Types of Homeschool Moms
After six years of homeschooling I have met a large variety of homeschool moms. In fact, at every homeschool get together I generally see the same general types of homeschool moms. I thought it would be fun to look at the different types of homeschool moms. I know there are more than this and some people are a combination. Which one are you? Leave me a comment and let me know.
10 Types of Homeschool Moms
Because I have received a lot of emails/comments I wanted to address something. This post is not meant to bash anyone. We are all different and that is completely beautiful. I know that I am a combination of some of these moms myself and have been different ones based on the season of life I was in.
The Crunchy Mom
We have all met the crunchy mom at least once. Whether she is changing a cloth diaper, eating an organic apple, or warning us about the dangers of food dye in our snacks we know who she is. The crunchy mom will also probably be the one to warn you about everything you put in your mouth, on your skin, or plant in your yard. Don’t be discouraged by her. She might have some great DIY cleaners or be able to help you feed your kid something other than fruit snacks.
The Helicopter Mom
She is everywhere people! She never gets a chance to breathe. If she takes a minute to talk to you be ready for her eyes to be darting everywhere keeping a constant eye on her children. Chances are she will get up and leave your conversation at some point to make sure her child has not been exposed to dirt, anything that could hurt them, or been within 100 feet of a stranger. She may even have her kid on a leash. Don’t discount her right away though. She probably doesn’t even realize she is the helicopter mom. Instead, walk with her to check on her little one for the tenth time. She will probably appreciate the conversation.
The Over-Dramatic Mom
If you have met her, you will know it. Did your kid say something that could be misinterpreted as rude? Don’t worry, she will let you know. She will also make sure that anyone else who will listen will know that your child has messed up. She is probably the mom who is unable to relax because she is concerned about potential offenses her child may endure. It can be easy to give up on this mom and just move past her. Don’t. She needs friends. Treat her with kindness. I won’t tell her if you don’t that your kids have been warned to stay away from hers to avoid getting in trouble.
The Faith Mom
It’s time for bible study. It doesn’t matter if you are in the middle of a Science experiment. You are going to know who she believes in and why. Everything is a transition into a conversation about the Lord. Now, there can be two different faith moms. There is the faith mom who believes she is far superior because of her faith or there is the mom that just genuinely loves the Lord and wants to help you grow. I suggest hanging out with the second one. While it could get overwhelming she probably genuinely cares and means well.
The Know it All Mom
Does your kid have dyslexia? This mom knows exactly what you need to do. Are you having a hard time teaching your kid to read? She knows. Did your car make a funny sound on the way to co-op? She knows why. Wisdom is always helpful but she knows everything. Don’t discount her though. Some of the things she says may be very helpful to you. If you are patient enough for some well meaning advice you may find the answer to a problem you have.
The Wealthy Mom
She isn’t struggling financially. She can buy any curriculum or resource her child could possibly need. She will also probably organize the expensive field trips and get togethers. This mom can be hard to deal with if you are struggling financially. Some of these moms will understand, but there are many who don’t understand the financial struggle. If you are struggling and can’t handle it, find one of the other moms to hang with. I am sure the Faith Mom will encourage you with how God will get you through this season.
The Depressed Mom
She may not realize she is depressed but life is hard for her. Everything is falling apart and you are going to hear about it. She will probably cry at least once. Be compassionate. It can be very trying when you feel like you are alone and going through a hard time. Encourage her. If you don’t know how, ask the know it all or the crunchy mom. Maybe they will help her out. Even if you don’t know how to help, be a smile in her day. It could make all the difference to her.
The Laid Back Mom
Her kids are probably up a tree. Maybe they are hanging upside down from the top of the playground.. She isn’t worried. She has been a mom long enough to know that they will be fine and if not, it’s fixable. This mom isn’t stressing the dirt on the clothes, the weird guy on the playground, or the fact that her kid just fell. She is calm and collected. If you are the helicopter mom, spend some time with her. If it doesn’t stress you out, it could relax you to know things will be ok.
The Pinerest Mom
Here she comes. She has probably read every post on Pinterest and has boards packed with crafty ideas and educational tricks. In fact, she will probably bring some of that flare to the group. Whether it’s a fully themed get together, a craft for all the kids, or a snack inspired by their latest book, she is bringing the Pinterest boards to life. Don’t get annoyed or intimidated by her. Put her in charge of organizing the next event. She will probably put together something beautiful.
Quote from the comments from Niki,
“I am the Know it all mom and the Pinterest mom- I just can’t help myself! lol Which is also probably why I tend to float towards overwhelmed mom! I love putting together activities and we both love learning. This was a fun article =) Just know from this type of mom- if we offer ideas on activities or ideas on how to overcome a struggle you or your kid are facing, it is how we show we care (or at least that is why I do it). I am awkward around others but if I can help you or your kiddo with something I am all in to help! lol Please forgive us if we come across as too much.”
The Overwhelmed Mom
She climbs out of the van using the last of her energy and plops into her chair. She is lucky to have made it out the door today. If you were to look at her schedule it would make you cringe. She has booked every moment of every day until her kids graduate. Don’t discount her though. She probably just needs five minutes where she isn’t expected to do anything for anyone. If you give her a few minutes to catch her breath she will probably be a great person to know.
The Working Mom
Not only is she homeschooling, but she is also working. She could be working night shift and homeschooling during the day. She might work in an office and homeschool in the evenings. Not only is she keeping up with curriculum, learning curves, and more, she’s also keeping up with a job, coworkers, and feeling like she can’t balance it all most days. This mom might struggle to make it to events or have extra time. Don’t count her out though. She needs you. She needs you to encourage her, tell her she isn’t failing, and maybe take her kids to an event with you.
Oh I love this so much!
This is fun! I think I move between Laid-Back Mom, Overwhelmed Mom all enabled by also being a Pinterest Mom! Made me smile!
Sounds like we could hang out. Maybe hire another Pinterest mom to remind you how to organize your time to be less overwhelmed. I know, we can ask the know it all. She will have the answers. 😉
Not sure why this is a homeschool mom thing?
I am sure it could be moms elsewhere but I see it very strongly with homeschool moms. Do you see this in non-homeschool settings as well?
Lol, I believe I’m actually several of these in one! I’m more laid back with a touch of crunchy and a splash of pinterest! ?
Thanks for making me feel better about being a healthy combination of many of these. Though I will say I am more crunchy than some and less crunchy than others. (I will always buy my toilet paper.)
I am a homeschool dad and I share schooling duties with my wife. We’ve been homeschooling for a couple of months. There is a large homeschooling community where we live and I kind of want to participate but there’s a huge pushback from my wife – even though generally she’s much more social than me. She can’t quite articulate why she doesn’t want to associate with other homeschooling moms but I suspect there’s a huge “judging” factor — moms tend to judge and label each other a lot.
I would agree that there can be judgmental moms. I hope that that will not cause your family to miss out on the blessings of getting to know other homeschool families. You may meet a few that make you frustrated beyond belief but there are also some excellent homeschool families out there that will help you to be a stronger homeschool family. Please invite her to contact me. I would love to talk through it with her and see if I can be an encouragement in any way.
Fun list! lol! I’m both the crunchy mom and the overwhelmed mom. 🙂
Working Mom! Someone who balancing both school and work. Also, Homeschool Dads, who have a hard time fitting in. Finally, Back to School Mom, who is also in school. My point is there is NO one size fits all, and as in life you must accept people as they are. You haven’t been homeschooling long enough to only have these, give it time! I have been homeschooling 13 years, with two more left. There is no category for me as I am in grad school and work full time!
I didn’t fit every type of homeschool mom I have encountered but I can assure you I know there are others. I know all about working moms. I have many great friends who work full time and homeschool. I work part time and homeschool. I didn’t think to include homeschool dads because it is a post about homeschool moms and I rarely encounter homeschool dads in my area.
Fun article w/a lot o’truth! 🙂 *Especially enjoyed your friendly advice woven-throughout!~ 😉 🙂 | We are currently in our eighth year of home-education, and I though I meet criteria in three or four of your categories– I am, more, a “walks-alone”-mom… in part, because I am an introvert who bucks the system {little game-playing or mask-wearing…} and in part b/c we did not join the CC trend in our hs communities/areas. Still, love the real friendships with the few fellow home-educators we’ve gotten to know through the years. ~Most of our friends do not homeschool, that has probably added to the mix, as well.
Love it! I Probably fall in the laid back mom category, with a bit of the others.
Lol! Love this! I didn’t know there were so many kinds of homeschool moms. I’d like to think of myself as the laid back mom. With 5 kids I have to be or go crazy though I do occasionally;)
You would laugh if you saw the moms I left off the list. 😉
Love this. I’m definitely the Laid Back Mom, but have been several of the others in the past (yay for getting older). We Unschool. Radically.
Haha! This is fun! Maybe it’s because I’m laid back mom- but I don’t like to look too deeply into stuff. This is very true.
I’m a mix of crunchy mom and laid back mom. I do cloth diaper and I really try not to bore people about what they put into their mouths because I wouldn’t want people to bother me.
My hubby is helicopter and it makes me crazy.
Im the overwhelmed mum ?
I love this lol… What’s crazy is that I could fall into just about every category at times lol..
I think that’s the beauty in it. We all have attributes of some though we generally favor 3 or 4 more often.
Oh my lanta this made me laugh WAY to hard. I’m some sort of funky hybrid between Laid Back Mom and Pinterest Mom. I have a 6.5 year old and an almost 2 year old…. I started out as helicopter mom, now the almost 2 year old eats dirt and the 6 year old is ALWAYS up some sort of tree or holding some sort of bug. LOL
Ok maybe I’m just not in the mood for this right now, but I actually found this too extreme and borderline rude. I know it was supposed to be funny and I’m glad everyone else seems to be more light hearted than me. I felt like I could relate to the laid back and the overwhelmed mom, but I would notice a weird guy on the playground, I’m not negligent! Also, I just felt bad for these moms, it seemed like they were being made fun of. I did like how you said to not give up on them for this and that reason. I think I mostly felt sorry for the overwhelmed mom because I’ve so been there and it’s not always self inflicted like the full calendar suggests. Sometimes it’s just life and all she needs is support to get her through it, not people labeling her and using that as an excuse to not offer help. Does that make sense?
I would never intentionally make fun of anyone. Instead, it was meant to be a light hearted look at the stereotypical moms you see. Honestly, most of us are a combination of these or are one of them at each stage of life. I have been the overwhelmed mom more than I would like to admit so I completely feel her pain and would never purposefully harm her. I completely understand where you are coming from though. I am sorry it offended you and I hope that you can still find something of value here to encourage you and bring a smile to your face.
I am the Know it all mom and the Pinterest mom- I just can’t help myself! lol Which is also probably why I tend to float towards overwhelmed mom! I love putting together activities and we both love learning. This was a fun article =) Just know from this type of mom- if we offer ideas on activities or ideas on how to overcome a struggle you or your kid are facing, it is how we show we care (or at least that is why I do it). I am awkward around others but if I can help you or your kiddo with something I am all in to help! lol Please forgive us if we come across as too much =)
I am the laid-back mother. It’s OK, they’re OK, we’re OK. My joy is watching them be happy.
I enjoyed reading this story. I know mom is like all of these. I have learned and gained a lot of respect from everyone’s values. I am the mom that was sit back and listen. I am the mom that will see you sitting off by yourself go introduce myself to you and bring you over into our group. I am the mom who will make events because you’re too shy to make them. I am the mom who just loves being a simple mom.