Still trying to decide what to do.............

[christyg]

Hi ladies! I hope that you are all having a blessed day. I posted a few weeks ago that I was thinking about homeschooling. I am still praying and researching as much as I can so that I can decide what's best for my family. I am hoping to make my decision by the beginning of the summer so that I will have the summer to get organized. I have a 5 yr old daughter who will be doing K next year and also a 3 yr old son who is just playing and being a little boy right now. You are probably going to think that I am crazy..........I already have the whole box of LHFHG sitting in my house (and it looks awesome, by the way).............I really think that God has led me to do this, but for some reason I am just a nervous wreck about making that final decision about it. My husband is on board (he is an accountant by day and a seminary student and preacher outside of that), as are the kids. It's just that first step that's getting me. I just want to make a decision and be at peace with it.

I have so enjoyed reading all of your posts over the past few months. You are all just the sweetest and most helpful group of ladies! I just have a few more questions...............

1) What reasons brought you to homeschool?
2) What have been the best things that you have gotten from it?
3) What have been the hardest things that you have been through with it?

I think that I basically want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly with it! Ha!

I'm sorry if this is a bit off topic, I guess that I just need some words of encouragement that I will not ruin my kids if I do this. Thanks so much taking your time with me. Have a good evening!

Christy

[1GirlTwinBoys]

What reasons brought you to homeschool?
2) What have been the best things that you have gotten from it?
3) What have been the hardest things that you have been through with it?

Hi Christy,
Homeschooling is something I have prayed over since my children were born. I remember feeling the same way you're describing. My daughter is in K this year and my twin boy's in pre-k (13 months age differance). They have always been home with me and never in preschool so we are used to being together pretty much 24/7. I just wanted to keep them home and make sure they were getting the best influence and a Christ centered education. I am sooooooo glad for the decisions I have made and have no regrets at all. We just started HOD 3 weeks ago but are REALLY enjoying it and learning so much together. I love the little conversations we are having now about our lessons and reading. I can't help but think about how much time and enjoyment I would have missed if they were gone from me all day 5 days each week.

Since we are new to "formal" homeschooling this year, I can't really say there has been anything too hard or difficult yet. There are days (like today) where they don't want to do what is expected of them, but they are still young and I try to remember that often.

I have to say that we are having so much fun doing this together. Also, we go on a homeschool field trip with other local homeschoolers about once each month. Thursday is our library/craft day which has been great and breaks up our week a little bit. We still do our lessons on that day but it's just a busier day for us.

I pray you will find peace with your decisions too.

[eazbnsmom]

Hi Christy,

Homeschooling is something I knew I wanted to do before I was even married. I was homeschooled my last two years of HS, my brothers & sisters homeschooled and was impressed with the results I saw in their children. I just knew PS was not the place for my children and some of the Christian Schools were not much better, plus expensive.

I think some of the best things I have gotten from it is the close knit relationship I have with my children. Being the one to see that spark in their eyes when they finally get something that we have been working on. Knowing what kind of influences are involved in my children's lives whether through books, friendships etc.

The hardest thing is sometimes those frustrating moments when they are not getting their multi digit multiplication or the toddler is stepping on the kittens while you are trying to teach your child grammar etc....and of course dealing with our flesh and imperfections.

HTH

[crlacey]

Why we started homeschooling:
In the beginning, we thought about it because of our DD's separation anxiety. (It was worse than most toddlers and lasted 2 yrs.) Once we got the ball rolling, we came up with 100 more reasons why we wanted to homeschool. The top reasons for us are: ability to shape our children's values and thoughts, ability to give a better and more tailored education to our children at their specific levels, able to present God in their everyday life and studies (especially including science) and Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

The good:
My DD and DS are still close, DD has great influences in her life instead of learning how to act like a typical 5 yr old, we can work at her level in each subject (which is different), we can go to Disney in the off season!

The bad:
There are days that she doesn't want to do her school work and the day just seems to go from bad to worse, but I figure we'd have those days even if she wasn't homeschooled.

I hope that you can find peace in your decision. I know we love it and don't have any regrets.

[sharonb]

Hi!
I've known that I wanted to homeschool since I was pregnant with my oldest. I wanted to be able to use every teachable moment to share God with my children. I also couldn't bear the thought of turning them over to SOMEONE ELSE for the better part of everyday, not to mention all the other children who would be teaching them who knows what.

I have 5 children, so life is crazy around here. Homeschooling is challenging with several levels, but I'm working hard to figure out how to get it all done (and keep the house clean too!). I really feel that using HOD will help me a LOT (we haven't started yet; we'll be starting Beyond soon with my 2 oldest).

Anyway, please give homeschooling a chance. You are so blessed that your husband is totally supportive. From everything I've read about LHFHG, you will love it (I can't wait to use it myself, probably starting in Dec when child#3 turns 5).

Finally, one more reason I love homeschooling: the school bus drives by our house at 7 am. We don't get up until 8 am. The bus drives by again at 4 pm. If my children were in public school, they would be gone for NINE HOURS everyday. I don't think my 5 year old could have even handled that without having a meltdown from total exhaustion every evening.

[Kathy_in_OH]

Hi Christy,

I have homeschooled for 17 years. I have a 21yo son and 18 yo daughter in college, both of whom will graduate with their bachelor's degrees in business in June. My oldest is 29yo and married with 2 grandbabies, and my baby is 15yo and in 10th grade. A year ago we gained custody of my niece who is now 6 and I am homeschooling her. We will be using Beyond in the fall. I never heard of homeschooling until my now 21yo was in Pre-K. in a Christian school. I always had the mind set that my children would go to a good Christian school. When I first found out about homeschooling I thought "These people must be nuts!". But God must have a sense of humor because lo and behold it wasn't long before He started dealing with my husband and I about homeschooling. You are doing the right thing by picking all of our brains. That's what I did in the beginning, I probably was a nuisance to a few people in those early days. There was one lady in particular that was a tremendous help. I see her every now and then and I always thank her for sharing her wisdom with me liberally and getting me through my first year. Ultimately, the main reason we chose to homeschool was because God called us to. How do I know? Because he put a desire and a passion for it in my heart and I had peace about it. (That's not to say I didn't have any fears or misgivings) You have to listen with your heart and not your head. The secondary reasons were that we wanted to maintain the family unit as we believe that is God's will for the family, we didn't want our children to be bombarded with peer pressure but be surrounded by Godly influences, we wanted to have control over what and how our children were taught and wanted their education to come from the Source of all wisdom, and we wanted to be able to instill Godly character in our children.

The first thing I would tell you is RELAX! You CAN do this! Who knows or loves your children more than you? Plus, you won't find a better student/teacher ratio! You said you really think God has led you to homeschool, so if He called you to do it, He will equip you to do it! You do it by faith, just like everything else in your life. Secondly, remember that homeschooling should not be "school at home" but a lifestyle of learning. Homeschoolers who try to do things just like schools typically burn out after a couple years(or sooner). It's good that you found HOD your first year. It is written so that your dc learn in a natural way and not like "school at home". Thirdly, my philosophy is that a bad year of homeschooling is better than a good year of public school(or private). Now you are probably not going to have an entire year that is bad, but seriously, if you did nothing for a year you still would NOT ruin your dc lives. Relax, enjoy your children, and realize that it's a marathon not a sprint. If I remember correctly I read recently that 17% of public school students graduate without knowing how to read. I've never known a homeschooler to graduate without knowing how to read!

I can't tell you all the wonderful things we've experienced because of homeschooling. One thing I like is that I feel like I learned as much or more than my dc. Being able to do or go anywhere we want to when we want to is great. Another thing I like is that it keeps me seeking the face of God. As long as I've done this, I still don't always feel adequate. I've learned to look at that as a good thing. As long as I'm seeking God, I know I am doing what he wants and not doing things in the flesh. Another big thing is being able to direct my dc education according to their giftings and talents and at the pace they want to go. This has been especially a blessing when my children got junior high age and wanted to pursue music, voice, graphic design, drama etc.... As my children have grown, graduated and gone on to college, it has been humbling to watch the fruit in their lives, the confidence they have, but most of all how much they love the lord and seek after him in every area of their lives. I wouldn't trade that for anything! I thank God often for calling us to homeschool.

Hardest things to deal with are the norm. We never feel adequate, never feel like we are doing enough(even though it's usually more than enough), hitting rough spots with individual children, dealing with attitudes(sometimes more mine than theirs!), adjusting teaching styles for different learning styles(another good thing about HOD - there is something for every type of learner), relatives who constantly feel they have to "quiz" your children to see what they know, constantly changing schedules(as soon as you get something figured out - it changes), not being able to keep the house as neat as I would like.......etc

But, let me assure you the positives FAR outweigh the negatives.

One year we moved in with my husband's mother who had just had stroke. We lived with her for about 8 months and got basically no formal schooling done. But, we learned how to care for an elderly person, how to have compassion and patience and many other things. When we moved out there was a couple months left in the school year. Amazingly, my then 6yo son who was reading on a first grade level but had his phonics instruction interrupted when we moved in with my mother-in-law, knew the rest of the phonics I hadn't been able to teach him and was reading on a 3rd grade level! I asked God to give me a plan for what he wanted me to do the rest of the year(typically we school year round taking July and the month of December off along with other shorter breaks during the year). I did what I felt He said do for the last couple months. That year I had my 13yo tested with the Iowa Test to see where he was so I could fill in any gaps. I was amazed that he tested above average in every area! God is faithful! When we step out to obey his calling, His strength makes up for all our weaknesses.

I'm sorry this got so long. It's a passion of mine(if you couldn't tell!) to encourage homeschool moms along the journey - especially the ones just starting.
In closing, I'll just say there will be good, there will be bad, and there will be ugly, but that's O.K. It's life and learning. Enjoy the journey!
I will pray for you to have God's wisdom and peace about your decision. And feel free to ask all the questions you want!

Blessings,
Kathy

[Jessi]

Christy,

The first step is a doozy. I used to be a public school teacher and then I became pregnant. Well, during my whole pregnancy I just knew I was going to put my daughter in day care and get a teaching job again because that is what I went to college for 5 years to do. I mean, really what else was I supposed to do with that degree. *tongue in cheek* And then she was born and I couldn't part with her. I just couldn't imagine sending my daughter to someone else to raise a good portion of the day. I never thought about homeschooling at first. But that thought that I didn't want anyone else shaping my daughter's personality or values combined with the thought that I wanted to see all of her milestones (walking, talking, potty training, etc) bled over into thinking about school for her. Then my son came along and I just knew that God was calling us to something different.

There were moments I said, "God, I know I can do this, but do I really want to?" I was afraid of a lot of things about homeschooling at the beginning- socialization *laughing*, never having a moment to myself, rarely having adult conversation, worrying about the chance one of my kids could have a learning disability that I wasn't qualified to handle, concerned with what our families and friends would say to us, etc. But you know what, God kept pressing on my heart "those aren't good enough reasons, Jessi." I guess it came down to trust for me. Am I going to trust that He called me to this for a reason? If I say yes, then I am in line with His will. Will it be easy? No way. Will it be worth it? You bet.

The hardest things so far for me have been dealing with younger sibling and my day care kids running around. Invariably, one or more of them starts a screaming tantrum fit right in the middle of our lesson. I sometimes realize I expect too much out of my daughter and I have to reign myself in to make sure she is still having fun and wanting to be around me. Since we never get a break from each other, I do find that my patience for their behavior is sorely tested a lot. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I handle it correctly. All are teaching moments for me and my kids.

The best part is that I am the one teaching my daughter to read. I am the one who has seen her accomplish everything. I am the one who knows her the best and I am the one who wants her to become exactly who God has created her to be....not the public schools. My daughter and son are extremely close and even though there are down days, there are days when we laugh our rears off over our silly antics. God is blessing our family cohesiveness by doing this. And another thing....I don't feel like i am alone. That was another fear of mine, that I wouldn't know anyone else doing this, and within my circle of friends and family I am the only one, but God bless the internet because I have found wonderful ladies on here who help me and give great advice and I realize I am not the only one going against the grain. God is faithful!

Take the plunge..... I mean, give it a year. You can't mess your child up in Kindergarten by keeping them at home. Most K programs in public school are only teaching the alphabet, colors, shapes, and very basic reading and math skills. Evaluate after a year to see if this is what you want and feel like God is calling you to. If not, place them in school. And when you think about it, when we were kids K was mostly a morning or afternoon only class. They only went to all day because of working families and well to have more influence over the kids. So, I say commit to one year and see where it goes from there.

[christyg]

Thanks so much ladies for your time and all of your great advice and encouragment! You were all so helpful! I knew that you would be. I am going to keep seeking God's will on this and hopefully make my decision soon. I will let you know what I decide.

I hope that you all have a blessed day!

Christy

[dale1088]

Ultimately, the main reason we chose to homeschool was because God called us to. How do I know? Because he put a desire and a passion for it in my heart and I had peace about it. (That's not to say I didn't have any fears or misgivings) You have to listen with your heart and not your head. The secondary reasons were that we wanted to maintain the family unit as we believe that is God's will for the family, we didn't want our children to be bombarded with peer pressure but be surrounded by Godly influences, we wanted to have control over what and how our children were taught and wanted their education to come from the Source of all wisdom, and we wanted to be able to instill Godly character in our children.

Kathy said it so much better than I could have!

I will say I did not know I should homeschool. Of course I knew *of* homeschoolers but always thought they were a little "out there". I mean, who do they think they are? How can they possibly be qualified to teach when they aren't "certified" teachers?! Well, fast forward 3 1/2 years and my dd was just beginning 3rd grade. We saw so many negative influences in her life. And being gone from me for so many hours a day we never had quality time together for those heart-training moments. I wasn't there when someone was mean to her, or she faced a challenging math problem that sapped her confidence, or she was tempted to sin. I tried to trust that she could handle it, but she wasn't equipped yet. Also, she was not a behavior problem, nor a genius, nor special needs, so she kind of slipped through the cracks in a classroom of 19 children. God laid on our hearts exactly what Kathy wrote about above and I pulled my dd at Christmas break this year.

So, I'm not an experienced homeschooler. I'm very lucky that I have a good homeschool moms group locally so I found lots of new friends. I don't feel isolated at all. I'd say the biggest challenge for us is having my dd adjust to doing things differently than she did in school, and seeing me as a qualified to teach her. I get the whine : "Mooooommmmmmmm, this math is toooooo haaarrrrrrddd!!!" Or whatever it is, that she would never in a million years have said to a teacher, but we work through it.

I just want to encourage you to go for it! There are a million options for learning styles, one day classes and enrichment, etc, and you will find what works. To reiterate the previous posters: If God calls you to it, He will equip you for it!

[Busymomma1]

1) What reasons brought you to homeschool?

I was like you... my oldest getting ready to start K. She was in a preK program at a church. I had friends/acquaintances who were HSing, and I thought I couldn't do it. But then...my initial reasons for looking more deeply in HSing came when I was getting SO TIRED of being a chauffeur and waking my baby to pick up my dd from school. Also, I was simply looking into books about activities to do at home with the kids and some of the books were HSing books. Well...long story short, I started thinking that I could do K in the same amount of time I could be driving my kids to school! ha! So not a deep initial reason! But it progressed to wanting to be the main influence in our children's lives. My husband was always more "into it" than I was, but once I researched it and read things from Charlotte Mason, for example, I was hooked! I saw what a beautiful thing it could be (ie: not "school at home" but more fun and relaxed, following my children's interests and abilities when possible). And I feel the Lord slowly called me to it in that way, because I didn't really want to do it, at first.
We are just finishing our 2nd year of HSing now, and I'm planning to continue on next year.
I was just at the HS convention in Cincinnati, and listened to a talk from Dr. Jay Wile of Apologia Science, and he gave a compelling talk about why to HS through High School. He was a professor at a university in IN, and he said of all his students, his top 3 ever were homeschooled, and 7 out of his top 10 were homeschooled. He felt the product of homeschooling is a far superior education than public or Christian school. He had stats to back it up. I think you could google Dr. Wile/Apologia and he has notes on his site from this talk. I won't go into all of it, but he was very persuasive regarding the fact that public education fails our children, and homeschooling is far superior.

2) What have been the best things that you have gotten from it?
More time with the kids, knowing EXACTLY where my kids strengths and weaknesses lie academically, and being able to tailor their lessons to those needs. I agree with another poster... you have flexibility for vacations, field trips too! You can have opportunities to "hear their heart" more, too. And I want to improve in that area with them, as well as with incorporating spiritual truths throughout their education.

3) What have been the hardest things that you have been through with it?
More time with the kids Really, sometimes you'll envy your friends who have 6 free hours every day! But I'm seeing that time is flying, and even with my kids home everyday, I can feel like they are growing up too fast. So I'm glad to have this extra time with them. And it can be hard when you think you've got some great activities/lessons planned, and the kids whine and complain. It can suck the wind right out of you. And that's why I'm coming back to HOD!!! I did LHFHG for K with my dd (and 4 y/o ds tagged along), and then did my "own thing" this year for K with DS and 1st grade for dd. I think we had more fun when we did LHFHG. Plus, I noted in a previous post how the Lord used a simple activity from LHFHG for my dd and I to have an impt discussion about Jesus just recently (I was pulling some activities from LHFHG again). So that convinced me to come back and use Beyond next year with my kiddos (6 and 8 by fall). I want a God-centered, fun-filled, yet academically challenging when appropriate year!

God bless you in your decision! I encourage you to try HS! It helped me to initially have the attitude of "one year at a time". You can assess where you are yearly and decide from there. Deciding to HS now doesn't necessarily mean you've committed to the next 12 years!
Take care!

Reason

[CortezClan]

Christy,
Hi! I wanted to write even though I haven't "officially" home schooled my daughter yet, but I do know I've taught my girls their whole lives so far! lol

I have a 5 year old who went to K in a ps this year. We were talking about home schooling but didn't think it would be possible last fall. Then this whole school year has just disappointed us SO much, we have had so many bad experiences and the influences we are seeing creeping in on our daughter are making us so sad and very upset! Needless to say we are going to home school her this fall and I wanted to share my ideas so far:

1) What reasons brought you to home school?
My main reason was God and then my experience with ps. I truly felt my heart break when I had to leave Ana at the school for over 6 hours with strangers! I know that everyone there are wonderful people BUT they are not ME, and she would be doing only who knows what and experiencing things I can't control! I was so tempted to just grab her back and keep her with me! But I truly thought I was just being controlling and not trusting God but the feeling only got worse. My husband also was so upset by her experiences, he kept on bringing up maybe if she had a different teacher, school or something!

We started realizing about two months ago these feelings had to be from God because we were so disturbed by her being there and just couldn't be at peace. We needed a different answer. It wasn't until we officially decided to home school and I started looking at how to even get started that we felt a peace in our lives, we got SO excited and are still SO excited!

I also have to say that I went to ps my whole life, and I truly enjoyed it but I feel like school is so different from when I was in school. 22 years ago is a long time and so much has changed in our world since I went off to kindergarten. I don't have to list all the things that are different because all we have to do is turn on the news or open up the internet. What I also think is the approach to learning is so much different, I sure know I wasn't learning yoga and getting taught that everything is acceptable!

Also besides spending hours on the internet researching home schooling, praying constantly, the first thing we did was create a list of the reasons why we will be home schooling. Something to memorize for those questions that are going to come, something to look back and remind ourselves and of course add to as we get more into this adventure. Some of our reasons are:
~Can set our own schedule, my husband has a strange schedule, he works 24 hours on a rotation, he has 4 days off then works for 4 every other days and then has 6 days off. Not to be confusing but we can match our lives to that schedule and have so much family time we won't know what to do with ourselves!!
~Making God #1 in our lives in every aspect
~Ability to know what she is learning, of course we can agree with everything WE teach her!
~Stop unwanted influences in her live, have more controlled social gatherings, i.e. at our house and the activities we choose
~Ability to focus on her "bent" the things she is gifted in and is called to do
~Very small class size! Great student to teacher ratio! lol
~Grow our family bonds
to name a few.

2) What have been the best things that you have gotten from it?
As I said we haven't started yet but we have already gotten so much from our decision. I feel God's hand upon our lives so powerfully. I am SO excited about the daily focus on our Lord that we will be so focused on Him and the bible all we will be able to do is thrive as a family! The fall is SO far away!!!
Also the excitement in our daughter and the peace we are feeling have been so contagious, we can't help but be happy these days!

3) What have been the hardest things that you have been through with it?
Obviously haven’t had experience but the things I am worried about are:
Are they going to thrive with my teaching, my meager skills and VERY human issues that I will bring to the day?
Are my other daughters going to miss out of the "school" experience, you know that excitement of the first day of school, so in turn are we taking something away from them?
Are they going to be viewed as "strange" because they are not in ps?
Are they going to have enough social interaction?
Are they going to want to learn from me? I mean being with me all day at home, teaching them and then telling them to go clean their rooms, are they going to get sick of me??

I know that I can only experience to answer those questions fully but this board has been SO encouraging for me, I just know that this is the right thing for our family at this time!

And like the great advise above me...you only have to try it, its not like you are going to break them! lol

I hope you find peace in whatever your decision and I pray that you will know the Lords will for your life, I know that he will work out all things for good!

Blessings,
Heather

[my3sons]

This thread has been an incredible blessing to read. I believe when God speaks to our hearts, it is imperative to listen. His will be done - yes, even when we can't see our way through it, He can. I never dreamed of homeschooling. I had spent 7 years going to colleges majoring in education (4 undergrad, 3 getting my masters). I'd taught 7 years in ps, and was just trained to be a principal. If ever there was a ladder to climb in a career, I'd finally climbed it and was teetering on the precipice of finally "achieving my dreams". Oh sure, my oldest sister homeschooled, but that was for her, not me. She'd never been a "career gal". She'd gotten married and had her children young, she'd homeschooled from the beginning. I was different.

Then, my other sister wanted to homeschool, and she happened to be my job share partner at the time (so I could be home half-time). Still, I was not going to "give in". I believe I was actually hardening my heart to God's plan for me. Then, one day I thought about choosing which classroom in ps I'd want my ds to be in - there was not a teacher or a classroom good enough in my mind. This teacher didn't like busy boys, another one loved dc but had a chaotic classroom, another one was an atheist, yet another never let dc leave their desks, another one was wonderful - but then I was bothered by the large class size, the early bus ride, the huge almost uncontrollable number of dc out for recess at once, the school bullies, etc. Oh my, I came to the conclusion I would not even be happy with my ds in my own classroom at school because of all of these other things!

This brought me to begin to consider homeschooling. I decided to take a 1-year sabbatical from my teaching job. This way, my job would still be waiting for me if I wanted it, though no guarantees to which school I'd be placed. My dh was not supportive. He was concerned about the loss of income. He agreed that if I could prove I could generate the same amount of income and still homeschool, I could homeschool. So, I began building a tutoring business from my home and at the library. Over that year, I replaced my income, and grew to love homeschooling my ds. When the year was over, my dh agreed to me homeschooling, again as long as I could continue to replace the lost income. This became a challenge, however, because my dh took a traveling job. He would no longer be available to watch our dc while I tutored, and I'd just had a new premie baby again. I went back to the drawing board. I began working for Alpha Omega out of my home as a full-time online tutor for about 300 students. It worked for a few years in my life.

Now, 7 years into homeschooling, my dh is very supportive of homeschooling - praise the Lord! I still work part-time out of my home, which puts my dh at ease and helps pay for clothes, make-up, bikes, etc. It has been worth every single struggle. God has richly blessed our commitment to homeschool. In answer to your 3 questions...

1) What reasons brought you to homeschool?
God softened my heart and empowered me to be able to homeschool. I wanted my dc with me, with each other, and with my dh in the day to day. I wanted them to learn about God all day. I wanted my dc to be each other's best friends. I wanted them to have enough time to grow in their faith so that they actually really could be a light to others rather than be swayed to temptation by others. I wanted to know what they did all day. I wanted to be the first one to hear them read, to hug them when they were down, to pray with them when they needed it. I wanted to protect them and give them the chance to thrive. I did not want them to spend a lot of time on a bus or to be in school all day. I longed for them to have free time, to be outdoors, and to just be kids.

2) What have been the best things that you have gotten from it?
The best things I've gotten from it - all of the above reasons I homeschooled and more.

3) What have been the hardest things that you have been through with it?
Not everyone is supportive - but then again, that is the way it is no matter what a person does . It is sometimes lonely - but God uses those times to draw us closer, and He has given me this board to help with this as well. I could have earned a lot of money in my career, which would have made life somewhat easier - but that sure doesn't sound like something God would want me to base decisions on, does it?

In short, I know I am in God's will. Every day, my dc and I learn more about Him as we homeschool - thanks to HOD. I prayed that if God could change my dh's heart to fully embrace homeschooling, I would keep Him at the center of our homeschooling as much as I possibly could. He did - praise God! I can't help but think that God has removed at least some of the major obstacles to homeschooling for you already, Christa. I'm so glad for you for that! Here is something to weigh - if God has laid this on your heart and opened doors for you to be able to do this - then it is very likely part of His purpose for you - one of the things He wants you to do for Him. You are able to do this, and do this well, because He has probably chosen you for it. It is truly that simple. God is that powerful. He is that strong. Keep praying, Christa, and He will direct your paths!

In Christ,
Julie

[gratefulmama]

Christy,
You have asked some great questions and received some equally great responses. I do pray for you that God's best and His will for you and your family become crystal clear. I love the advise you have received to follow your heart!! Also, look in your User Control Panel for Private Messages!
Victoria

[christyg]

Victoria, thank you so much for letting me know about the PM. I have not been on this board for long (in fact, this is the only board that I have ever posted on ). So, I hadn't noticed it. Thanks so much for all of your help. You and the rest of the ladies on here have given me so much encouragement. You have all made me feel like I could really do this! I am so thankful to God for leading me to HOD! I hope that you all have a great day!

Love in Christ,
Christy

[Tree House Academy]

I never thought I would homeschool my kids. I thought people who homeschooled were "strange" and I believed all of the stupid stereotypes that go around about homeschoolers. Then, my oldest son (who has ADHD and always had behavior issues in school) started to struggle more and more with the "system" in regards to his behavior. It was during this time that my dh befriended a man whose wife homeschooled their children. He came to really care for and respect this friend and I met their family at a dinner one night. To my surprise, they had only two eyes and they weren't glowing green like aliens as I had expected! LOL Their kids were amazing! They were polite, pleasant, HAPPY. When we left that dinner, I still wasn't sold, though my opinion of homeschoolers had changed forever.

Fast forward about 4 years. My younger son was just really hating preschool. I would work with him at home on things I thought were "fun" and he would pick up the concepts like crazy. Then he would go to preschool and come home crying and telling me he just wanted to learn at home with me. At the same time, my older son had begun being bullied in ps by a child that threatened his life and the school blew it off because the bully was only 8 years old ( ). I knew that something had to be done. My family was just going in every direction. My youngest was capable of more than he was being given - he wanted to read so badly he couldn't stand it. BUT due to his age and size, he would not have started KIndergarten until August 2009 (he is now about half-way through 1st grade materials ). My oldest was losing his self esteem and going to school only to be bullied and not listened to by teachers because of his prior behavior issues.

By May of last year, I had decided to homeschool my youngest. He just lent himself to it and it just felt right. But it wasn't until the last day of school, when I watched the bully hit my son and lie about ME "calling him a name" to his grandmother that the last straw was broken for me!

I pulled my oldest out of school that last day and we have not looked back. It is absolutely the BEST decision we have ever made.