Can a Biz Chick HomeSchool?

A few weeks ago, a business friend of mine decided that she would give homeschooling a shot IN ADDITION to her home-based business of web designing and graphics illustration. Seems that little Johnny is having some trouble in school and needs more “focused attention” so my friend decided she’s the only one who can do that. Really? Anyway, she asked me what I thought about it, and you know me…

I tried homeschooling ONCE about seven years ago when my then oldest child was in preschool and my husband got this **bright** idea that it would be neat to have homeschooled children. He had seen a spelling bee on television that weekend and “had given it a lot of thought” and decided that the Wright children, in fact, would be a homeschooled bunch, by golly. Yeah, right.

Well, the first week was uneventful with the usually mild-mannered toddler whining that she wanted to play with her friends and go outside. I explained to her that her daddy had decided that she did not need any friends because she would have a Harvard education. And, going outside was only a necessity to be enjoyed by who suffered through *gasp* public school all day long and needed to run and skip in order to break free of the mind control mechanisms that institutionalized education had thrust upon them. With a dazed look in her eyes, my daughter decided that I had in fact thrust some sort of mind control on her and she didn’t know or care about what the heck I had said. She wanted to go outside.

After a brief period of telling my toddler that she had to learn her ABC’s and that she could count if she only tried, she and I just could not take it any longer. On day number six, I immediately went back up to the pre-school and beeeggggggeeeedd them to take her back into the program. No luck. They had just filled the position about two days before with a family that had homeschooled, but decided that it wasn’t for them. They wanted mind-numbing public school education. Good for them.

During the time that I was a home-schooling work-at-home-mom of a four year old and a six month old, I did not get any significant work done. My life was a daily conondrum of lesson plans, breastfeeding, cleaning, cooking, coercing, convincing and cajoling us towards becoming a happy and well-rounded family!! We were so happy, that I decided I couldn’t contain the happiness any longer. It was too much for me and I had to let it out. I let it out so well, I almost became a single mom, if you get my drift.

So here I am, several prescriptions of Zoloft and cases of Red Bull later, children in institutionalized education, a messy house and me happily consulting and freelancing to my heart’s desire. So, when you ask me if I think homeschooling and women in business go together, all I have to say is can I get a refill on my Zoloft?!