101 Reasons Why I Homeschool: Getting Up Early is No Fun {1}

If given the chance to motivate myself, or if I am forcefully motivated by my small children, I can very easily stumble out of bed, force large amounts of caffeine down my throat and start my day at 5 am. That doesn't really mean that I enjoy it or that I am easy to deal with in the morning. That also doesn't mean all of the children are eager to jump out of bed first thing in the morning. On any give day we are all just as happy to sleep in until 8am, which suits me just fine.

That is one of the reasons why homeschooling works for our family with 5 little Nuts. I don't see any reason why I should drag my growing children out of bed before their body's tell them it is time to get up. That makes for difficult mornings, trouble at school and struggles with homework in the evening. I can see the difference in the way my children behave when they are the ones who decide when to get out of bed. They are more pleasant in the mornings and for the rest of the day. I can see a huge benefit with this for our entire family and the way we interact with each other. Since I started homeschooling my 3 oldest Nuts they get along with each other better. I especially notice a difference in Wing Nut who is a sleepyhead in the morning and slow to get going. He is happy to wake up, grab a book and read for awhile before getting out of bed.

The idea of putting them to bed early is a lost one. When my kids where in public school, and for years before that, bedtime was always at 7:30. The bedtime shuffle started at 7pm and included pj's, brushing teething and hopping into bed for reading. Regardless of an early bedtime, the kids were not ready to get up at 6:30-7:00 in the morning.

Letting the children sleep in is just one of the reasons why Homeschooling works for our family. Just because it is first on my list does not mean it is the most important one. This is what works for our family and starts our days off on the right foot, so I do think it is an important one. If you are thinking of homeschooling your children but are still not sure, think about all the things that are important to you and your family and research your options. What ever you decide will be the best for your family.