Amanda Owen has revealed that her son Reuben “feels cheated” after she decided not to homeschool him, a choice she now says was influenced by the social stigma attached to homeschooling at the time.
The star of Channel 5's Our Yorkshire Farm, who separated from husband Clive in 2022, spoke candidly on the Made by Mammas podcast about the challenges of raising nine children and the differing educational paths she chose for them.
“I know Reuben, my second oldest, feels a bit cheated because he would have loved to be homeschooled,” Amanda said. “But at that point, it was kind of beyond the pale. Back then, you really were pushing the boundaries — if you did homeschooling, there was a little bit of a general consensus that you were a bit ‘out there.’ Now, homeschooling has become more mainstream.”
The 50-year-old, also known as the Yorkshire Shepherdess, explained that her approach has always been tailored to each child. “With nine children, they all have such different characters. It’s not a matter of saying, ‘You’re all going to be homeschooled,’ because I don’t believe that would set them all up with the best start in life.”
Amanda also reflected on how her parenting evolved over time. Her oldest child, Raven, has joked that she “practiced” on him. “By the time you get to your ninth child, their childhood is very different. You get your confidence a bit more,” she added.
The Owen family, who live on a working farm in North Yorkshire, have become household names through their television series. Amanda and Clive, who live next door to each other, continue to co-parent their children, with Amanda describing their separation as bringing “a sense of peace” to the family.
