You don't have to do it alone!

The first few years of homeschooling were hard on me... not gonna lie. My oldest was halfway through second grade and I had three kids when we started homeschooling. But a few years later when our family had morphed into 5 kids with 3 in diapers for a while, there were some hard days. With all on my plate, and never a full nights sleep....

I felt like I was drowning sometimes.

But mostly, I felt completely alone. A lot. My husband often traveled for work and worked long hours... and I was the only person I knew doing what I was doing.

Now looking back, I can see more clearly... I would have done so much differently. Hindsight is 20-20 of course... and I was doing the best I could. But if I could transport back in time and whisper in my own ear, one of the things I would tell myself would be:

Spend more time with other moms... if possible, homeschool mamas.

I needed that strength and sisterhood that comes from getting to know each other on a deep level... loving and supporting each other through the ups and downs of it all.

I have that now with several moms.

We joined an amazing commonwealth school when my oldest was 11 or 12, because having friends who are doing the same things are you is really important at that age.

I didn't realize that I needed it just as much as he did.

Women need each other! Throughout most of history, women have been a huge part of each other's daily lives.

They would prepare food together, go get water together, help birth each other's babies, and on and on. I remember listening to my grandma tell me about canning food with all the women in their families... they worked together for days getting all the food prepared and preserved every year. They also quilted together, spending hours visiting and working together. Some of my earliest memories are visiting my great-grandmother's home... and playing underneath the quilts she usually had set up for the women to work on. They were made for weddings and other special occasions.

Women need women. We're meant to be there to love, support, cry with, laugh with, and help each other.

There are a lot of homeschool groups out there. Find one. See if it feels like the right one for you! You may end up making some life-long friends!

You can do it, mama!

~Angie