We Asked Experienced Homeschool Moms What They Wish They Knew…
Laura Abbott - Feb 24, 2026
We asked our Facebook community of experienced homeschool mamas what they wished they knew before they started homeschooling and here were some of the responses we got:
“You don’t have to be a “unicorn” mom to homeschool. It’s not magic or sorcery or something that only super nerdy or “special” moms can do.” -Brenda
“See if you can find someone who has the curriculum you’d like to use to visually be able to see it and hold it before you make a purchase—this will save you money.” -Heather
“I wish I had relaxed a little! I wish someone would have told me that homeschooling is not making a school environment at home. Public libraries are a WEALTH of knowledge for homeschool families. There are so many free recourses!
I am so thankful I had homeschool mommas speak life into my journey when I was scared and no one else thought I could do it. (Be that momma for others!)” -Brittany
“It doesn’t have to be complicated or rigorous! Meet your kids where they are at, your 5 year old doesn’t need to know how to read!! I had 2 kids reading at 4/5 and one not reading until 6/7. All of them are smart and successful!”- Sarah
“It looks different for every family and every child. There is no right way (but there is wrong ways ) but adjusting and finding the balance is key” -Sarah
“It wasn't an 8 hour school day” -Ronni
“It might take awhile to “unschool” your brain and kiddos if they attended public school first.”- Brandi
“There are weeks where school is done every day and then there are weeks where the only schooling accomplished may be “nature study” but that’s okay because that’s just one perk of homeschooling”-Cala
When you lay all of these responses side by side, something beautiful happens.
You start to see a pattern.
Not a rigid formula.
Not a “step-by-step to homeschool success.”
But a steady rhythm of freedom.
You don’t have to be a unicorn mom.
You don’t need an eight hour school day.
Your five year old doesn’t need to read yet.
Your home doesn’t need to look like a classroom.
And your journey won’t look like anyone else’s.
What these experienced mamas are really saying is this: homeschooling is less about performing and more about partnering. Partnering with your child’s pace. Partnering with the season you’re in. Partnering with the Lord as He shapes both you and your kids along the way.
There will be curriculum wins and curriculum flops. Library stacks taller than your toddler. Weeks full of structure. Weeks that turn into “nature study” and long walks and deep conversations. There may even be a season of gently untangling the school mindset from your brain.
And that’s not failure.
That’s growth.
The common thread woven through every response is permission. Permission to relax. Permission to adjust. Permission to meet your child where they are. Permission to not replicate public school at your kitchen table.
And maybe the most powerful encouragement of all: find community. Borrow the curriculum before you buy it. Ask questions. Let another mama speak life into you when you feel unsure. Then turn around and be that voice for someone else.
Homeschooling is not magic or sorcery.
It’s ordinary faithfulness, lived out daily.
And in the hands of an ordinary, willing mom, that’s more than enough. 🌿
