6 Lessons My Kids Taught Me Over Many Years of Homeschooling

As homeschool parents, we take our roles seriously. I mean, we even have entire websites devoted to it. We educate ourselves, we try out new experiments, and we read new books all in attempts to give our children the best education possible. It is our goal to see that they learn, right? Isn’t that what we are on this journey for?

Over the years, I have found something quite different to be true. This journey that I began for my own children, to give them a better life, to help them become all that they are meant to be- this journey isn’t about what I thought it was when I started.

I thought that I would teach them. Oh, I have tried and yes, they have learned, but if I were to add up the amount that I have taught them compared with what they have taught me…they would be the winners. More often than not, it is they who are the teachers.

Kids bring out in you every little thing that you never even knew was there and they make you face it. It can be overwhelming and humbling at the same time.

There are so many valuable lessons that I have learned from my children through our many homeschool years together.

1. They have taught me patience.

If you have ever tried to teach seventh-grade math, then you know what I am talking about. Grrr! It can be so frustrating for both of you. Yet, so many times, I find myself taking a deep breath and a different angle.

Sometimes the process is so painstakingly slow that you wonder if you will still be stuck on this same page when they are fifty and you are eighty and the two of you have to wear spectacles to even see the page. That’s when you reach way down inside and you find something in you that you didn’t know you had…more patience. You find more patience to do one more problem together when you both want to quit.

2. They have taught me endurance.

As I watch my kids try and try again day after day to grasp what I am putting before them, I am impressed and inspired. No matter how hard learning is sometimes, they never give up.

They believe that since I say they can do to, that they must be able to, so they endure. They have taught me how to continue when you want to give up. They have taught me how to persevere until you accomplish your goal.

3. They have taught me how to face my fears.

Children challenge you to go beyond anything that you thought you could. They break through boundaries and nothing stands in their way. They are truly fearless.

I have seen this most often in my youngest children as they begin the journey of learning to read. They tell me that they don’t know a word and I tell them to ‘just try it’. You can see the fear in their eyes; fear of failure, fear of the unknown, and fear of even trying. Yet, they try anyway. It is always a delight to witness the surprise and wonder in their eyes when the word comes out of their mouth.

4. They have taught me to see the world through new eyes.

Never is this so true than when we do nature study. To see the world that God created through the eyes of a child is an entirely different experience than you will ever have otherwise. They don’t just see a bug, they see another living thing that they must know about and care for. When they see lightning, they stand in awe of the power.

They never just see a field of wildflowers; they see every color as something special, every petal as uniquely created. It is contagious and you can’t help but see things differently, too.

5. They have taught me to approach life with joy.

No matter what the previous day held my children come to school each day with a fresh new attitude. They bring joy with them. I have found that joy, in particular, is highly contagious. It’s amazing to watch them as they get out their books and pencils and get ready to start another day.

They visit, usually loudly, and talk about things that they want to do after school. I love studying science with them. It always seems to bring out the wonder and the joy and new discoveries of our world are made.

6. They have taught me to accept life as it is

Children only have one tense: NOW. They live in the moment. The only time that exists is now. Sometimes, they get so lost in a lesson that they forget that anything else exists. I have learned a lot by watching them and following their lead in doing this. It is how life should be lived.

I used to worry about the future or the past, and I am trying more and more to focus only on the right now. Children accept that nothing else matters and that life can only be lived one moment at a time.

They also accept that they make mistakes and quickly correct them without a lot of drama. Even when they get a whole page of answers wrong, they accept it. Sometimes, they even laugh it off. I love the look on my son’s face when he realizes that he totally misunderstood something. His eyes get big and he always says, “Whoa! I did not get that right.” Then he just rolls his eyes and fixes it. They accept that others make mistakes, too, and are quick to forgive and forget.

I am grateful to my children for the lessons they have taught me. I have learned much from our journey together. As I look to the future I know that there is much more to learn and I hope that I am always open to learning. After all, I am being taught by the most adorable teachers ever.