IF you plan to HS through high school...

[MomtoJGJE]

We started out going year by year. DH was good with homeschooling when we started as long as the kids made "appropriate progress" each year. I'm assuming he meant grade level, but I wasn't worried.

Then it went to we'll keep going as long as they are making progress, period... He also started taking on my position of "I'd be doing the same amount of school with them each day due to homework" based on what friends with kids our kids ages were saying. Not to mention not having time to do anything fun in the evenings due to their bedtime.

Now it's "as long as it's working". I seriously believe we have less issues than we'd have with our kids if they were in school. Granted they probably fight with each other more often than they would if they weren't all together all the time, but I'll take that trade off.

[my3sons]

How did your come to that decision?

We are just starting out, but it really never occurred to me that I'd be interested in homeschooling all the way through. Honestly,I thought I'd just do K, and then I thought K-5, and currently I'm thinking K-8...but my DH actually said to me "we aren't doing this all the way right?", as if it was a crazy option He feels strongly that kids need to be on sports teams, have all of those high school experiences, etc.

If my child was having problems (ESP. Emotional, bullying etc) I would homeschool them in a heartbeat. But if they felt they wanted to go to school, then I think I would let them. Plus, to be very honest, I'm hoping to just get through junior high math and science, let alone high school!

BUT....Carrie keeps writing these amazing guides and I hate to think of missing ANY of them. I was just curious why other families make this decision.

What a good question! I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the responses here. The Lord certainly has varied paths for each of us to sometime reach the same conclusion, doesn't He? I did not think we would homeschool through high school, but here we are on the brink of it next school year with our oldest, and our plan is to homeschool all the way through with HOD.

I think the Lord led us to it slowly, one step at a time. Certainly my dh was not sure about middle school homeschooling, let alone high school homeschooling. We had a change of heart, and it can only have been the Lord's doing. I have come to believe that there is no knowledge worth acquiring if the Lord is not in it. This is NOT how I always felt. As a previous ps teacher having received my master's degree to be a principal, I was quite comfortable leaving the Lord out of school and leaving the church to handle that part of 'knowledge.' In fact, I even remembered thinking about one of my fellow master's degree teaching classmates that taught at a Christian school and made a fraction of what I made teaching at a ps - 'Why in the world would she do that?"

I think my heart started changing when I saw my dc's hearts start changing toward the Lord. This was the Lord's doing through HOD, among other things. They simply were better kids because of it. So, at that point, I thought 'Good! Less discipline problems. Better kids. Better character. Good enough!' Then, I had someone pass away, that I had grown to love - a rather crotchety old man that struggled with alcoholism all his life but still attended church off and on - and though I know it is not for me to judge, I did, and I was deeply saddened that maybe he didn't go to heaven. I felt horrible I hadn't made more of an effort to share God with him. I had a grandparent that was a strong Christian pass away not long after this other older man, and though it was difficult to say goodbye - it was easier knowing for sure my grandparent would be in heaven with Jesus with a perfect body and a wonderful life for eternity. Totally a different feeling. I began to realize how crucial it was to me that I did everything possible for my own dc to know the Lord, for the selfish reason I wanted them with me always.

I decided at this point that I should read the Bible, from cover to cover, and that changed my life completely. I can't explain it, but it made the Word totally come alive for me. It made me long to know Jesus. It made me long to spend time with Him. It made me long to be who He wants me to be. And, I longed for my dc to do the same. That is when I realized I didn't want my dc to go to high school where Jesus was not 'let in the door,' so to speak. I also felt like, though the academics that had always been supreme to me were important, the greater importance was/is knowing Him.

Fast forward to today, and here we are, homeschooling high school this very year. My dh doesn't question it. ever. This is a miracle that God has wrought. There is not another explanation for it. Now, our conversations are looking forward to college, and how to work through that! The Lord will certainly lead. Perhaps College Plus - a more Christian route that has our wonderful ds home with us a little longer. But again, the Lord will have to do some things to work that out, and He knows best.

Outside of the very BIG reason we are now homeschooling that I've already described, there are a few other benefits. First... control. Mind you - the Lord is in control, and that I know. But, I'm speaking of control in the sense that we can say 'yes' and 'no' to what we want to do, and we have nowhere we 'have' to be unless we choose to be a part of something that requires that. My dh can take our boys hunting and fishing whenever he wants, and it is the #1 way he relates to them, so it's pretty important. We can school when it is blizzarding out, and there are no 'make-up' days tacked on the end of school when the weather is beautiful. When my parents' health needs my attention, I can go to them. I can be more of the daughter, mother, wife, I want to be.

Another benefit... my oldest ds. I want more time with him. He is a HUGE help to me and a wonderful influence on our other sons. I simply want him here. When my sisters left home, and I was the youngest and in eighth grade, I cried for days. I worried life would never be the same again, and it wasn't. My 2 best friends left home and were not part of my life very much until - fast forward - I was finishing college. Those were some of the worst years for me when it came to making good decisions. I want my sons to remain best friends, and I want my oldest ds in his rightful position God gave him... at the helm leading.

Purity... I think it's tough to hang onto outside of homeschooling. It's going to be tough to hang onto even homeschooling, let's be honest. But, I think it's possible with God's help. I want the day each of our sons get married to be the first day they give themselves to their wives. I want the same for their wives. It will be an uphill battle, but I think it's - hopefully - going to be a little more easy homeschooling.

Traditions... I want to have traditions now that our dc come home for. I think this is tougher to do when dc are in ps simply because their schedule is more dictated by that. Without traditions in place, I think a mama of boys can lose her sons when they get married. There needs to be traditions to say 'We do this on July 4th' and 'We always do this on Memorial Weekend' and 'We do this for birthdays.' Again, this is not impossible in ps, but because others are running your time, traditions are tougher to have.

Those are just a few reasons why we've come around to homeschooling for high school. We pray for God's help, as we are NOT perfect parents. It is not always easy. It is tempting at times to throw in the towel and let someone else do the schooling. But, we come back to all that has been gained, and we want to hang on to it. We want to preserve our family's closeness, and our dc's faith, Lord willing. We just have to trust in Jesus each and every day. With HOD's help, I feel confident in my ability to teach high school. With God's help, I feel confident to homeschool high school. Who knows? My story could be yours in years to come. God bless the journey and lead the way!

In Christ,
Julie