I want to quit my job to homeschool my kids but my husband disagrees

A mother of five wrote that she wants to quit her job to homeschool the youngest three, but her husband says they can’t afford it. He earns well into the six figures, their home and cars are paid off, and she makes only a fraction of his income. He agrees with her reasons for wanting to homeschool, yet argues public school is free and appears reluctant to have her stop working to pay for their life, retirement, or discretionary spending.

The columnist notes her own mixed feelings about homeschooling: she was homeschooled K–12 and didn’t love it, yet still sometimes wonders whether she could make it work as a parent. Homeschooling, she warns, isn’t a perfect fix for public-school problems; it requires a parent to fill many roles beyond teaching, including coach, counselor, and social organizer, while also managing ordinary household duties.

Money, she writes, often reflects values.

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