Homeschooling is an important decision for a parent to make. Homeschooling can be difficult. Parents should take the time to think about homeschooling to make the best decision for themselves and their child. Consider the following when deciding if homeschooling is right for you.

• Sacrifices – Homeschooling parents must sacrifice their personal time and many things they want to do. By homeschooling your child, you will be with your child all of the time, all day, every day. Make sure that you are comfortable sacrificing your personal time to teach your child at home.
• Time – Homeschooling takes a lot of time. You will have to do more than sit down with your child and a few books for an hour. You must teach your child, including leading him or her through projects, experiments, and more. It will take time to prepare lesson plans, grade papers, plan educational field trips, and so forth. If you cannot put the time into your child’s homeschooling, it will not work for you or your child.
• Socialization – You must make the effort to socialize your child if he or she will not be putting their social skills into practice at regular school. Make time to get your child together with other children and adults. Homeschool enrichment classes are great for giving your child a chance to work on their social skills. However, it is up to you to ensure the socialization of your child. One bonus for many parents is that since you control the social situations, you control your child’s friends. If socialization is a concern, homeschooling may not be the best choice for your child.
• Money – One parent will have to stay home to adequately homeschool a child. This can create a financial strain on a family accustomed to two paychecks. If money is an issue and you still need two incomes, homeschooling might not work for you and your family.
• Unanimous Decision – Both parents should agree to homeschooling. It is a difficult process if both parents do not unanimously support the homeschooling decision. If both parents do not believe homeschooling is best, it probably will not be a good choice for your child.
• Does Your Child Agree – Homeschooling may be difficult if the child does not want to be homeschooled. Your child will learn only if he or she is willing. If your child does not want to be homeschooled, you should probably explore other options.
• Organization – Your household work, shopping, and cooking still needs to get done, so you will have to make a schedule for organization. In addition, you need an organized dedicated school space for homeschooling. If you do not think you can organize your time, homeschooling may not work for you.
• Confidence – Are you confident about your teaching skills? Homeschooling curriculums will help guide you through teaching, but you need to feel comfortable and confident to effectively teach your child.