It started off as an inside joke at my house. Apparently, my kids decided to give me the nickname after a blunt comment popped out of my sweet little mouth one night in the kitchen during dinner prep.
“Uh oh, Savage Mom is back!”
I had a choice – deny it or own it. After all, my hubby and I had been giving them fun nicknames since they were born, so I knew exactly where they learned this crazy habit.
I chose to own it.
Jokingly, I told the other co-op moms about how I was lovingly referred to as Savage Mom at my house, and their reaction was pretty intense. Immediately, everyone confirmed that they too were Savage Moms, and by the end of the day, I was taking orders for Savage Mom t-shirts and coffee mugs. (If you want one, I will add your name to the list.)
And so a new style of homeschooling was created.
Savage Mom style!
Are you a homeschooling Savage Mom too?
Here’s how you know!
A Savage Mom is extreme or intense in her homeschooling.
This doesn’t mean that she goes around bashing everyone not choosing to educate their children at home, but a Savage Mom is willing to do WHATEVER it takes to make sure that this homeschooling thing works for her kiddos.
Even when she doesn’t feel capable of teaching things like reading or Algebra…
or finds out she needs to pack all the family belongings and move in 6 weeks or less…
or discovers that her child struggles with something that seems so simple to ALL the other kids.
She doesn’t let anything stop her from figuring out how to navigate her way through the sometimes confusing jungle of homeschooling,
around the deep ravines of fears and tough circumstances,
through the blocked paths of learning struggles,
or in spite of those annoying mosquitos of naysayers.
Now, I’ve only spent one weekend in an actual jungle while student teaching in Ecuador where I was queasy the whole time, which was a whole different kind of extreme and intense…
But my family is savage about movie watching! We loved both the classic and updated versions of The Jungle Book, which remind me how far a Savage Mom will go to make homeschooling work for her family.
Just like Mowgli after he is separated from Bagheera, this mama will pick her savage little self up and figure out how to walk, climb, or swim her way through her homeschooling jungle.
Sometimes singing and sometimes rubbing honey on her bee stings, but always moving forward.
And she definitely isn’t deterred by those anti-homeschoolers who try to steal her fruit and joy like those sneaky little jungle creatures in the remake.
Or hypnotized and paralyzed by statements from Kaa, or our public education system,
“Trust in me!”
Nope!
A Savage Mom chooses to be extreme and intense in deciding what each one of her children needs to survive and thrive in the world by focusing on this next savage thing.
She learns from others, but homeschools her own Savage Mom way.
Just like Mowgli and Baloo, a Savage Mom is not afraid to make her homeschool look a little different from everyone else’s.
Which doesn’t mean that a Savage Mom never listens to or learns from others.
Pretty much every mom I’ve met who is even remotely interested in homeschooling has spent hours and hours reading blogs, listening to podcasts, interacting in Facebook homeschool groups, and researching possible homeschooling philosophies, curriculums, and resources.
Like enough to get an honorary PhD. If only!
She’s definitely read, and possibly even posted, “Looking for the best homeschool math curriculum. TIA!”
The problem is definitely not the amount of information or opinions available about homeschooling, but actually wading through that tangled mess to figure out what will actually work for HER children and circumstances.
Because there is no one perfect curriculum, co-op, or philosophy that will work for every single situation.
So, a Savage Mom will focus on important questions like,
“Why are we homeschooling?”
“How do each of my kiddos learn best, and what are their strengths and challenges?”
“What should we focus on right now?”
And then she will choose or change the curriculum and resources to make homeschooling work for her.
Even when she feels like she is grabbing on to a buffalo during a stampede to help her child escape from a Shere Kan situation that is not working out.
Savage Mom!
And then she will do one more savage thing…
A Savage Mom makes homeschooling FUN!
One of a Savage Mom’s favorite things to do is to laugh and find humor in homeschooling, even if it doesn’t seem very “fun” at the moment.
‘Cause sometimes the very best thing for her to do on that super tough day is to set aside the lesson plan, grab her big Baloo float, and…
“Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities…”
And whether she sings it to her kiddos while simplifying the workload to the bare necessities…
Or while ditching the day’s work (which is not working anyway) to de-stress with the family in the nearby river, pool, or indoor fun park…
She chooses to make homeschooling FUN for everyone!
Whether she calls it engaged learning, adding magic, or finding joy in the journey, a Savage Mom goes all out to make at least some of this homeschooling enjoyable for each family member, including herself.
As often as possible!
It might be throwing in a fun activity or game to their day…
Or just laughing about that ridiculous spelling word or math word problem with her kiddo over a bowl of fro-yo…
Because she knows that keeping the fun in learning will go a LONG way in helping her kids forget about their worries and their strife.
And there’s one more thing that a Savage Mom does to make sure that this whole homeschooling jungle journey doesn’t end with her stuck all by herself in a tree hypnotized and unable to figure out what to do.
A Savage Mom teams up with other Savage Moms.
Just like Baloo, Mowgli, and all of those other cute animals teamed up to get the honey, a Savage Mom knows that homeschooling is way more fun and effective with friends.
Although there may be times, especially at first, when she feels alone in this scary homeschool jungle, a Savage Mom does her best to connect with other Savage Moms.
Easier said than done?
You got that right, but we already said that this mama is extreme, and well – SAVAGE – so she does everything she can to join up with other like-minded moms for advice, encouragement, and fun.
Like those hippy Vultures, she looks for other homeschool mamas to open the door to new learning opportunities or just to be “at your side in lightning speed when you’re lost in dire need.”
That truly is what friends are for!
Because “the strength of the wolf is the pack”.
My goal on this site is to arm you with encouraging advice, helpful resources, and solid information for every Savage Mom in this homeschooling jungle.
So, from one Savage Mom who will do anything it takes to punch every bee in the swarm to make sure that all of our kiddos can homeschool successfully,
You’ve got this, Savage Mom!
This is just perfect. 😍 Savage mom!!
Thanks for the kind words, fellow Savage mama!