HoTM Friday Meme: How I got started homeschooling

It's Friday Meme day at Heart of the Matter! Today's topic is "How you got started homeschooling".

I was lucky in that I knew even before I got married that I wanted to homeschool. Way back in my Senior year of high school, my aunt began teaching her oldest son at home. He'd been at home a good bit with a state tutor due to illness, but after he got better and had trouble with the teacher (NOT my cousin's fault!) they pulled him out and started teaching him at home. His younger sister followed later, and as the years went by, eventually all of the children were homeschooled.

I remember thinking, "WHY didn't anybody tell ME this homeschooling this is an option?!?!" I've always loved learning, and hated high school. It wasn't a complete fluff school, but it was not even approaching academic rigor by any means. As I could already see the handwriting on the wall as far as academics, safety and morality at schools way back in 1989, I made up my mind right then that I would be a homeschool mom. Thankfully, since my aunt stuck with it, she became my continued inspiration that I was on the right track.

When my now-husband and I were thinking about getting serious in our relationship, I sat him down one day and told him, "I want two things out of married life. I want to be a stay-at-home mom, and I want to homeschool." Basically, I was letting him know that if he was okay with those things, we could proceed - and if not, the relationship was at a dead end! LOL

As married life progressed and the children got older, I was all the more grateful that I already had homeschooling in mind. The school we lived closest to was a poor neighborhood school, and the academic quality and the morality there reflected that. Private school wasn't an option, and moving really wasn't either. Besides, the Kiddo wouldn't have done well in school - he's very smart, but he doesn't mix well with traditional academics. We probably would have had the teacher begging us for a Ritalin scrip by the end of the first week.

Have I ever regretted that decision way back then? Only very briefly when it's just "one of those days" that we all have - even the folks in regular schools. We all butt heads with our kids over schoolwork, and chores, and sibling relationships. It's part of being a parent. But no, I wouldn't trade this life for anything!

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