Homeschooling (part 1)

I know that not all of you homeschool, but I thought I would share a little of my homeschooling journey with you, because it is a big part of my everyday life.

I didn’t always want to homeschool. My mom was a big influencer. She would have liked to homeschool my brother and I, but she had to work. While I was growing up she told me that she hoped I would homeschool her grandkids, but I wasn’t so sure.

When my oldest was approaching school age, a friend of mine (whose daughter was the same age) decided that she wanted to homeschool. She had done a ton of research and really encouraged me to think about it. I also had another friend who told me about a free curriculum that she used. I noted it down because I thought I might use it for preschool to get my girl ready for school.

At the time my husband worked days and I worked the evening shift at a restaurant. When I thought about my daughter starting school, it saddened me that I would only have my evenings off to spend with her.

 I remember the moment that really sealed the deal. I was teaching my oldest how to write her name. She was having a hard time with the “n”, and then…she got it. She was so excited that she jumped up and threw her arms around my neck. And then I realized that I wanted to be a part of all her learning victories. A teacher would not be as personally excited about every little learning achievement as I would be. Childhood goes so quickly, I didn’t want to spend most of hers away from her.  

One thing that I love about homeschooling is that I can teach
my kids many things that aren't taught in most public schools anymore,
like cursive and sewing.

So I jumped in…It has not always been easy. I have made and will continue to make mistakes, but I have never regretted it. It has taught me so much. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my kids. I really feel like it was the best decision for my children.

I know that homeschooling isn’t for everyone, but if you have the desire to do it (or even the flicker of a desire), I really want to encourage you to do it! Parenting is full of all kinds of challenges, whether you homeschool or not, so don’t be discouraged from doing it by a bad day (or week, or month!). You CAN homeschool your kids!

My next blog will include some myths and truths about homeschooling…

Bye for now!

Lee