During the last six years of homeschooling my best support has been in finding like minded families and building relationships with them. There were years when I was only able to hang out with another mom while my kids were in PE, I also attended a monthly Charlotte Mason meeting.
There were times when I only needed support on the phone with other mom friends and an occasional invitation to my home to look at books and let the kids run in the backyard. Every year has been different. Making sure I have the proper "socialization" is just as important as who I choose for my children to hang out with.
These days during the week I need a few different adults to help balance the full days of children, house management, learning new things before I teach them, etc. We have a few families we have dinner with about once a month. At other times we set a weekday for the children (and our teens) to get together and hang out, explore and play while the mothers share about everything that encompases our lifestyle. There is a pleasant accountability as we help each other to figure out meal plans, chore charts, health issues, etc. I also have a few friends I call or mail at the beginning of the month to set some dates for our children to get together so I can have some almost one on one with another adult. There are also two sweet friends I can drop in on last minute to encourage and be encouraged as we share with what we have learned in our recent readings as well as borrow and lend books. It's not always about education often its about spirituality and home organizing. :)
Of course lets not forget our families and friends who do not homeschool. We try to spend as much time with our families as is healthy. heh We also have a good set of friends who although our pasts mirrored our present does not.
As a new homeschooler I would encourage you to seek out other families that you can share with freely. Try to find a comfortable mix of parents who have been homeschooling a few years and other new parents as well.
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