Homework

I think that Homeschoolers are a unique group of people.  We are all striving to teach our children in a way that will not only educate them but also help their character and spirit grow.  A majority of the homeschoolers I know are casting the regimented institutionalized society away. Yes, we want to be good citizens.  Yes we want to be good employees.  The conundrum, (yes I used conundrum) is that what many of us are really striving for is independence.  We don’t want our children lumped in with the normalcy of school; we don’t want to conform to what is expected when it doesn’t mesh with our ideology.

We are teaching our children to be independent thinkers and learners and it is only natural that the next progression is that we become independent adults as well.  The idea of owning a small business is part of this independence.  In the e-book HomeWork: Juggling Home, Work, and School Without Losing Your Balance, different strategies for achieving independence are touched upon.

From the smallest business such as making purses out of your home to party based selling to large business such as printing and running a bed-and-breakfast inn, women share their experiences.  Many women share their businesses; a majority of them are born out of their family’s talents and interests.  Work is no longer work, but a labor of love for many of these families. The general theme is that homeschooling entrepreneurs need to shed away all of their preconceptions about traditional work, traditional schooling and a traditional life and make their business work for them.  They need to embrace their individual situations and adjust to them.  The beauty of owning a small business and homeschooling is the freedom to be flexible.

This book was both informative and inspiring the way that so many families are following God’s will on an unbeaten path.  It was an eye-opener in how families juggle business responsibility, home life and homeschooling with grace and sometimes with humor, but always together, as a family.