Is Homeschooling Hard? A Former Teacher's Honest Answer

A question I’ve gotten a lot over my homeschooling journey: is homeschooling hard?

I’ve seen both sides: a traditional classroom, and homeschooling around the kitchen table. And I’m going to tell you that homeschooling is a lot easier than you think. Let’s talk about some fears, the things that really are hard, and what helps.

Let’s take this one step at a time.

What’s not as hard as you might think

”I’m not a teacher”

A lot of parents get scared that without an education background, homeschooling will be hard. But you know your child better than their classroom teacher would. You can give them something that’s uniquely tailored to them.

Homeschooling my kids has grown me so much. I’ve learned so much along the way, mostly through making mistakes. I’ve grown as an educator as they’ve grown in their education. At the beginning, things will look a lot different than when you have a few years under your belt.

Being an educator isn’t a prerequisite for being a homeschool parent.

”It’ll take all day”

It does not take us all day. It takes us probably four to five hours, max, and my kids are older now.

I have one child who loves to get up early and get school done as quickly as possible, and that child is usually done by lunch. Others want more breaks in between and might be done at one o’clock. Either way, homeschooling doesn’t take as long as a traditional school day. (Here’s what our day actually looks like.)

”What about socialization?”

How will my kids get the social interaction they need for their growing hearts and minds? I’ve found that the quality of interaction my kids have beats the quantity they’d have in a traditional school. (More on that in But what about socialization?)

The nagging voice

One thing I always come back to is a little nagging voice in the back of my head: I’m not going to give them enough. That can be hard.

But I’ve had wonderful friends and community around me to encourage me on those hard days, and to help me see that I am giving my kids what they need.

Six things that are hard about homeschooling

1. Consistency

You are your child’s educator. You’re not outsourcing this to a school. The buck stops with you. So you need to be consistent, and it can feel really hard to be the one in charge of that.

2. Being together all day

Being together all day can feel hard sometimes, especially with multiple kids. People get on each other’s nerves. Maybe a conflict from the night before bleeds into the homeschool morning. Sibling dynamics are still very present during the school day.

3. Self-doubt

Homeschooling can feel like pioneering a new path. Even though many people have done it before, you’re doing it with your family for the first time. It’s easy to doubt that you’re doing enough, or doing it the right way.

If you ever need a quick boost, come watch a Mrs. A video. I hope you leave feeling better than when you came. You are enough, and you’re doing a great job.

4. The mental load

As the primary homeschool parent, I’m making all the decisions. Are we doing this co-op or no co-op? What curriculum? What extracurriculars? What field trips? What’s seasonally available to us? That can cause a lot of decision fatigue and mental overload.

5. Other people’s opinions

It’s fortunate to be homeschooling in 2026 rather than the 80s, 90s or early 2000s. The stigma around homeschooling has changed a lot, and there’s much more openness to families choosing it.

But someone will still have a look or a little comment they feel you need to hear. When that happens, I just smile and say, “Thanks for telling me,” and leave it at that. Let it roll off your back. Their opinion doesn’t dictate what you’re going to do.

6. When your kids push back

Your kids will push back, and probably in a way they wouldn’t with a teacher or another adult. As the parent educator, you’re wearing two hats: parent and teacher. It can be hard to keep the waters from getting muddied. I might be frustrated by something my child is doing, but I still need to be present, and not frustrated, as their teacher.

Six things that make homeschooling easier

1. A rhythm, not a set schedule

Have a rhythm: this is what we do every day. It takes a little while to figure out, but a rhythm really helps with consistency. (Here’s a kindergarten day, start to finish.)

2. Open-and-go curriculum

It makes things so much easier to sit down at the table at nine o’clock, open your language lesson, and see: oh, this is what we’re doing today. Great. There’s very little prep for the parent. I love open-and-go, and sometimes scripted, curriculum, so I know I’m hitting everything I need to.

3. Keep lessons short

This was hard for me to learn. I wanted to check all the boxes, and I pushed my oldest too far, so the lesson stopped being challenging and became frustrating.

You want the sweet spot: challenging, but not frustrating. You’ll figure it out. When a lesson starts heading from challenging to frustrating, take a break. Go for a walk, get a snack, play with toys. Reset, then come back before you have a frustrated child.

4. Your people

Whether it’s a homeschool co-op or the other parents on the soccer sidelines, have people around you who support you, including other homeschooling parents. It’s so helpful to bounce ideas off each other: did this work for you? This didn’t work for me. What do you think? They can be your support on the hard days.

5. Put your phone in another room

This one’s near and dear to me. Having your phone next to you at the kitchen table is a nudge that’s very hard to resist, and suddenly you have a distracted parent and a child who isn’t being focused on. Homeschool requires your full presence.

I don’t do this perfectly. But I try to keep my phone in another room, so I’m not distracted by new things to pin on Pinterest, fall decor or yummy pumpkin recipes while my third grader wonders why I’m not doing math with him. I make it easier on myself and remove the temptation. (The whole story: the most powerful tool in your homeschool.)

6. Be kind to yourself

Positive self-talk and being kind to yourself will make your homeschool experience so much better. That’s my heart behind everything I share: I want to help parents who are just starting out. I know it can feel hard and overwhelming. Being kind to yourself makes the whole process easier.

So, is homeschooling hard?

Yes and no. There are hard things, just like in any other part of life. And there are really beautiful things, just like in any other part of life.

Want to find out how it feels for your family? My free Starter Week is a real homeschool week, already planned, so you can try it before you decide.