How To Become The Authority Figure | 5 Days of Homeschooling Twins

5 ​Days of Homeschooling Twins – Part of the 5 Days of Homeschooling Blog Hop

​How to Become the Authority Figure – and do you even want to

5 Days of Homeschooling Twins a contribution to the 5 Days of Homeschooling Blog Hop hosted by my friends at the Homeschool Review Crew.

Yesterday I looked at how you can fit into that strong relationship your twins have with each other without destroying their relationship with you and your happy homeschool.

Today let’s look at how you can become the authority figure, and if you even want to go there.

But first, what does it mean to be an authority figure in a homeschooling situation?

To me, it means that I can direct my kids to learn at a pace my husband and I have decided is best – roughly. (we are not rigid – if a child takes longer to learn or if we have to change curriculum or teaching methods, that is fine by us)

Some families believe children should never question their parents but to me this makes no sense. How can you teach any child (homeschooled or public schooled) without allowing them to question you.

I think then I have in the past felt threatened by questions it was only because I was not sure of myself. I certainly wouldn’t have lost anything by exposing to my kids the parts of my education that were weak. That way they could learn how we learn by watching me catch up.

When a mom says, “I can’t teach you math because I don’t know it well so we are getting you a tutor,” then (barring any obvious scenarios like not having time because she works, or cares for many children, or has an illness) that mom is really saying, “I don’t know how to learn.” That means to a child – “I can choose to learn things that come easy and skip the hard stuff, just like Mommy.”

I know it sounds harsh, but I think that is the awful reality that keeps a lot of people from homeschooling. Homeschooling is hard. There are days that are more work than you can possibly anticipate. You are stretched to the ends of your patience, and beyond. But the rest of the days are beautiful and precious and so worth a thousand of the other days.

So if you say to your child, “I really don’t understand Greek very well but I want you to learn it, so let’s figure it out together,” then you are teaching your child a much more valuable lesson than Greek. You are demonstrating humility and trust and teaching them how to learn.

Now, that demonstrates authority – at least the kind I want in my homeschool.

Why? Because you respect your child enough to tell the truth and dig in to learn alongside them and then your child respects you in turn. And respect leads very quickly to authority. Earned authority.

-the right kind of authority

• the kind of authority that lasts
• the kind of authority that helps your homeschooled twins (or singletons) to become those strong, loving, righteous people you want them to be.

Do you struggle with authority and respect in your homeschool? What are some ways you handle it?

Want to read more ideas and tips about homeschooling? Hop on over to the next wonderful blogging homeschool mom and read about a different aspect of homeschooling!