Patience.

That is what everyone says you need to homeschool.  Every time I mention that I homeschool to someone, generally when someone asks my kids what school they go to, they say, "oh, I wouldn't have the patience!"  I'm not sure how I feel about this.  I never thought of myself as being a patient person, but I guess I am in some ways.  I don't dread homeschooling my kids.  I love it.  I love having them home with me.  Occasionally, my patience has been tried over the years of homeschooling, but I do not think that it is more difficult than just regular parenting.  In most ways, parenting homeschooled kids is easier.  Getting them to do their lessons is not more difficult than it was getting them to do their public school homework or getting them to do chores or personal hygiene.  (Anyone else have problems with little boys and baths?)   The thing is that they are there all the time and you sometimes you need to control their behaviors and sometimes it is not the behavior that is a problem, they are just being regular kids and the fact is, mom needs a break.  If this happens to me, I just take one.  I have been known to cancel school because I don't feel that I can handle it that day.  We make it up.  We still do the required number of days a year, just sometimes we'll be done on June 1 and sometimes on June 10.  It's no big deal.  (I guess it would be if it happened every day!) Sometimes I have been known to leave the kids with my mom or my husband and take off shopping by myself, sometimes I go to my room and read and sometimes just to sit out in the sun.  Everybody needs a break now and then.  Now that my kids are teens, this is way easier.