So many times, I’ve heard moms of littles share how overwhelming the thought of homeschooling is: “I could never do that!” Or, for those who’ve dared try, stress themselves out by recreating public school at home — desks, whiteboards, and the pledge of allegiance to top it off. I hear them. Especially with multiple children, that is overwhelming.

I’m grateful for my own experience as a homeschool graduate. Perhaps it’s because growing up we definitely didn’t have an Instagram idealized homeschool life, rigorous academics, or a perfectly organized school room that I’m thus able to appreciate the beauty of homeschooling as a lifestyle. And because of my own mom’s passion to help us love learning, I grew up loving school!

Now, as a new mom of a two month old, I’ve added yet another angle to that perspective. It may sound simple, intuitive, but it has profound implications for the way we approach the educational decisions we all as parents face:

Homeschooling is the natural extension of motherhood.

It’s not something confined to 7:00am to 3:00pm (minus recess of course). Or that you have to extensively prepare for that grand “first day of school” when you suddenly have all your duckling-children in a row.

Rather, what I’ve long observed in other moms, and am now experiencing firsthand, is that teaching happens naturally in the moments of life. It begins with learning to nurse, then slowly (waaay too slowly) discovering that sleep is for nighttime and waketime is for the day! Each step of development has lessons, and with our motherly instincts, we guide our little ones through each new discovery.

Today I’m writing over on the CHEC blog. Read the rest below!