4 years ago

Today is the first day of public school here and it reminded me of that day four years ago. Colin would have started kindergarten if he had gone to public school. I can still remember the panic I felt that day. He had never been to preschool or anything so it shouldn't have been a big deal since we had really been homeschooling all along. As the time for kindergarten got closer, I got nervous though. Doing something different isn't easy for me. That day, it suddenly felt real. We were really doing this! He wasn't going to school!

I had so many fears. Could I possibly do this? Besides Colin (who was 5 1/2),  I had a 9 month old and a 2 1/2 year old. Where was I going to find the time? Was I making a huge mistake?  Would he ever learn to read? Would he have friends? Would I know how to teach all the things he needed to know? How would I teach subjects I hated in school?

Well four years later, I still sometimes have fears, but most of them are gone. I still wonder if I'll have time to do all I want, but I now teach three kids. Every year I try to write everything down to see how I'll fit it all in. It never works on paper, but somehow it all still happens in real life. I taught Colin and Caleigh how to read and Molly will learn soon. They have lots of friends. Colin is one of the most social kids I've ever met. It turns out that they're pretty normal kids. Apparently it wasn't the subjects I hated when I was in school, but the presentation. I'm learning so much right along with the kids.

I'm so glad we made the decision to homeschool. Sure, it would be nice to have more free time. It'd be great to have more time to clean and organize the house. I spend a lot of my time planning school and teaching. It's worth all that though to see their faces when they learn something new, to be the one who hears them read their first book, to see the look when something they've struggled with finally clicks, and to spend this precious time with them. I'm thankful to my husband, who wasn't sure about this in the beginning, but researched and gave it a lot of thought before making a decision. I'm thankful that he works hard so that I don't have to have a paying job and can devote the time to homeschool. He's so good at understanding when I get behind on other things or need a break. As I notice how quickly my kids are growing up, I'm very grateful for this time we have together.