Hey you,

I wanted to write you a little note,from one parent to another, if you have found yourself wondering lately if school just isn't the best fit for your kid - and you've found yourself googling 'should I home educate instead?'. 

You may well have a young person in your life who is not doing so great at school. You said you would give it one last try, maybe a new teacher would help, maybe you are so close to getting that EHCP, maybe it will just magically resolve when they make a new friend....

I wanted to make sure you understood something, because I think you are probably being told the opposite a little too often by the school, maybe your friends, maybe the voice comes from within saying....

That you are coddling them.

That you aren't helping them to build resilience if you let them stop going to school.

That you are to blame.

That you are failing them if you 'give in'.

That they will lose all their friends.

That you won't be able to cope.

That you aren't getting along and having them home all the time is seriously daunting.

That you won't be able to afford it.

That it's a last resort.

I want you, so desperately, to understand that where some of this is just simply untrue, the rest has solutions - fixes - support and guidance, great communities, people who genuinely care and want this transition to go well for you. That home education is of EQUAL LEGAL status to school, it is not a back up or last resort, it can be a fantastic opportunity for your family to realise they have choices. 

Sure, it is different and that might boggle your brain badly right now, but like every other hard thing you have tackled before - you have figured it out and I have faith in you that you are capable of doing that. 

By choosing to listen to your child, to support their individual needs you will feel a freedom you haven't known yourself. The ability to allow their education to be about THEM and their future, not exam statistics or fitting in or toughening up. Where you allow them to grow skills in handling their emotions in a place of safety, as opposed to one maybe filled with anxiety or fear, they can learn resilience in a positive way. Where their socialisation is something filled with joy and connection, not force association and conforming. 

Chances are, your inner child has something to say after reading that. 

I am not judging you, or your need to keep your child in school if that is what is right for them or maybe necessary for you, I want to stress that, you can do a lot of this work around their time in school and you likely have been for a long time, but if you have been circling the concept of home ed for a while and are seriously considering it then I want you to have found this because I want you to know that you can. 

You are allowed.

You aren't failing them and nor will you get into trouble with anyone.

You are about to feel the most empowered and capable you have ever felt.

You are about to start really questioning our societal standards and stop measuring your little family against them so harshly.

You are about to feel a little more human again, more you, more authentic and graceful with your own needs and emotions.

You are about to help your child realise that learning is life and life is learning and that ultimately we have so much we can possibly do with our existence. 

You are about to find inspiration in the darndest things - maybe stuff you have walked right on by every single day of your life without a second thought.

Sure, you are going to have tough days, weeks, months - like anyone else, you are going to have life happen to you and it isn't always going to be perfect. But let's face it, you have an authority here - the authority to command your existence in a way you have never imagined embracing. No more 'it just is what is is...' - let's try 'why is it this way and do I agree with it? Can I do it differently?' instead. 

If you read to here you now need to do something else and book a free call with me or let's just chat on Whatsapp,  I want to hold your hand as you make this decision - I want to see you enter into home ed feeling calm and grounded and ready. I want to help you to understand why you feel how you feel about certain things, how we can start to think differently and how we can embrace this way of life. 

I am a coach and mentor for parents just like you, who want more - more joy, more patience, more enthusiasm, less anxiety, stress or fear around education. Who want their kids thriving and striving on their own steam. Who want to live their best life right alongside their kids and not sit on the side lines of yet another rugby pitch wondering when you will ever have a hobby or career again. I am a whole family kind of gal, everybody matters and you all deserve to live the life you dream of.