I’ve been advocating for the choice to homeschool for many years now. As I watch a new generation of parents and children, I feel the need to beat the drum a bit louder. Perhaps you’ve heard this message from me before, or maybe this is the first time - You can homeschool!
There’s a moment in many homeschooling families that feels almost like stepping through a hidden door. You walk away from the familiar structure of traditional schooling, gather your children close, and choose something different. At first it feels risky—uncomfortable even. But then something remarkable happens: you begin to see differently. And then you feel …. FREEDOM.
When you step out of one system, you start asking questions about every system. You start noticing where you once handed over decisions simply because “that’s how it’s done.” You notice how much of childhood—of family life, of learning, of identity—gets shaped by institutions that were never designed with your particular children in mind.
And then you realize something both liberating and sobering:
You always have a choice.
That may be the most important shift of all.
Stepping Away From the Default
Traditional school is the default for most people. It’s what they experienced, what their neighbors are doing, what society quietly assumes. But familiarity doesn’t equal rightness. A thing can be common without being best.
When we decided to homeschool, we didn’t just opt out of school—we opted into a more intentional approach. We opted into asking better questions. We opted into reclaiming the responsibility that always belonged to us.
Once you step away, you see clearly. You notice how reflexively we hand our children over to systems because it feels normal. And yet, if you pause and think carefully…
We wouldn’t give a stranger our credit card.
We wouldn’t hand over our house keys to them.
We wouldn’t entrust them with our most valuable possessions.
So why were we so comfortable handing them what is infinitely more precious—our children—because that was simply “what people do”?
It’s a jolting question, but an important one.
The Courage to Question
Questioning is not rebellion for rebellion’s sake. It’s discernment. It’s stewardship. It’s an act of love.
Homeschooling teaches you to trust your own instincts again. To trust that you know your child better than any expert, institution, or standardized blueprint ever could.
Choosing a different path doesn’t mean scorning those who choose otherwise. It simply means refusing to outsource the heart of your family life to systems that weren’t built to honor the uniqueness of your children.
As parents, we are called to weigh things carefully.
We are allowed to say:
“This doesn’t fit my child.”
“This environment doesn’t nurture curiosity.”
“This schedule doesn’t honor the pace of our family.”
“This system doesn’t align with our values.”
And we’re allowed to choose differently.
This pertains to school, sports, other extra-curriculars — you name it, you have the permission to CHOOSE DIFFERENTLY.
A Grace-Filled Boldness
Homeschooling has not made our family perfect. Not even close. But it has made us awake. More discerning. More willing to take responsibility for the shaping of our children’s minds, hearts, and days.
It has made our family closer, our children confident communicators, and our appreciation of INDEPENDENCE deeper.
If you’re a parent standing on the edge of this decision—hesitant, curious, maybe a little scared—here’s what I want you to hear:
You are capable.
You are allowed.
You have choices.
You don’t need to justify your instincts. You don’t need to apologize for protecting childhood. You don’t need permission to honor what you know to be true for your family.
And you don’t need to hand your children to a system simply because it’s the culturally expected thing to do.
Choosing homeschool is an act of ownership, courage, and profound love. It’s a decision that ripples into every part of life and reshapes how you see the world.
Once you question one system, you learn to question them all—and in that questioning, you reclaim something precious: your authority, your voice, and the deep, quiet knowledge that your children belong with you.
That shift is worth everything. (Ask me how I know!)
