The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast

Episode 352 - One Mom's Game-Changing Moment

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we have a fun and relaxed episode for you! We talk about some advice that changed one homeschooling mom's life, and encourage you to be confident that your children are going to turn out okay. We hope you enjoy! 

Before we begin, we want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making the Smiling Homeschooler possible. Their match curriculum helps thousands of homeschoolers smile each and every day, and we would encourage you to check it out for next school year over at teachingtextbooks.com. 

Also, Today’s show is being underwritten by Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians that pay one another’s
medical bills…helping families take a safe step of faith as they feel God’s Leading in career or ministry changes or in bringing mom home. You can learn more at SamaritanMinistries.org/familyman

 

Have a great week and don't forget to smile! 

Episode 351 - Comparison is a Liar: Finding Confidence in Your Homeschooling - With Becky Clark

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! My name is Ben Wilson, and today we’re joined by longtime homeschooling mom Becky Clark. She shares her journey and offers wisdom for moms who may be wondering if they’re doing things “right.” Becky has a heart for encouraging moms to resist comparison and pressure, and instead, focus on homeschooling in a way that’s best for their child.

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making the Smiling Homeschooler possible. Their match curriculum helps thousands of homeschoolers smile each and every day, and we would encouarge you to check it out for next school year over at teachingtextbooks.com. 

Also Today’s show is being underwritten by Samaritan Ministries, a community of Christians that pay one another’s
medical bills…helping families take a safe step of faith as they feel God’s Leading in career or ministry changes or in bringing mom home. You can learn more at SamaritanMinistries.org/familyman

 

Have a great week and don't forget to smile! 

Episode 350 - Fuel the Fire: Supporting Your Child's Passions - With Ike Wilson

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we are bringing you an episode from the archvies where we were joined by my brother, Ike. Our topic was how to encourage your child in their interests, and in pursuing their dreams. He has some great advice to share, and we hope you enjoy! 

We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making the Smiling Homeschooler possible. Their match curriculum helps thousands of homeschoolers smile each and every day, and we would encourage you to check it out for next school year over at teachingtextbooks.com. 

Also, Today’s show is being underwritten by Samaritan Ministries, community of Christians that pay one another’s
medical bills…helping families take a safe step of faith as they feel God’s Leading in career or ministry changes or in bringing mom home. You can learn more at SamaritanMinistries.org/familyman

Have a great week and don't forget to smile! 

Episode 349 - Part 3: The Lies Homeschooled Kids Believe

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week is our third and final part of the Lies Our Homeschooled Kids Believe. 
We’ll be tackling common misconceptions like:
• “I won’t be able to play sports if I’m homeschooled.”
• “I don’t have any friends because I’m homeschooled.”
...and many more
It’s going to be another great episode—We hope you enjoy! 

We want to give a big thank you to Teaching Textbooks for supporting The Smiling Homeschooler. They offer one of the best math curriculums around, helping homeschoolers smile more every day. So, be sure to check them out at teachingtextbooks.com for your math needs this school year.

Also, Today’s show is being underwritten by Samaritan Ministries is A community of Christians that pay one another’s medical bills…helping families take a safe step of faith as they feel God’s
Leading in career or ministry changes or in bringing mom home. You can learn more at SamaritanMinistries.org/familyman

 

Episode 348 - Part 2 of the Lies Homeschooled Kids Believe

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast!
This week, we're diving into Part 2 of our mini-series on the lies homeschooled kids believe.

Here are just a couple of the lies we unpack in this episode:

“I’m homeschooled, so I won’t be able to get into college.”

“Going to a real school wouldn’t influence me.”

We tackle these myths head-on and share the truth behind them—along with a whole lot of encouragement. We think you’ll find this episode both helpful and uplifting!

We want to give a big thank you to Teaching Textbooks for supporting The Smiling Homeschooler. They offer one of the best math curriculums around, helping homeschoolers smile more every day. So, be sure to check them out at teachingtextbooks.com for your math needs this school year.

Also, Today’s show is being underwritten by Samaritan Ministries: A community of Christians that pay one another’s
medical bills…helping families take a safe step of faith as they feel God’s Leading in career or ministry changes or in bringing mom home. You can learn more at SamaritanMinistries.org/familyman.

 

Have a great week and don't forget to smile! 

Episode 347 - The Lies Homeschooled Kids Believe

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler podcast. Today, we’re diving into a conversation that hits close to home for so many of us homeschooling families—especially when it comes to the things our kids are believing.
Maybe you've heard it from your own child—or maybe just caught it in their tone:
"Other kids are getting a better education than me..."
"I’m missing out on all the fun..."
"Going to real school wouldn’t change me..."
These kinds of thoughts can sneak in quietly, but they carry a lot of weight—and if we’re not careful, they can start shaping how our kids see themselves, and their education. So today, we’re unpacking some of the most common lies our homeschooled kids believe! This is going to be another encouraging episode! 

We want to give a big thank you to Teaching Textbooks for supporting The Smiling Homeschooler. They offer one of the best math curriculums around, helping homeschoolers smile more every day. So, be sure to check them out at teachingtextbooks.com for your math needs this school year.

Also Today’s show is being underwritten by Samaritan Ministries, A community of Christians that pay one another’s
medical bills…helping families take a safe step of faith as they feel God’s Leading in career or ministry changes or in bringing mom home. You can learn more at SamaritanMinistries.org/familyman

 

Have a great week and don't forget to smile! 

Podcast Episode 346 - Common Homeschool Challenges (And How to Handle Them!)

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! We have a great episode for you this week!
we’re tackling some of the biggest questions and challenges homeschool parents face—how do we balance it all while still slowing down to enjoy the moments? What about the pressure of keeping up with standards or fighting that nagging feeling of being “behind”?
Join us as we dive into real struggles (and wins!) from homeschool parents just like you. We’ll be talking about motivation, schedules, and legal changes!

We hope you’re encouraged by the conversation!

We want to give a big thank you to Teaching Textbooks for supporting The Smiling Homeschooler. They offer one of the best math curriculums around, helping homeschoolers smile more every day. So, be sure to check them out at teachingtextbooks.com for your math needs this school year.

Also, Today’s show is being underwritten by Samaritan Ministries A community of Christians that pay one another’s
medical bills…helping families take a safe step of faith as they feel God’s Leading in career or ministry changes or in bringing mom home. You can learn more at SamaritanMinistries.org/familyman

One last thing: another great way that you can support what we do is sign up for our short weekly email over at thesmilinghomeschooler.com. Also while you are at it, sign your husband up for the Familyman weekly over at familymanweb.com. You won't regret it! 

Have a great week and don't forget to smile! 

Episode 345 - Homeschooling Through Spring: When to Push, Pause, or Pivot

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! Believe it or not, we are in the final stretch of the school year! Which is what our topic is all about! How to enjoy this spring season, whether or not to push through to the end, or when it might be a good idea to stop or change things up! We hope you are encouraged by our conversation! 

We want to give a big thank you to Teaching Textbooks for supporting The Smiling Homeschooler. They offer one of the best math curriculums around, helping homeschoolers smile more every day. So, be sure to check them out at teachingtextbooks.com for your math needs this school year.

Also, Today’s show is being underwritten by Samaritan Ministries: A community of Christians that pay one another’s
medical bills…helping families take a safe step of faith as they feel God’s Leading in career or ministry changes or in bringing mom home. You can learn more at SamaritanMinistries.org/familyman

 

Have a great week and don't forget to smile!

Episode 344 - How to Keep Smiling When Homeschooling Gets Tough

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we're talking about smiling. Sometimes homeschooling, parenting, and life in general can feel so tough and exhausting that smiling feels nearly impossible. If that's you, you're not alone—it's completely normal and part of life! Our goal today is to encourage you on those hard days and share a few ideas to help you find a reason to smile, even when it doesn’t come easy.

We want to give a big thank you to Teaching Textbooks for supporting The Smiling Homeschooler. They offer one of the best math curriculums around, helping homeschoolers smile more every day. So, be sure to check them out at teachingtextbooks.com for your math needs this school year.

Also, Today’s show is being underwritten by Samaritan Ministries A community of Christians that pay one another’s
medical bills…helping families take a safe step of faith as they feel God’s Leading in career or ministry changes or in bringing mom home. You can learn more at SamaritanMinistries.org/familyman

 

Have a great week and don't forget to smile! 

Episode 343 - Beating the Winter Doldrum Burnout - With Debbie Wilson

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week, we're bringing back an episode from our archives with Debbie Wilson, where she shares practical ways to beat the dreaded winter doldrums. She also talks about the curriculum she used that semester and how she tackled getting back into the swing of things for the second half of the school year. Whether you’re hearing this for the first time or revisiting it, Debbie’s insights are just as encouraging and helpful today as they were when we first aired this episode! 

 

We want to give a big thank you to Teaching Textbooks for supporting The Smiling Homeschooler. They offer one of the best math curriculums around, helping homeschoolers smile more every day. So, be sure to check them out at teachingtextbooks.com for your math needs.

Also, Today’s show is being underwritten by Samaritan Ministries A community of Christians that pay one another’s
medical bills…helping families take a safe step of faith as they feel God’s Leading in career or ministry changes or in bringing mom home. You can learn more at SamaritanMinistries.org/familyman

Have a great week and don't forget to smile!