www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
The best fit for our family was my attempt
at teaching piano lessons in the afternoons. I
only worked a couple of hours a day, the pay
was reasonable, and by then the older chil-
dren were able to watch the younger ones for
a little while during the lessons. We had a little
recital in my living room, where my five year
old son wound up hollering out his phone
number in the middle of it, because I had un-
thinkingly taught him the phone number to
the tune of one of the recital pieces.
The biggest downfall I can see for home-
schooling moms trying to make some extra
money occurs when you have an outside
boss. It is difficult enough to manage every-
thing you need to take care of without hav-
ing someone else from outside the family
trying to micromanage you. I realized this
when, much later in my mothering career,
I became a real estate appraiser. Almost ev-
ery morning, my boss called me first thing
in the morning, demanding an hour of my
time on the phone before I was even able
to feed the dogs, do my exercises, or have
breakfast. I often thought, “If I still had little
kids, this would never have worked!”
If you do feel the need for some extra
money, ask yourself, “What skills do I pos-
sess? What would I actually enjoy doing?”
Then try to match that answer with a genu-
ine need that might exist in the community.
For example, if you love to sew, perhaps
you could do some sewing work in the eve-
nings. Nowadays, with the advent of craft-
ing websites it is much easier to find an out-
let for selling such items than back when I
was trying to do it at area craft fairs.
Is there something you know well
enough to teach? Can you tutor students
after school? Are you a born saleswoman?
Don’t be afraid of the legalities. I eventually
learned enough to start several businesses,
as well as two non-profits, without getting
into any trouble. I had to be willing to look
dumb, ask a million questions, and read as
much as I could in order to learn how to
navigate the work-a-day world.
Bottom line: your first responsibility at
this time of your life has to be your children.
Your main role is to be the stable emotional
center of the family. Anything that seriously
upsets your balance and threatens to turn
you into a shrew has to go! Jesus says His
yoke is easy and His burden is light. If you
are trying to take on too much, and your
burden is too heavy, lay it down for now
and wait for the next phase of your life as a
woman. It will be here before you even have
a chance to breathe!
Mary Hood, Ph. D., and her husband, Roy,
homeschooled their five children since the
early 1980s. All have successfully made
the transition to adulthood. Mary has a
Ph.D. in education and is the director of
ARCHERS for the Lord, Inc. (The Association of Relaxed Christian Home
Educators). She is the author of The
Relaxed Home School, The Joyful
Home Schooler, and other books,
and is available for speaking engagements. Contact her via her website,
www.archersforthelord.org.
