Convincing Your Family That Homeschooling is the Right Decision

Deciding to homeschool isn’t always an easy decision, so it helps to have your family on board with it. But what if that’s not the case? What if your family or even your partner aren’t in favour of you homeschooling?

The last thing you want is your family not agreeing with your decision to homeschool because their support is likely something that you’d really appreciate. And the difficulty isn’t just in their lack of support, it’s in trying to convince them that homeschooling is the right decision for your children. 

If your family or partner are not on board with homeschooling, here are some things that you can do to hopefully change their minds. 

10 Ways to Convince Your Family That Homeschooling is the Right Decision

Talk to them and listen to their concerns

The reason why people doubt anything is because of concerns they already have or the fact that it might be a new concept to them and something they don’t understand. If your family or your partner is doubtful about homeschooling from the outset, there’s a reason (or reasons)  behind it. 

The best way to understand why your family or partner might not be on board with homeschooling is to listen to their concerns. Without feeling the need to fight your corner straight away, simply have a conversation about homeschooling and acknowledge the doubts that your family has. 

It’s important to listen to their point of view, but remember you don’t have to agree with it. After all, sometimes it’s just about understanding each other. 

Debunk the myths about homeschooling

One of the biggest reasons why families or partners struggle to get on board with homeschooling is because of the myths that surround it. As we all know, a myth is something that is believed but not understood. The trick is getting your family to understand that the myths they believe are just common misconceptions. 

Take socialisation, for example. It’s one of the biggest misconceptions about homeschooling because people struggle to see how a homeschooled child can socialise compared to a child in school. Reassure your family and partner that homeschooling is simply misunderstood and give them the hard facts if you need to. 

Educate them on what homeschooling is actually like

As with debunking the myths about homeschooling, it’s also worth educating your family on what homeschooling is actually like. They probably already have a picture in their head and your job is to start from scratch and paint it clearer for them. 

As well as telling your family about what homeschooling is like, why not show them as well? Use other homeschooling families as examples and share videos and blog posts so that your family can see the evidence for themselves. 

Share success stories

A good way of trying to get your family or partner on board with homeschooling is to share people’s success stories. This could be a homeschooling family that you already know with children who are thriving or an example of a celebrity who was homeschooled, like Emma Watson. 

Explain how homeschooling will help your child

You’ve chosen homeschooling for a reason and it’s likely because you know how much it will benefit your child. To help convince your family that it’s the right decision, share what homeschooling will look like for your child. If you already know their learning style, you could describe how your child will learn and the benefits of being able to follow their specific learning style compared to the one-size-fits-all approach of school. 

Share your long-term goals

To let your family know that you’re serious about homeschooling and that it’s not a short-term commitment, share your long-term goals. If they can see your long-term vision, they’re more likely to feel at ease.

Help them to understand how you will manage the commitment

Homeschooling is a big commitment and that might seem daunting to some people—even those who aren’t fully involved. If your family or your partner is worried about how you will manage homeschooling, provide them the reassurance they need. If it helps, have a plan in place that you can show them about how you will manage the long-term commitment of homeschooling. 

Get them involved

Involve your family in the process, whether it’s with the planning or getting hands-on with the homeschooling. If they’re involved, it gives them a sense of control—even if it’s minimal—and that can help ease their doubts.

Explain the benefits of homeschooling 

There are many benefits of homeschooling but not everyone knows about them. If your family and your partner are aware of the benefits—like having more freedom and flexibility—they’re more likely to get on board with the decision to homeschool. 

Compromise if you need to

There’s nothing wrong with a bit of compromise as long as everyone is happy and on the same page. 

If your partner is a bit dubious about homeschooling, you could agree to see how it goes for a period of time so that your partner gets to see what it’s like and the impact that it has on your children. 

Remember to reach an agreement that everyone is happy with, but always do what is in the best interests of your children.