Month: May 2025

Dear Earnest Mom: A Letter to the Me Who Just Started Homeschooling.

Dear Earnest Mom: A Letter to the Me Who Just Started Homeschooling.

by earnestmomblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Dear Earnest Mom,

Five years ago, you were tired and overthinking. You’ve doubted all of your abilities. You were definitely holding a cup of coffee that went cold hours ago. You said “yes” to something both exciting and terrifying: homeschooling.

I see you. You are second guessing EVERYTHING. You are listening to those around you tell you things you actually believe. “Children need socialization.” “You can’t, you have a toddler.” “You do not have the space.” “It is expensive.” “I am worried they won’t learn.”

You feel the overwhelming need to have 100 printed worksheets. Little desks should be lined in row. This space definitely needs a chalkboard. You are imagining creating a mini public school in your home. You are planning schedule charts, you have thousands on pins on your newly minted “Home School” Pinterest Board. You need to school for 6-8 hours a day per kid. Plus, you need to do it perfectly.

Let me just stop you. Hold on to both your shoulders. I would look you straight in the eye. Then take a deep breath in; and exhale “mama, you do not have to do any of this.” Breathe in again, and exhale, “you are more capable than you know.”

Here is what I would tell you, if I could sit across from you at the dinner table. The soon to be home school table. If I could, I would pour you a fresh hot cup of coffee. Your amazing children would be playing to and fro. Their couch fort would collapse to the sound of their laughter.

  1. You DO NOT need to recreate school at home. Your children will learn. It may happen slowly, but that real learning often happens curled up on the couch, or reading aloud at the kitchen table. It happens in the kitchen, baking bread and talking fractions. Together you will learn taking walks in the gorge, visiting museums and delivering a kind card to a friend. Learning happens everywhere – do not let the idea of institutional school inspire what you need to do. You know your children, you love your children, you will teach them just the ways they need.
  2. You are allowed to go slow. There is NO “behind” in home school. There is ONLY your pace and your children – exactly where they are at. Some years will feel productive and done in ease. Others will feel like you are playing a game of Jumanji. Both count-remember learning happens everywhere.
  3. You will grow right alongside them. Home school is not just about shaping their minds. It is also shaping your heart. As you walk, the Lord as your lead, you will learn to let go and let God. You will learn to see where you lack, He gives the increase. You will gain the opportunity to know them deeply. This journey will be sacred, though not always smooth. You will learn with patience, humility, and the blessing of slowing down. You will mess up, but grace – sweet grace will meet you there every time.
  4. It’s okay to change things up. Best laid plans, and all that. That color coded calendar, printed out curriculum – it all could change by November. That routine that you planned so well, it could crumble with a stomach bug. You are not failing – you are using your wisdom. You will pivot things in prayer, trust your instincts, and learn to do what works for YOUR family.
  5. You do not have to do this alone. Find your people mama. Your community will carry you. It could be your bestie who has decided to home school too. It could be an encouraging mom from your local MomCo group. Perhaps it’s your sister who picks up every time you call. You were never meant to carry this by yourself, you were called for more.
  6. Fruit takes time mama, be patient. There will be days, SO MANY DAYS when it feels like nothing is sticking. You will wondering if anything that you do matters. You’ll worry they are not learning anything. Then, one day, you’ll hear them explain something you taught them, or a prayer you prayed with them. You will receive compliments of how mature they are. They carry conversations with adults easily. Their respectfulness shows in their top-notch manners! Then, right then, you will see it. The fruit. Lovely. Quiet. Steady. Beautiful.

So, breathe deep mama. You don’t need to have it all worked out today. God’s mercies will be new again tomorrow morning. There will be coffee and the read-alouds. The mess and the wonder will be there too.

You’ve got this — not because you’re perfect, but because you’re called. One Earnest MOMent at a time.

With love and grace, Earnest Mom. (Just a touch greyer, a bit softer, and still in awe of this wild, holy home school life).

Navigating Parenting in a Digital Age: Earnest Action

Navigating Parenting in a Digital Age: Earnest Action

by earnestmomblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This is the third article in the Navigating Parenting in a Digital Age. For reference, you can find the first one here, and the second here.

We have shared how we decided on cell phone use. We discussed our concerns about social media and mobile phones with children. We also talked about the Common Sense Media’s Summit on Kids and Family. Now, we are sharing what our next steps are. The action we are taking to hopefully see change.

In our home, where we safeguard, password, and pay for apps and these apps are meant to protect our children. Despite this, we still could not protect them. Recently, while watching Amazon Kids+ where we have it locked down, there was a glitch. A glitch that allowed them to click suggestions on what to watch next. We have our viewing ratings set to 7 and under, and a frightening adult show became accessible to them. Within seconds, I had scared children and Amazon on the phone trying to resolve this issue. Weeks later and we are still struggling with nightmares.

After attending the Common Sense Summit on Families and Children, we saw more staggering facts. They released The 2025 Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight, read their findings below.

Key findings from the report include:

  • By age 2, four in 10 children have their own tablet (40%).
  • By age 4, more than half (58%) of children have their own tablet.
  • By age 8, one in four children have their own cellphone.
  • Overall, 51% of children age 8 and younger have their own mobile device (tablet or cellphone).
  • About one in five children use mobile devices for emotional regulation, mealtimes, or to fall asleep.
  • Parent supervision varies significantly by platform, with 62% of parents watching YouTube occasionally alongside their children, but only 17% co-viewing TikTok content.
  • AI is making inroads into early childhood, with nearly one-third of parents reporting their child has used AI for school-related learning.
  • Children from lower-income households are spending nearly twice as much time with screens compared to those from higher-income households (3:48 vs. 1:52 minutes daily).

The research also highlights a concerning supervision gap in how parents monitor different platforms, and how their concerns about screen media affect viewing habits. Fewer parents are co-watching short-form video content, despite its rapid-fire and algorithm-driven nature. And while three-quarters of parents express concerns about screen media, including excessive use and effects on mental health, many also recognize potential benefits, with 75% excited about their children learning new things through digital media.

“Our youngest children are on the front lines of an unprecedented digital transformation,” said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. “From AI to immersive gaming, they’re experiencing technologies that didn’t exist even a few years ago. It’s a lot to manage as a new parent, which is why we’re focused on giving families and educators the tools they need to harness the benefits of innovation while building healthy digital habits from the start.”

“Parents are sharing their concerns about the rapidly changing media landscape and how it affects their young children’s development,” said Jill Murphy, chief content officer with Common Sense Media. “While technology keeps evolving, what children need hasn’t changed. Parents can take practical steps: be actively involved in what your little ones are watching, choose content you can enjoy together, and connect screen time to real-world experiences, like acting out stories or discussing characters’ feelings. Set clear boundaries around device use, establish tech-free times for meals and bedtime, and remember that media should be just one of many tools for nurturing your child’s natural curiosity.”

Quoted from: Common Sense Census Press Release

Today, one only has to turn on the news to hear devastating stories of predatory behavior, bullying, and self harm. There are also stories of early pornography exposure and worse. All these events are happening to children, online. This is why we decided to write our lawmakers. They are in a position not only to make laws protecting and defending children online. They can also require more regulation from the companies. These companies are creating this tech and information. They are allowing it to be available, willy-nilly and our children are at risk.

As parents, we can do everything we can to keep up with the changing tech. We can have all the blocks, protections and apps to help us – and sadly it is still not enough.

My teen and I sat down and started writing. We wrote the president, vice president, our state governor and senators, our mayor and state representatives. We asked them, what they are doing to help protect children and teens online and on phones. Telling them, we need more protections and we need them now.

We earnestly urge you to do the same. Our leadership needs to hear from families who are concerned. They need to hear from those who have been affected. Tech is not slowing, and our most vulnerable are the most at risk.

You can find your State Legislators here. You can write letters and mail them (that is what we did) or some have their emails listed as well. Write your leadership and law makers today! Here is a template you can copy and paste to use a parent. Here is a template you can use for your child/children to write too.

Remember, we are in this together, and together we can make change – one EARNEST MOMent at a time.

Love, Earnest Mom

Grace over Chaos: Earnestly Homeschooling Multiple Ages.

Grace over Chaos: Earnestly Homeschooling Multiple Ages.

by earnestmomblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

In my wee early home school days, I was overwhelmed. The idea of having to break my day up between three children was daunting. Their age levels and individual curriculum made it even harder. I didn’t want to feel exhausted. I thought to schedule each separately. I wanted to leave lots of time for independent work. However, I learned quickly that independent work was not reasonable for a then 9, 5 and 2 year old. It’s worth noting the 2 year old was not being schooled. Then I found Gather ‘Round.

This is not a sponsored review just a recommendation from one home school family to another. Gather ‘Round has saved my sanity. This is curriculum is a Charlotte Mason approach that is rich in literature and hands on activities. What I love most is that there is one lesson, yes, ONE LESSON for all children. Keep in mind that a parent reads the lesson. This takes about 20-30 minutes if you use resources. Then each child has their own developmentally appropriate workbook. With a high-schooler, upper elementary and early reader, their time spent on each lesson in their workbook varies.

Our home school day starts in the afternoon. I let my children sleep and get all of the rest their growing brains need. This means wake up times are staggered. It looks like 8 am for our 7-year-old, 9 am for our 10-year-old, and sometimes 9:30/10 am. We get chores and breakfast done before noon. Then lunch followed by lessons from 1-3:30. I love having slow, easy mornings. This is especially true in the summer when the best time to be outside is before 11 am!

Starting at 1 pm we have a read aloud, a chapter book that goes along with our unit that month. We choose all of our units at the start of the school year. This way, each kiddo gets a say in what we learn. I find if they choose they stay interested longer. After the read aloud, we jump right into the lesson. Then workbook time, while the younger two finish up earlier than my high school kiddo, they get math in. Once my oldest is done his workbook, he moves into independent math work. The rest of the day is ours to spend in any way we would like! Some days we get it all done perfectly, other days we finish early due to life demands. What I love most about home school is we get to make it work for our family and our needs.

When we first started I thought I had replicate what institutional school looked like, at home. I learned after year 2 that it does not have to be that way. If I am being honest, I felt more pressure from others to make home school look like the institution. The freedom we found when we realized it does not have to be that way was liberating. We get to go at our pace, in our time, with our interests. I had to stop letting people influence us. These people are not teaching our children. They are not raising our children. We did it. We started our own path. Of course, following all of our state home school laws in the process.

The sanity saving for me was letting go of the performance mindset. Performing how education, socialized, etc, that my children were for others to see. Stop performing institution school at home, and allowing my children to bloom into the people God made them to be. Giving us the freedom to go at our pace, never behind, just always right where we should be. This grace is something I have to remind myself of daily. For my children, I found it is necessary to offer grace and lots and lots of snacks!

Every home school is just as diverse as the families are every where. This is simply what works for us!