Homeschooling When A Parent Has The Special Need

What if mom or dad are the special need in your home. Should that be considered into your homeschooling schedule or planning? Yes!

Each person is a vital part of your family and is an extension your homeschooling. If mom, as the teaching parent, can not stand in the early morning due to arthritis then PE first thing in the morning would be painful, frustrating and cancelled more often than not.

Some things can be less obvious. Dad has chronic fatigue and cannot summon enough energy to help you take the kids to a field trip. This curtails the ability to go on many field trips especially if you have a large family.

Our homeschooling motto is to provide a learning environment rich in resources, guidance and opportunity. This can look different on days when mom struggles with health issues or neurodivergency.

5 Ways To Homeschool When Mom Has A Special Need

1. Consider always God’s design for your family.

Show mercy if you see that mom needs your help, don’t make her ask.  The world is already trying to make her feel guilty for not being a supermom.

Be the person she can follow and trust to get the children through any storm. By supporting your family structure through the roughest of storms, you are teaching your children valuable skills of perseverance and loyalty. More importantly, you show them that you’re a team.

2. Allow yourself to be sick.

Many times we are coughing and have a fever just as bad as the kids but we say “no, I’m fine it’s the kids I am worried about.”  With a chronic illness or a severe acute issue, you need to heal and/or rest. There is no harm in letting your children see this and act accordingly.

3. Enlist help.

At the very least have an emergency back up person in case of an acutely ill day. Keep that person on standby to come scoop up the children for an afternoon so you can rest.

Ask someone to bring a meal if you know you won’t be able to make dinner. You know you will feel better if the basics like food are covered.

4. Think carefully about your schedule. 

Know what your state requires for homeschooling. Aim for the bare minimum on heavily medicated weeks.

Adjusting your schedule to a more evening centered time may help. We homeschooled from 3PM to midnight many years so Dad was available to help feed the kids and what not before he went to work.

We also school year round so that if I or one of the kids gets very ill we have a cushion. Usually the schedule equals out to 6 weeks on 1 week off, with a large break in June and December.

5. Allow your homeschool flexibility.

If you are normally a traditional homeschooler, when you are ill, consider more a living book approach. You and your children take turns reading quality material. Learning happens everywhere even while watching documentaries.

These are just a few ideas to help your homeschooling thrive through a parent’s illness. Have patience with your self as well as the children. Allow the children to learn to caregive and tend to you. They love you and this is how they can show it.