Why I Homeschool

 This is an old post that I am just giving myself a reminder of why I homeschool my children! With the move being a week away I needed to encourage myself. Homeschooling a moving twice in 5 weeks has taken a toll on our year. We were just starting to get into a somewhat normal schedule at my in-laws and now it's going to be a bit crazy again. Praise God its almost done.

It's that time of the year again, and some families start looking into homeschooling their children. I thought I would share this post with some of my readers again. I am so surprised at how many Emails that I have gotten on this page. Most being from Mom's who have children with special needs and are wondering if they can teach their children. Since their is a lot of kids with special needs who are not very social they are afraid homeschooling them will hinder them  even more. I want to ensure you that your kids can blossom with homeschooling. It is up to you to look around your community and find a good support group, or activities for them. Many zoos, and YMCA offer many opportunities to get involved with other families. Once you get your feelers out there you will be surprised at how much is available to homeschoolers. Don't forget the homeschool conventions. They usually have booths set up promoting things around town. This is why we choose to homeschool are kids. I would love to hear your reasons of choosing to homeschool your kids.
That is the never ending questions of those of us who homeschool. Some folks are fine with homeschooling and others think that we are ruining our children's life. In my case, some think it's the reason for all my daughter's problems. Go figure, most of her problems are medical related. They think if I send her to a public school all of her odd behaviors will just disappear. I don't think so! She would just go deeper into her own little world and she would be so lost. I couldn't even image what it would do to her.
We had their cousin stay over this weekend and he had all kinds of questions about homeschooling. He knows and understands that Bug has a lot of medical problems and is different than most kids her age. He wanted to know if Little Man would go to a real school when it is his time. Since, Bug can't go to a real school. I had to laugh at his comment and asked him to explain why this is not a real school. I listened to his thoughts and afterwards I took him downstairs to the classroom. I showed him all the workbooks and books we do. He seen all the science, art and regular school supplies. I think he was more excited about the fact that his cousins only do school 4 days a week and only 2-3 hrs a day. He told me that he would sure have alot of play time if he did school like we do. I don't think he fully understands it but,he had alot of questions and it was fun explaining to my 7 yr old nephew. I love listening to how kids view thing-it just makes me smile and laugh. Anyways, it got me thinking afterwards about why we homeschool and all the crazy comments that we have to endure as a homeschooling parent.
1.) I would have to say the most important thing to our family would be from Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." I want my children's education to be God-centered, so that they know that God created everything, . I want them to be able to argue for their faith instead of being confused into believing in evolution, humanism and every thing that comes their way. I want them to know who they are in Yeshua(Jesus). 1 Peter 3:15 "talks about sanctifying the Lord God in your hearts: and to be ready to give an answer to every man that ask you a reason of the hope that is in you" I want my children to know why they believe what they believe and to be able to share their faith with others.
2.) I want us to have a close relationship with each other. I don't want to be strangers in our own home.
3.) I want to make sure they aren't being exposed to poor influence and worldly values. I want them to grow with confidence in who God created them to be, and not believing that their role in this world is to be only about themselves. To have a heart to serve others. I want my kids to be individuals, without having to conform to the mold of this world and other kids.
4.) I love all the quality time that I spend with them, seeing them learn, learning with them, and spending quality time with them.
5.) I want them to have an imagination and a broad range of possibilities to stretch their minds to its fullest capacity. I do not want their love of learning to be squashed because of a restricted curriculum. The beauty of homeschooling is that I can work at their pace. If they are not understanding a concept we can spend days, weeks or even months on that area. Not having to worry about a schedule or all the other children in the class. I can take the things that they enjoy and make a lesson out of it. I want them to enjoy learning. If Bug wants to learn about bugs. We can change directions and study bugs and at the same time we are learning about those bugs we can combine language arts, reading, science and math with bugs. Its endless with the choices that we can study.
I know that socialization is always a big concern. It shouldn't even be a concern. I cringe at how many moms tell me that their children are too outgoing to be homeschooled and like being around other kids. They think as homeschoolers that we keep our children locked up all day. The homeschool community is very active. We do a physical education, field trips, art classes, music lessons and sports. We get together with other families. I don't want my kids to just be able to socialize with their peers. I want them to be able to have a conversation with the elderly and of people of all ages and to be comfortable doing it. Not just because mom told them to do it but, because they enjoy it. I don't want them being concerned with what their friends will think if they enjoy spending time with an adult or young children.
I know some great families who have children in public school. I don't think if you send your kids to public school that you will ruin their lives and they won't be educated. I also realize that you can teach your children all the things I just mentioned above in a public school. This is the choice that we have made for our family. After much prayer we know that we are doing what God wants us to do. I am so grateful that I have this opportunity to teach my own kids. I pray continually for wisdom on this journey. It's not always easy being a homeschool mom. I have to say that it is the best job in the world. I have the best benefits of any job. I get hugs and kisses instead of a paycheck. I love doing what I am doing. Yes, its very tiring and I work more than 40 hours a week. We have bad days and good days. We even have bad stressful weeks! It's a joy and a privilege to not only be a mom but being a homeschool mom.