When I found out I was pregnant AGAIN with Nadia, I immediately surrendered homeschooling. It was the only way I could think to survive another kiddo running around the house. Don't get me wrong; I know I am blessed and I love every single one of them. But trying to school two kids with three babies underfoot wasn't something I could even think about.
And my school-aged kids are doing wonderfully in public school. Kaleb is reading like a champ (he couldn't read at ALL this past September!) and Emily is in accelerated math and the advanced reading group.
I am SO proud of them.
A few months ago, I got nauseous at the thought of homeschooling EVER again. I knew we talked about starting again, but I dreaded it.
Not the past week or two.
I miss them. I miss having them here. I miss knowing WHAT they are learning and who they are spending time with. I miss seeing them "get it" when trying to figure something out.
I miss teaching them all of the "extra" stuff. Like cooking, cleaning, working things out as a family.
Could I really be ready for this again?
I sure hope so...
3 comments:
i'm intersted in hearing more about your decisions and journey. we don't homeschool. however each year it is a HUGE decision. we have our kids in public and they are doing great so to speak. but there is a peice of me that continues to nag in regards to homeschooling.
my question is do your kids miss it? do they want to come back home?
i don't allow my kids to make the decisions BUT i don't want to homeschool them if they would hate it. right now i think they would both be thrilled.
the thing that makes me most nervous is friendships....NOT socialization. we go to a very big church so it can be hard for the kids to make friends because it's actually too big. i'm nervous about the moms in a homeschool group...i'm so not a jumper wearer...i know that sounds terrible! but i can tell you aren't either!
i would love to hear more about it.
Flamingo Mama,
HA! No, I'm not a "jumper wearer"! You'd be surprised what kinds of moms are in the homeschool groups. It's quite a mix. You've got the hippie mamas, the jumper mamas, even some posh mamas, and lots in between. What state are you in?
Are you worried about your kids LOSING friendships or making new ones if they were to be homeschooled?
If you were to ask my kids if they miss homeschooling, they'd say that they miss parts of it. They miss the comfort and the flexibility. They love the opportunity to be with their peers everyday at their public school, though. My kids are very, very social. If your kids are somewhat social, they'd do fine.
One thing about homeschooling is that if forces you to really work on your kids' friendships. You need to make playdates and field trips and get them involved with other kids. If you are fortunate enough to find a good homeschool group (when we lived in NY we belonged to a GREAT one), it will be much easier.
The biggest question is, do YOU want to do it? If you really feel strongly about it, go for it. Kids are incredibly resilient. They will succeed if you are passionate about your strategy. The logistics will work themselves out.
If you DON'T feel that it's right, don't force yourself to do it. You won't enjoy it; it will be a chore.
As cheesy as it sounds, listen to your heart.
And pray. Pray a lot. I'm sure, as a mom, you already are :)
I look forward to hearing more about your future decisions!
PS: Maybe I'll post the story of our "homeschooling" journey soon :)
I don't wear jumpers either. And actually I only know one homeschooling mom in my circle of friends who does wear jumpers! lol
There are so, so many people homeschooling right now, it's not at all hard to find people to hang out with. When I was a kid it was a different story...so few people homeschooled then.
My kids haven't ever been to "real school" but they would be really upset if I decided to send them. They love being home, they love the flexibility, and they love getting done with their work so much faster than regular school students do.
Kristen@TheFrugalGirl (who LOVES homeschooling, even though it's hard work).
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