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Every parent has their own way of raising their kids. Some swear by public school, others go the private route, and then there are the families who embrace homeschooling.
But for one mom, things got a little complicated when she shared a glimpse of how she teaches her kids at home. Instead of support, she was hit with online criticism: everything from a “lack of routine” to “no proper structure.” Keep scrolling to see how the whole situation unfolded.
RELATED:
A mom posted a video showing what homeschooling looks like in her home
Image credits: themodernmompreneur
Image credits: themodernmompreneur
Image credits: themodernmompreneur
Image credits: themodernmompreneur
Image credits: themodernmompreneur
You can watch the full viral clip here:
@themodernmompreneur♬ original sound – 🍒🪩Whitney|WFH/SAHM of 4|🪩🍒
She later replied to viewers, explaining her child’s age and offering more context about the situation
The number of children being homeschooled has increased significantly in recent years
Homeschooling has exploded in popularity over the past few years, especially after the pandemic pushed kids into online learning. What started as a temporary solution quickly became a long-term choice for families craving flexibility. Suddenly, classrooms weren’t just buildings; they were wherever learning could happen.
Back in 2019, around 2.5 million kids in the U.S. were homeschooled. Today, nearly 4 million are learning at home. Families realized traditional schools weren’t the only way to learn math, science, or history. Homeschooling gave them the chance to choose when, where, and how their kids learned. Slow learners could take their time, fast learners could zoom ahead. Parents found new ways to connect with their kids while teaching. And the numbers keep climbing year after year.
Homeschooling is all about customizing the learning experience. Parents can craft their own curriculum or pick pre-made programs that fit their child’s style. Lessons can be fun, flexible, and hands-on. Parents can pause a lesson for a spontaneous experiment or a field trip. Every day can feel different, exciting, and personalized. It’s not just about schoolwork; it’s about making learning a whole-life experience.
The trend isn’t just in the U.S. In the UK, 2024 stats show about 111,700 children are homeschooled, a jump of 20 percent from the year before. Parents are increasingly opting out of mainstream schools for many reasons. Some want more creative freedom, others seek a safer environment for their children. Homeschooling allows families to align lessons with their values and lifestyle. It’s schooling, but on their own terms.
For some families, homeschooling is a deliberate lifestyle choice. About 23 percent leave traditional schools for philosophical, religious, or personal reasons. They prefer less focus on exams and more on life skills and values. They might build lessons around art, sports, or family traditions.
Other families choose homeschooling out of necessity. Around 13 percent do it because schools didn’t meet their needs: bullying, lack of support, or unmet special education needs. Fourteen percent say mental health is a major reason for homeschooling. At home, kids can feel safe, supported, and heard. Parents can respond quickly to struggles and help build confidence. For many, this switch makes school not only more effective but also less stressful.
Academic performance isn’t compromised either. Studies show homeschooled kids often match or exceed their peers in tests and grades. One-on-one attention, flexible pacing, and focused lessons give them an edge. Kids can dive deeper into subjects they love and get extra help where needed. Learning becomes immersive, practical, and memorable. And most kids enjoy the process rather than just endure it.
Homeschooling comes with its own set of challenges that families must navigate every day
That said, homeschooling isn’t always a walk in the park. Parents are constantly juggling multiple roles: teacher, caregiver, chef, and sometimes even IT support when the Wi-Fi acts up. Planning lessons takes time and energy, and not every parent has a ready-made curriculum at their fingertips. Hands-on projects like science experiments, art, or music can be tricky to set up without school labs or specialized materials.
Kids get restless, siblings fight, and distractions are everywhere, making focus a challenge. Some lessons require patience that feels infinite, and some days don’t go as planned at all. On top of that, parents often worry whether their child is keeping up academically or socially. It’s a full-time job wrapped inside another full-time job, requiring creativity, flexibility, and a huge sense of humor to survive and thrive.
In this particular case, it seemed like the mother had found her own way to teach and guide her kids at home. She created a routine that worked for her family and shared a glimpse of it online. But many people online weren’t too happy with her methods. Some criticized her approach, while others defended her right to choose what works best for her children. Homeschooling can be messy, creative, and completely different from traditional schooling, and that’s okay. What do you think about homeschooling: do you see it as a fun, flexible option or a challenging path?
Many people criticized the fact that the child was still using a pacifier
The mom faced backlash for what viewers called a too laid-back approach to homeschooling
Some users defended her, saying she wasn’t doing anything wrong
The mom also shared her own thoughts and philosophy on homeschooling
Image credits: hemodernmompreneur
What do you think ?
shg stewart 3 days ago
If you homeschool your kid(s) and you don't have an advanced degree in multiple subjects, you're just raising your kid(s) to be as ignorant as you are. The reason we created professional teachers and professionalized schools is because the amount of stuff you need to know to be a functional adult in society is more than two parents have time to teach you in a day, especially when they are also working and/or managing a household. You can use a preset curriculum, but if your education isn't top-notch, you won't be able to tell if it's any good. Then again, if you're the kind of person who states as though it's a fact that the world is "evil," you aren't actually interested in educating your kid(s), you just want to indoctrinate them into being good little obedient Christians. They'll get by in the world because there are an endless number of right-wing billionaire-funded wingnut welfare jobs out there for true believers with good credentials.
shg stewart 3 days ago
Back in the day before most people went to professionalized schools, people tended to go into the same profession as their same-s*x parent, so if your dad was a miner, you would be a miner too, and if your mother was a seamstress, you'd be a seamstress too. That was a good system when pretty much everyone worked subsistence jobs, but these days, it's the express route to ending any pretensions you might have towards social mobility, which, come to think of it, is probably why the modern right wing *wants* ordinary people to homeschool, and *wants* ordinary people to tell their kids college is a scam and a waste of money and doesn't teach anything worth knowing -- while not telling their kids the same. Class mobility is the *antithesis* of what they want.
Load More Replies...
Emilu 3 days ago
Probably because she knows deep down that she's doing her kids a disservice and is a poor excuse for a teacher. At least, hopefully.
Load More Replies...
Emilu 3 days ago
Kid at that age with a dummy/pacifier is insane. I am anti-home schooling as well -- teachers exist for a reason. However, at least here the rules are fairly stringent; you need to register with the government that you're homeschooling your child and submit a lesson plan showing how you'll cover the eight learning areas. Not perfect by any means, but better than nothing.
B.M. 3 days ago
Here in Germany homeschooling ist simply forbidden. I approve heartily. To "being obsessed with other people's kids": No, only trying to protect myself and mine from these kids once they are releases into public. To "no problem, she can have braces later": that was meint ironic, right? RIGHT?!?
Load More Replies...
Anony Mouse 3 days ago
Hey everybody! Look at me! Loooook at me! Watch me! Pay me attention! LOOK AT ME! Now mind your own business and stay in your lane if you don’t think I’m great. Hey bored panda - your users don’t like these trashy people posts. You have gone downhill so far so fast.
Parmeisan 3 days ago
"Let her think, let her learn" is too harsh, huh? And you're so upset that commenters are trying to tell you how to raise your kids, isn't that exactly what you were doing by posting the video? Didn't you think you were doing so much better than everyone else and wanted to make sure they knew? The issue isn't the pacifier, I don't see any experts here saying that that's wrong, the issue is the trained teachers and child psychologists telling you that your approach is wrong yet you won't entertain any criticism. I think you should listen with an open mind and see if you can do better than you are doing. That's life, all the time, strive to get better. Don't shut out voices just because they disagree.
AlithenewMC 2 days ago
Just as a note, most dentists tell you to get rid of pacifiers by about 2 years old. It's horrible for their teeth and pallet development. People comparing it to still sleeping with special blankets or other comfort items don't understand that it's not about getting rid of her safety item, it's for her health. A blanket or a stuffy isn't going to ruin your teeth, and I'm sure she has at least one of those that can become her comfort item when the pacifier is gone. And sometimes you can't wait for them to give it up, you have to make them. For my oldest, I told him he was getting too big and strong for it, and then one day cut a hole in it to "prove" he was too strong. Then he threw it out himself.
Load More Replies...
Dirk Daring 3 days ago
"It was FRIDAY!" is now my go-to answer for when I get questioned for doing something inane.
The Other Guest 3 days ago
"Let her think, let her solve the problem herself, take out the binky so she can clearly speak." "Wow, you're harsh!!!" No wonder that poor kid is like a zombie.
JayWantsACat 2 days ago
This lady is one of the WORST types of content creators. Shares their lives for clout but is massively defensive about it.
Joe Smith 3 days ago
judging by all her snarky and overly defenseive replies, this mother is a complete whack job. Her duaghter will grow up to be a whack job, and the whack job cycle continues. Homeschooling isnt the answer people seem to think it is, its just feeding the anti-social, individualistic garbage thats rotting our society from the core.
CP 3 days ago (edited)
Home schooling should be a last resort and not something people do cause they think they can. Kids are not the property of parents and society should protect them from their patent as much as reasonably possible. Homeschooling should only be allowed under certain circumstances.
UpupaEpops 3 days ago
Since homeschooling is wildly illegal where I'm from... Is this an exclusively Christian thing? I've yet to see evidence of non-denominational options? If you live in a super religious state, do you just move or do you decide to homeschool your kids if the idea of teaching them creationism in biology makes your skin crawl?
Lee Gilliland 1 day ago
From her dress it is unlikely this woman is a conservative "Christian ".
Load More Replies... Mark Childers 2 days ago
I teach in higher education, and we are seeing the results of mass homeschooling. It's not pretty. We're supposed to be raising smart and kind humans who will one day be making decisions for all of us. We need them to have a strong education for all of our sake. We should be heavily investing in public schools from preschool through undergraduate so that we have an intelligent population that doesn't fall victim to conspiracy theories and grifters, as well as understand how politics and economics work in general. I see the result of a lack of investment in education, and it's scary.
Spencer's slave no longer 2 days ago
This poor child, along with her 3 siblings, are the ones who simply cannot function in society because they've never been a part of the school society. They are not well grounded, cannot form functional relationships with people their own age, have zero concept of meaningful conversations and interactions. They cannot hold a decent conversation or voice intelligent arguments without giving insult. These children are being legally failed by their parents, the education system and successive local governments that do nothing to stop or prevent the damage. Why is this not considered child a***e?
Helena 2 days ago
I work with a kid in his 20s who was homeschooled by parents with advanced degrees. Sure he's super smart, but also insanely rigid in his thinking, zero imagination or intuitive leaps and he has almost no social skills, no bs detector, no idea when people are using sarcasm, it is like talking to a super smart toddler.
Beak Hookage 1 day ago
"Protecting children from this evil world" tells me all I need to know. When I was a kid I was having difficulties at school thanks to my undiagnosed autism, and my mother later told me she considered homeschooling but decided against it "because you were going to have to face the world eventually". And she was right. It hurts seeing your kids suffer the inevitable pains and fears the real world provides, but you can't keep coddling them forever. They won't be able to function.
Lee Gilliland 1 day ago
The binky told me everything I needed. She is ruining her child's mouth and mind.
Nocturne 1 day ago
“Stay in your lane. I have 4 kiddos and she is my 3rd...” as having many kids automatically means being a good mother and teacher. “Homeschooling is protecting our children from this evil world” yep, alienating them is the answer. She clearly has not the ability nor attitude to teach. Her answers say all. Poor kid, rough time entering the public school system ahead!
Nikki Sevven 1 day ago
There is no dentist on the face of the Earth who would recommend pacifiers. Not one.
Janelle Collard 2 days ago
If the report broke out which kinds of people were likely to homeschool, a lot of them would be magas, "religious," 2nd amendment worshippers or all of the above. This chick's showing off her fancy home school to show "wonderful" it is. smh
DC 4 hours ago
Pacifier at school age ... uh, we'd have been sent home, to grow up according to our grade, and told to never bring it back. Also, our classmates would have made fun of anyone still using a pacified. Children aren't mature and skip chances to mock, but use any and every one they stumble upon relentlessly - pacifiers may even be more of a reason to mock than diapers. Not saying that this behaviour is nice, or to be reinforced, but let's stay real for a moment - children aren't mature enough to skip a chance to mock. If you've ever wet yourself in school, and received some according mockery, consider a slightly tamed version thereof to be expected every day, and then some.
The Other Guest 2 days ago
It's not just a rich people thing. I know a couple adults who homeschooled (or are homeschooling) their kids, and they are just everyday middle class folks.
Load More Replies...
EmbersAreOut 2 days ago
Hi Homeschooler here! I feel like i should say that not all of us are/were like this 😭 I attended normal school up until the point where the way they were teaching me was not helping me learn. I have ADHD (at the time undiagnosed) and I couldnt bring myself to focus/care about things that i already knew. When i started homeschooling, my grandma spent 6ish months prepping in advance (learning about curriculums, online school vs paper books, co-ops, etc) I actually had a learning experience tailored to me and my interests. Fast forward a few years to when i entered high school. I was supposed to attend a science magnate high school in my area, but they had a “lottery” system that suspiciously favored the wealthy students 😭. So, i ended up starting dual enrollment in 9th grade. I currently am a senior and ive got over 80 college credits, and am taking classes in two colleges. We can be successful if homeschooling is DONE RIGHT.
Marnie 2 days ago
I agree with pretty much all of the negative comments, except one: School is NOT a good place to learn to interact with other kids. You get like 2 minutes in between classes, a few words around chewing your lunch and a brief time at recess if the school has it. Most socializing should come from family, siblings, cousins, friends, and neighbors, OUTSIDE of school, during free play and activities and just existing in the household. The only reason a home schooled kid should have any trouble socializing is if they have no friends. One thing I worry about these days is there seem to be parents who actually think that socializing at school is ALL that children need. Absolutely NOT.
shg stewart 3 days ago
If you homeschool your kid(s) and you don't have an advanced degree in multiple subjects, you're just raising your kid(s) to be as ignorant as you are. The reason we created professional teachers and professionalized schools is because the amount of stuff you need to know to be a functional adult in society is more than two parents have time to teach you in a day, especially when they are also working and/or managing a household. You can use a preset curriculum, but if your education isn't top-notch, you won't be able to tell if it's any good. Then again, if you're the kind of person who states as though it's a fact that the world is "evil," you aren't actually interested in educating your kid(s), you just want to indoctrinate them into being good little obedient Christians. They'll get by in the world because there are an endless number of right-wing billionaire-funded wingnut welfare jobs out there for true believers with good credentials.
shg stewart 3 days ago
Back in the day before most people went to professionalized schools, people tended to go into the same profession as their same-s*x parent, so if your dad was a miner, you would be a miner too, and if your mother was a seamstress, you'd be a seamstress too. That was a good system when pretty much everyone worked subsistence jobs, but these days, it's the express route to ending any pretensions you might have towards social mobility, which, come to think of it, is probably why the modern right wing *wants* ordinary people to homeschool, and *wants* ordinary people to tell their kids college is a scam and a waste of money and doesn't teach anything worth knowing -- while not telling their kids the same. Class mobility is the *antithesis* of what they want.
Load More Replies... Emilu 3 days ago
Probably because she knows deep down that she's doing her kids a disservice and is a poor excuse for a teacher. At least, hopefully.
Load More Replies... Emilu 3 days ago
Kid at that age with a dummy/pacifier is insane. I am anti-home schooling as well -- teachers exist for a reason. However, at least here the rules are fairly stringent; you need to register with the government that you're homeschooling your child and submit a lesson plan showing how you'll cover the eight learning areas. Not perfect by any means, but better than nothing.
B.M. 3 days ago
Here in Germany homeschooling ist simply forbidden. I approve heartily. To "being obsessed with other people's kids": No, only trying to protect myself and mine from these kids once they are releases into public. To "no problem, she can have braces later": that was meint ironic, right? RIGHT?!?
Load More Replies... Anony Mouse 3 days ago
Hey everybody! Look at me! Loooook at me! Watch me! Pay me attention! LOOK AT ME! Now mind your own business and stay in your lane if you don’t think I’m great. Hey bored panda - your users don’t like these trashy people posts. You have gone downhill so far so fast.
Parmeisan 3 days ago
"Let her think, let her learn" is too harsh, huh? And you're so upset that commenters are trying to tell you how to raise your kids, isn't that exactly what you were doing by posting the video? Didn't you think you were doing so much better than everyone else and wanted to make sure they knew? The issue isn't the pacifier, I don't see any experts here saying that that's wrong, the issue is the trained teachers and child psychologists telling you that your approach is wrong yet you won't entertain any criticism. I think you should listen with an open mind and see if you can do better than you are doing. That's life, all the time, strive to get better. Don't shut out voices just because they disagree.
AlithenewMC 2 days ago
Just as a note, most dentists tell you to get rid of pacifiers by about 2 years old. It's horrible for their teeth and pallet development. People comparing it to still sleeping with special blankets or other comfort items don't understand that it's not about getting rid of her safety item, it's for her health. A blanket or a stuffy isn't going to ruin your teeth, and I'm sure she has at least one of those that can become her comfort item when the pacifier is gone. And sometimes you can't wait for them to give it up, you have to make them. For my oldest, I told him he was getting too big and strong for it, and then one day cut a hole in it to "prove" he was too strong. Then he threw it out himself.
Load More Replies... Dirk Daring 3 days ago
"It was FRIDAY!" is now my go-to answer for when I get questioned for doing something inane.
The Other Guest 3 days ago
"Let her think, let her solve the problem herself, take out the binky so she can clearly speak." "Wow, you're harsh!!!" No wonder that poor kid is like a zombie.
JayWantsACat 2 days ago
This lady is one of the WORST types of content creators. Shares their lives for clout but is massively defensive about it.
Joe Smith 3 days ago
judging by all her snarky and overly defenseive replies, this mother is a complete whack job. Her duaghter will grow up to be a whack job, and the whack job cycle continues. Homeschooling isnt the answer people seem to think it is, its just feeding the anti-social, individualistic garbage thats rotting our society from the core.
CP 3 days ago (edited)
Home schooling should be a last resort and not something people do cause they think they can. Kids are not the property of parents and society should protect them from their patent as much as reasonably possible. Homeschooling should only be allowed under certain circumstances.
UpupaEpops 3 days ago
Since homeschooling is wildly illegal where I'm from... Is this an exclusively Christian thing? I've yet to see evidence of non-denominational options? If you live in a super religious state, do you just move or do you decide to homeschool your kids if the idea of teaching them creationism in biology makes your skin crawl?
Lee Gilliland 1 day ago
From her dress it is unlikely this woman is a conservative "Christian ".
Load More Replies... Mark Childers 2 days ago
I teach in higher education, and we are seeing the results of mass homeschooling. It's not pretty. We're supposed to be raising smart and kind humans who will one day be making decisions for all of us. We need them to have a strong education for all of our sake. We should be heavily investing in public schools from preschool through undergraduate so that we have an intelligent population that doesn't fall victim to conspiracy theories and grifters, as well as understand how politics and economics work in general. I see the result of a lack of investment in education, and it's scary.
Spencer's slave no longer 2 days ago
This poor child, along with her 3 siblings, are the ones who simply cannot function in society because they've never been a part of the school society. They are not well grounded, cannot form functional relationships with people their own age, have zero concept of meaningful conversations and interactions. They cannot hold a decent conversation or voice intelligent arguments without giving insult. These children are being legally failed by their parents, the education system and successive local governments that do nothing to stop or prevent the damage. Why is this not considered child a***e?
Helena 2 days ago
I work with a kid in his 20s who was homeschooled by parents with advanced degrees. Sure he's super smart, but also insanely rigid in his thinking, zero imagination or intuitive leaps and he has almost no social skills, no bs detector, no idea when people are using sarcasm, it is like talking to a super smart toddler.
Beak Hookage 1 day ago
"Protecting children from this evil world" tells me all I need to know. When I was a kid I was having difficulties at school thanks to my undiagnosed autism, and my mother later told me she considered homeschooling but decided against it "because you were going to have to face the world eventually". And she was right. It hurts seeing your kids suffer the inevitable pains and fears the real world provides, but you can't keep coddling them forever. They won't be able to function.
Lee Gilliland 1 day ago
The binky told me everything I needed. She is ruining her child's mouth and mind.
Nocturne 1 day ago
“Stay in your lane. I have 4 kiddos and she is my 3rd...” as having many kids automatically means being a good mother and teacher. “Homeschooling is protecting our children from this evil world” yep, alienating them is the answer. She clearly has not the ability nor attitude to teach. Her answers say all. Poor kid, rough time entering the public school system ahead!
Nikki Sevven 1 day ago
There is no dentist on the face of the Earth who would recommend pacifiers. Not one.
Janelle Collard 2 days ago
If the report broke out which kinds of people were likely to homeschool, a lot of them would be magas, "religious," 2nd amendment worshippers or all of the above. This chick's showing off her fancy home school to show "wonderful" it is. smh
DC 4 hours ago
Pacifier at school age ... uh, we'd have been sent home, to grow up according to our grade, and told to never bring it back. Also, our classmates would have made fun of anyone still using a pacified. Children aren't mature and skip chances to mock, but use any and every one they stumble upon relentlessly - pacifiers may even be more of a reason to mock than diapers. Not saying that this behaviour is nice, or to be reinforced, but let's stay real for a moment - children aren't mature enough to skip a chance to mock. If you've ever wet yourself in school, and received some according mockery, consider a slightly tamed version thereof to be expected every day, and then some.
The Other Guest 2 days ago
It's not just a rich people thing. I know a couple adults who homeschooled (or are homeschooling) their kids, and they are just everyday middle class folks.
Load More Replies... EmbersAreOut 2 days ago
Hi Homeschooler here! I feel like i should say that not all of us are/were like this 😭 I attended normal school up until the point where the way they were teaching me was not helping me learn. I have ADHD (at the time undiagnosed) and I couldnt bring myself to focus/care about things that i already knew. When i started homeschooling, my grandma spent 6ish months prepping in advance (learning about curriculums, online school vs paper books, co-ops, etc) I actually had a learning experience tailored to me and my interests. Fast forward a few years to when i entered high school. I was supposed to attend a science magnate high school in my area, but they had a “lottery” system that suspiciously favored the wealthy students 😭. So, i ended up starting dual enrollment in 9th grade. I currently am a senior and ive got over 80 college credits, and am taking classes in two colleges. We can be successful if homeschooling is DONE RIGHT.
Marnie 2 days ago
I agree with pretty much all of the negative comments, except one: School is NOT a good place to learn to interact with other kids. You get like 2 minutes in between classes, a few words around chewing your lunch and a brief time at recess if the school has it. Most socializing should come from family, siblings, cousins, friends, and neighbors, OUTSIDE of school, during free play and activities and just existing in the household. The only reason a home schooled kid should have any trouble socializing is if they have no friends. One thing I worry about these days is there seem to be parents who actually think that socializing at school is ALL that children need. Absolutely NOT.
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