The Beautiful Freedom of Homeschooling

The Beautiful Freedom of Homeschooling

One of the most beautiful gifts of homeschooling is freedom—and it shows up in so many life-giving ways.

• Freedom to set your own schedule

• Freedom to choose curriculum—or create your own

• Freedom to decide what your children learn and don’t learn

• Freedom to live where you want (no need to stress about “good school districts”)

• Freedom from comparison and competition

• Freedom from worrying about what’s happening to your kids while they’re away from you

• Freedom to choose their friends and influences

• Freedom from bullying

• Freedom to take field trips whenever you want—for as long as you want

In our home, we embraced that freedom. We were a family of night owls, and we were so thankful we didn’t have to rush out the door early every morning. We could stay up late reading, talking, and enjoying one another. If we had a commitment, we got up and went, but we weren’t ruled by a school bell.

One evening, my husband came home late from work, and instead of missing out, he joined us for Poetry Teatime. He sat down holding our guinea pig, picked a poem to read aloud, and munched on snacks with the rest of us. It was 9 o’clock at night, and it was absolutely perfect. Learning wasn’t limited to certain hours. Life and learning happened together, all the time.

My oldest son, Shawn, once told me at age 15 that he wanted to spend his year studying the Bible. I was surprised—but thrilled. I asked him to also keep up with a bit of math and write about what he was learning. He agreed, and he dove deep. He filled notebooks with Bible study notes, read The Divine Comedy, listened to audiobooks like Sherlock Holmes and G. K. Chesterton, and became a true thinker. Today, he teaches a young adult Bible study at his church and has even preached sermons.

My son Morgan once read King Alfred’s English, followed by The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great. He was captivated and read it twice in one week! That lit a spark in him for Medieval history. Since then, he’s read more classics than I have—The Scarlet Letter, A Tale of Two Cities, the entire Miss Marple series, and Hamlet.

Today, he works at a restaurant where his managers constantly praise his intelligence, creativity, and work ethic. He sees problems and solves them. He’s unafraid to jump in and take initiative. And he carries himself with a confidence that’s rare—because he was never boxed in by judgmental peers or discouraged by teachers who didn’t understand him.

That’s another gift of homeschool freedom: the freedom to fail—without shame. My kids knew it was okay to make mistakes. They were never mocked or compared. So they grew brave. They tried new things. And they discovered what they were truly capable of.

We read so many good books together. We pursued their interests, explored new ideas, and went on adventures. We shared the same friends. They learned life skills I never thought to “teach.” And now that they have homes of their own, I see the fruit of those years—confidence, wisdom, creativity, and courage.

They didn’t spend their days stuck inside doing pages of busywork. They experienced the world, discovered who they are, and learned to love freedom.

And I’m so thankful I gave them that.