[HSC007] Should I end the homeschool year early?

It’s the end of the homeschool year, and everything feels heavier than it should.

You’re technically almost done.
But emotionally? You might feel like you’re in the middle of a mess.

The rhythm’s off.
Your kid is dragging.
You’re tired.

And you’re standing in the kitchen wondering, “Should we just call it a year and be done?”

That question is more common than you think. Especially in the earlier years of homeschooling. But even later on, the last few weeks could stir up a lot of doubt.

Let’s talk about it.

The urge to quit isn’t always about the plan

When I was homeschooling, there were plenty of times I told myself the curriculum just didn’t work. Or the routine broke down.
But what was often true, though harder to admit, was this:

Homeschool got hard. And I started looking for an exit.

In those moments, I’d go straight into fixing mode.
New planner. New program. New system.

But here’s what I eventually learned.
The hard parts were where the most important growth happened.

Not just for my kids. For me too.

How to know if it’s just hard or actually too much

There’s a difference between something being hard and something being out of reach.
Your child might be tired. Or overwhelmed. Or maybe they’re bumping into a skill gap that makes the work feel impossible.

The way through starts with this question:
Is this hard? Or is this not developmentally appropriate right now?

If it’s just hard, that’s okay. That’s part of learning.

If it’s too much, you can scale back. That’s not the same as walking away altogether.

What my kids learned when I didn’t jump ship

If you’ve ever started something and stopped halfway through, you know how that story ends.
You begin again later, but the same resistance shows up.

And if we let our kids bail every time it gets hard, we’re not teaching them how to finish.
We’re teaching them how to avoid.

That’s not the habit I wanted to build.

Because finishing something hard on purpose is what builds confidence.
Even if it’s just one subject. One page. One small moment where they push through.

That’s what they carried with them.

Now what?

If you’re in that end-of-year fog, here’s your next step.
Pick one thing that’s worth finishing.
Let your child experience the win of completing it.
Let the rest go if you need to.

And if you’re looking for a better rhythm next year, join the 12-Week Homeschool Challenge.
It’s the framework I used during those years to plan in a way that left room for real life, real kids, and real growth.

Start here: tweentalk.co/12-week-homeschool-challenge

You don’t need to overhaul everything.
You just need to finish something that matters.

And if you’re still in it—I’m cheering you on.

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