Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Parenting brings new challenges to a marriage. Home School Legal Defense Association Chairman and General Counsel Michael Farris tells how couples can keep the stress of homeschooling out of their relationship, today on Home School Heartbeat.

Michael Farris:
With the dramatic shift in role definitions over the past century, new parents are often confused about what role each person should play to keep the family running smoothly. When a couple handles this division of labor well, their marriage tends to be strong.

Homeschooling brings new responsibilities, and may displace routine patterns or roles. Attempting to adapt to these changes can cause a strain on the homeschool marriage relationship.

In a Vanderbilt University study on the impact of homeschooling on families, Glen H. Stamp identifies three areas in which parents struggle with roles:

1. Expectations about what role each spouse will play,
2. Satisfaction with the quality of the job done in a given role, and
3. Negotiation when roles aren't working out.

When a couple decides to homeschool, the whole family needs to chip in to meet the new needs related to homeschooling and the old needs, like those piles of laundry that don't disappear when the school bell rings.

We may have unrealistic expectations of family life during homeschooling. The resulting sense of dissatisfaction, if ignored, can erode family relationships.

Dads, let's get real. If you don't want your wife to become over-stressed, you have got to chip in and help with the dishes or laundry, even though that may not fit with your idea of a traditional role. I'm Mike Farris.