults can be with how we react to different things? If we want to lose weight, we start working out and eating less. If we want to become more knowledgeable about a subject, we research it. If we want to be more organized, we buy a planner. If we want to build our physical endurance, we start training. Yet when it comes to something like patience, if we feel we don’t have enough of it, we just wash our hands of it, and say, “Well, I guess that’s that.”

Why?? Why do we do that? Because the thing is, patience isn’t something that has to remain an immovable obstacle in our lives. Our patience can grow. It can change. And, yes, it can be stretched beyond imagination.

A few years ago, my pastor said something during a sermon that I think a lot of people need to hear:

God grants you the capacity to do the things you’re called to do.

And do you know the best way to make use of your patience capacity? By giving yourself the opportunity to strengthen it. As long as you keep functioning under the illusion that there’s nothing you can do about this part of your life, you’re right. You will never have the patience to homeschool.

If this is something that’s been holding you back from making the leap, here’s the best tip I can give you:

Forget about your fears of not having the patience to homeschool, and just do it.

The best way to grow your patience for your children is by being with them. Think of it as on-the-job training. Not only will you become more accustomed to having your kids around, but you will grow in your ability to deal with problems as they arise, whether it would be issues with learning or with the heart.

They always say that the best way to overcome your fears is by facing them, not ignoring them and not running from them.

So what are you going to do about it?

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