Feeling Overwhelmed Homeschooling?
Here’s Why Asking for Homeschool Help Is a Strength, Not a Weakness
Homeschooling is a rewarding journey, but it can also be demanding and overwhelming for parents. It requires juggling teaching, parenting, and often many other responsibilities. Unexpected challenges, like illness or major life transitions, can add extra pressure. Daily struggles such as balancing work, addressing special needs, or learning as a new homeschooler also contribute. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed at times. When that happens, you might need to seek outside help to support your homeschooling efforts. Help can come in many forms—enrolling in a co-op, using online classes, or accessing public school resources. You may also ask your parents for support or hire outside tutors to teach specific subjects.
It’s not uncommon to feel a little guilty about having to rely on others. After all, this is supposed to be homeschooling. Are you truly homeschooling if you’re outsourcing your child’s education to co-ops and online instructors? We may feel like we are “cheating” at homeschooling by relying on outside help. Or worse yet, we may feel as if we are failing as homeschoolers and begin questioning our decision to pursue home education in the first place. “What good is it homeschooling if I am so reliant on outside tutors and programs?” we might think.
If we let our minds go down this rabbit hole, we may end up in despair about our efforts. Thankfully, recognizing the need for support is not a failure but a strength. Part of being a good homeschooler is knowing when to ask for outside help.
Reasons for Needing Outside Support in Your Homeschool
If there is one thing I have learned from decades of homeschooling, it’s that life is incredibly unpredictable. Even the most experienced homeschoolers occasionally seek outside help. There are many reasons why you might need to help with your homeschooling, including:
- Dealing with a prolonged illness or medical emergency
- Major life events, like the birth of a child or moving across the country
- A spouse’s military deployment that leaves you running the entire house alone
- Tragedies like a natural disaster, death, or divorce
- Stress or burnout
- A special needs child/children who require a lot of time and energy
- Both parents working and having to deal with homeschooling around work schedules
- Needing help with a technical subject you are not sure how to teach (e.g., calculus)
- Just being new to homeschooling and not sure what you’re doing yet
None of these reasons signifies “failure.” One of the greatest lessons we can learn in life is understanding when we can’t do it on our own. It doesn’t always feel good; we often experience a lingering sense of disappointment in ourselves for being unable to carry the entire load. While understandable, such an attitude does not reflect reality. Our need for help is seldom a reflection of our own ability. More often than not, it is a humble recognition that circumstance is beyond our control.
You Don’t Need To Carry It All Alone!
It is important here to recall the teaching of the Church. The Second Vatican Council’s declaration Gravissimum educationis on Christian education assigns a principal role to parents in the education of children. “Since parents have given children their life,” the Church says, “they are bound by the most serious obligation to educate their offspring and therefore must be recognized as the primary and principal educators” (GE, 3). Furthermore, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that parents “are those first responsible for the education of their children” and that “parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children” (CCC 2229, 2223). Parents are the ones with ultimate responsibility over their children’s intellectual and moral formation.
You will notice that the Church does not say parents must do it all alone.
To be “primary and principal educators” does not mean parents are required to carry the entire weight of education on their own shoulders. Instead, it means that parents are experts in their own children’s well-being and that they are uniquely suited to make the call about what their children need. If the parents decide an outside tutor is required, that is an exercise of their role. If they choose to enroll their children in a co-op, that, too, reflects their role as primary educators. Essentially, any well-considered educational decision a parent makes is a means of fulfilling their responsibility as primary educators, because the parent is retaining agency over how their child is educated.
Homeschooling means you call the shots. It never means you have to carry the load by yourself all the time.
Not Inadequacy, But Adaptability
Reaching out for help with homeschooling does not mean you are failing as a parent or home educator; if anything, it reflects strength, wisdom, and dedication to your children’s well-being that you know when to reach out for help.
Life is unpredictable and our plans seldom unfold as smoothly as we wish. Recognizing this is not a sign of inadequacy, but a reality that demands adaptability. Seeking support, whether through community resources, co-ops, or professional guidance, shows a commitment to providing the best educational opportunities for your children. Asking for help is a proactive step toward success, not a mark of defeat.
Remember, being a home educator does not mean you have to “do it all”; it means you call the shots on what is best for your own children. You are the expert in your family, and if you discern you need some outside support, that is a sign of homeschooling done right.
Parent Resources
Wondering where to find a little extra homeschool support? Here are some fantastic resources to get you started:
- Tap into your local community: Co-ops, homeschool groups, parish activities, and other local events can offer support, enrichment, and friendship.
- Join online communities: Connect with other Catholic homeschoolers in places like the Catholic Homeschool Community on Mighty Networks or Facebook groups.
- Explore online classes: Programs like Homeschool Connections offer live and recorded online courses taught by expert instructors.
- Teen accountability mentoring. Help your teen stay on track with guidance and encouragement tailored just for them.
- Personalized homeschool coaching. Get one-on-one support from experienced homeschool mentors who understand your challenges and goals.
- The Homeschool Connections Podcast. Weekly inspiration and practical advice from experienced Catholic homeschoolers and experts.
- Catholic Homeschool Blog: Browse thoughtful articles, how-tos, and encouragement for every stage of the homeschool journey.
What are your thoughts on this topic? You can join me in the Homeschool Connections Facebook Group or in the HSC Community. I’d love to continue this conversation with you there.
