303. Raising Kids Who Thrive: Habits and Foundations for the Early Years | Erin Cox of The Gentle + Classical Press

Simple Farmhouse Life

Lisa Bass

Home & Garden, Leisure

4.9 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 August 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Homeschooling isn’t just about academics. It’s about shaping character, habits, and family culture in the everyday moments. In this conversation with Erin from Gentle + Classical Press, we talk about what the early years can look like without the pressure of early academics, how to raise children who know how to use their free time well, and why consistency matters more than perfection. You’ll hear encouragement for the overwhelmed mom, perspective on kids’ different personalities, and practical ways to build a gentle and classical foundation in your home. If you’re looking for fresh vision and tangible ideas for your homeschool days, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

In this episode, we cover:

Erin’s family life with four children, 15 years of homeschooling, and a business run alongside homesteading
A shift from academic goals to discipleship, character development, and strong family habits
The meaning of a “gentle and classical” approach, blending Charlotte Mason influence with classical education in a soft, approachable way
Preschool years centered on scripture memory, virtues through song, habit training, and life skills, with limited academics before age six
Encouragement for overwhelmed moms: God equips you for the children He gave you, one hard day won’t undo everything, and comparison online is misleading
The role of children’s personalities in shaping both family dynamics and parental growth
Homeschooling with a deeper purpose of individualized learning, supporting specific needs, and cultivating family culture
Lessons learned from the early years, including the importance of consistency in habits and the danger of overemphasizing grades or peer influence
Recognizing readiness for formal learning by watching attention spans, keeping lessons short, and letting children progress in their own time
Homeschooled kids often learn to use free time creatively, developing projects and play rather than becoming bored or dependent on screens

View full show notes on the blog + watch this episode on YouTube.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED

Listen to Erin’s recent podcast episode about why homeschooling is a foundational choice for her family

Check out Erin’s preschool homeschool offerings

Join my FREE masterclass to learn my 4-step framework for making money on YouTube

Master the rhythm of sourdough with confidence in my Simple Sourdough course

Gain the sewing knowledge and skills every homemaker needs in my Simple Sewing series

Turn your content creation dreams into a profitable business with my YouTube Success Academy

Keep all my favorite sourdough recipes at your fingertips in my Daily Sourdough cookbook

CONNECT

Erin Cox of The Gentle + Classical Press | Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Even when I talk about casting a vision and having a certain intention for your family, that just
0:04.6	means that you've put something in the GPS. You're going in a particular path. But that doesn't
0:10.4	mean there's not going to be detours. We're in charge of sowing seeds. We're not in charge of
0:14.8	outcomes. The goal is to not be in control of them. Like literally the goal is for them to develop
0:19.9	autonomy and start making their own decisions. That the goal is for them to develop autonomy and start
0:21.0	making their own decisions. Yeah. That's what you want them to do. So you want to make sure
0:24.7	that in the early years, while your influence is as rich as it is, that you're sowing as many
0:30.0	seeds toward what you hope the choices will be that they will make as they grow older.
0:35.2	My name is Lisa, mother of eight and creator of the blog and YouTube channel
0:38.6	Farmhouse on Boone. On this podcast, I like to talk about simplifying your life so you can live out
0:43.4	your priorities. I help you learn how to cook from scratch and decorate on a budget through this
0:47.8	podcast and my courses simple sourdough in the simple sewing series. I also help people reach their
0:53.5	goals from home through my business
0:54.9	course in YouTube Success Academy. I will leave links to these resources in the show notes and
0:59.1	description box below. Now let's get into the show. Welcome back to the Simple Farmhouse Life
1:07.6	podcast. Today, as we are getting back into homeschool or at least some of you
1:13.3	might be some of you might be pushing off a little bit longer which is totally fine too
1:17.0	I want to encourage you or even if you're thinking about homeschooling with some words of
1:23.0	advice and wisdom and resources from Aaron Cox of the gentle and classical press.
1:30.1	So we're going to talk about setting habits, establishing habits in the younger years.
1:36.0	If you're a younger mom or even if you feel like this is something that would have worked
1:39.7	great, if you had done that and maybe you're having a new baby that you want to start establishing some
	...

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