We often hear of the benefits of homeschooling for the children, but what about the benefits to parents? I’ve homeschooled my children for 13 years and I have discovered some distinctive benefits. I hope you’ve enjoyed my articles on Today.com. I'm a lecturer, content creator and tutor at One Hour Essay service for college & school students.

For the sake of time, I'll share only my four favorites.

We get to read great books.

As a certifiable bibliophile, it thrills me that I get to enjoy great books with my children. Now that they are middle school and high school students, I have the pleasure of discovering classics that I missed in my own high school education.

As a matter of fact, the majority of my kids’ high school reading list consists of books that I missed in high school – though I’m not quite sure how that happened since I was an avid reader. We're currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird. (I may be the only adult on the face of the planet who hasn’t read it, so no spoilers, please!)

The pleasure of reading great books with my kids is not reserved only for high school literature. Throughout their elementary and middle school years, I had difficulty tearing myself away from our daily read-aloud books. With engrossing tales such as Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Robin Hood or childhood favorites such as The Story of Ferdinand, Officer Gloria and Buckle, and all of the Frances and Pinkerton books, the struggle was real.

Home educating keeps our minds young and active.

One word: algebra. I was so intimidated by math as a high school student – especially algebra. I really wasn’t sure how that was going to go once I had high school students of my own.

However, I have found that many subjects – algebra included – make more sense as an adult. I am learning alongside my children so that I can help them navigate difficult concepts.

Who needs an app to maintain mental acuity? When you’re a homeschool parent trying to stay at least a half-step ahead of your students, mental sharpness is easy to maintain!

We get to learn new things.

When I was in school, poor Pluto was still a planet and we only had four oceans. Since then, Pluto has been demoted to dwarf planet and a fifth ocean – the Southern Ocean – has been delineated. Actually, there is still some debate over where the Southern Ocean – or Antarctic or Austral, depending on who you ask – begins, but the geography texts that our family has used have referenced the fifth ocean, something that caused more than a little confusion for this old woman the first time through.

It’s not just planets and oceans. There is a lot that I missed – or simply don’t remember – from my own school days. It seemed that every year we started history with Columbus and got as far as we could during the school year, but I don’t ever remember studying either world war. Having a daughter who was fascinated with that particular topic proved very educational for me.

We get to spend more time with our kids.

As the saying goes, the days are long, but the years are short. Having graduated one student and currently homeschooling one high school and one middle school student, I can attest to the truth of that sentiment. When I was homeschooling a second grader with a preschooler and toddler in tow, there were some really long days. Now that I find myself closer to the end of our homeschooling years than to the beginning, I wonder where the time went.

The years during which our children are home are fleeting. I am immensely grateful for the extra time with my children that homeschooling has afforded me.

Those are just a few of the personal benefits that I have enjoyed homeschooling my own children. Depending on your particular personality and family dynamics, I'm sure you could add many more. That simply underscores the fact that, though we homeschool primarily for our children's benefit, the perks extend to the entire family.