The 7 Homeschool Co-Op Moms You’ll Meet This Year
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Homeschool moms are an interesting bunch, but homeschool co-op moms are even more interesting!
Are you joining a homeschool co-op this year? Walking into a room filled with dozens of homeschool moms can be more than overwhelming. To help you prepare, I created this handy cheat sheet of the seven homeschool co-op mom’s you’re sure to meet.
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The Natural Mom
If you want to know what causes cancer, just ask this mom.
Seating your kids next to hers during classes may likely increase the life expectancy of your children through some kind of unique airborne probiotics you get merely by being around them. She bakes her own bread, brews her own kombucha, and brings her own essential oil diffuser to co-op each week.
There’s really no more need for your primary care physician anymore now that you’ve joined a homeschool co-op. This mom is like The Medicine Woman.
Have a headache? There’s an oil for that.
Kid misbehaving? You bet this mom knows about a supplement to help – and it will actually work!
The Teacher
She’s a licensed teacher but for whatever reason has decided to leave the school system to homeschool her own kiddos. She’s smart and motivated, and she’s probably going to expect way too much from the kids at a homeschool co-op.
You can bet she’ll sign up to teach a class. Thank goodness!
She’ll wonder why the kids have food out all the time and can’t form a straight line. She will say things like “take one and pass it down” when she hands a stack of papers to the child closest to her and wonder why she’s met with blank stares in return. She’ll assign homework – and expect your kid to do it.
She’s crazy handy to have around and super dependable.
The Ghost
There is no dropping off your kids at a co-op. That goes against the core rule of homeschooling – spend as much time together as a family as you possibly can without killing each other.
Most homeschool co-ops not only require that parents stay on site but also expect them to jump in and make themselves useful. Parents will often teach or assist in classes, but not The Ghost Mom.
She has mastered not coming to co-op at all. And if she does show up, you can’t ever seem to find her. She paces the parking lot on important phone calls and does things like “run to the bank.” She usually manages to escape the responsibility of all co-op duties and will often send her kids with another parent at the last minute.
You secretly want to be her.
The Free-Range Mom
The Free Range Mom is a unique brand of The Natural Mom. She is next-level natural!
Her kids are barefoot. She grows her own vegetables and comes with fresh eggs for sale each week. She’s beyond laid back, and no amount of babywearing will ever make her sweat. You’re not sure how she does it all. Even though her kids don’t know what grade they’re in or how to tie their shoes, they can play the piano like prodigies and live off the land for months if they needed to.
After hanging out with her for a day you want to eat more fruit and relax.
The Veteran
Thank God for the moms that have gone before us! The Veteran gives us all hope that we aren’t wasting our time and our kids really can get to college from the couch.
She’s been homeschooling so long most of her kids have graduated. She isn’t going to go overboard sharing her opinions or advice because she’s tired of talking about homeschooling, but she’s got great answers if you take the time to ask and she’s always willing to answer.
She gives you solid reasons to keep going when you want to quit and tells you like it is.
The Special Needs Mom
If there’s ever a mom group where a special needs mom has a good chance of finding her tribe, it’s a homeschool co-op. There a hundred and one reasons to homeschool, but you can bet that a popular one is parenting a special needs child.
The Special Needs Mom is tired, and she’s usually late, but nobody cares because everyone is just happy that she made it. Her kids may not always be the most well-behaved in the group, but they’re probably not the worst either, and they have hearts of gold.
She’ll do her best to handle the worst situations, and even though she’s pulled at the seams already, she’ll sign up and jump in to help wherever she can.
The New Mom
There is bound to be at least one new mom at your co-op this year. Maybe she’s new to homeschooling or just new to the group. Either way, she doesn’t know anyone, and neither do her kids. Welcome her with open arms! Make her feel at home and show her the kind of awesome homeschool mom you are.
Do you know any of these homeschool co-op moms?
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Adrienne Bolton is a freelance writer and veteran homeschool mom. She began homeschooling in 2009 to meet the needs of her oldest son who struggled with the public school setting. Her boys have had different experiences with homeschooling, but both have thrived in spite of her. Her oldest son transitioned from public school after fourth grade and her youngest is 100% homegrown, having never stepped foot in a traditional classroom. Now with one son in college and one working his way through high school, she is proof anyone can do this. She writes with humor and heart, peppered with occasional snark and sarcasm. When she is not writing or working you can find her with a good book in hand, snuggling her massive Pitbull fur baby, or making something yummy in the kitchen. She loves to cook, bake, and be outdoors in the sunshine. The beach is her happy place and she's a true flip-flop wearing Florida girl. Connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
I’ve been every single one of these moms throughout my 15 years of homeschooling. Great post.
Me too! Haha. There’s a little piece of me in each one. Except for The Ghost. I could never figure out how to master that role. LOL
We just joined a co-op for the first time this year. I have not see a Ghost Mom yet but there are several Free Range Moms. I kind of want to be a FRM so I enjoy listening to them.
Just joined a mini co-op this year. I can relate to the former teacher mom and the special needs mom.
Great post!
Love this! I know a mom that fits every category, I just can’t figure out which category I fit in. lol! ♥