10 Years of Homeschooling

Just finished up our group study activities that we do for Martin Luther King day as we take a break from our "normal" school work to study good people in history and in today's world that have made a difference in promoting kindness. Was happy that some of my older kids who had the day off from their online charter school chose to participate too. It is days like this that remind me why I started homeschooling and the joy and fun it has been--not every day because we have had our struggles and some days it really sucks, but most of the time it is good.  

I guess I didn't realize it, but, I've been homeschooling for 10 years this year--can't believe it!! My homeschool has changed a lot in those 10 years. I went from the craziness of my 1st year of trying to homeschool 4 kids, plus taking care of a toddler and newborn baby to this year where my older 3 kids left in school do an online charter school and I'm only homeschooling my youngest who was the newborn baby when I first started all of this.  

I look back at all the notes I had from those first few years and I don't know how I survived or how I stayed on top of all of it. I know I wondered a lot back then if I had done the right thing pulling them out to home school.  

It wasn't that I hated our public school or the teachers--I really did like the teachers at our school--I volunteered in a lot of their classrooms when my older kids went to school there. I just saw how overwhelmed they were with so many kids in their classrooms and how kids got left behind or lost in the crowd and one of them was my kid. Kids all learn so differently and there really was room or time or money in a public school setting for kids to truly be taught in their own learning style and I felt like I could better do that at home.  

I also hated the person I was back then. I hated being a Mom. I was overwhelmed with all the kids I had and didn't feel like I got anything accomplished but running around in circles. My kids never really saw me except when I was yelling at them in the morning to get up and hurry so we could get to school on time, and then in the afternoon when I was yelling at them again to get their homework done and get into bed. I didn't even know who my kids were any more--the school saw more of them than me. Even when they were home on breaks, I hated it because they would just fight and drive me crazy. I prayed and prayed to know what to do. I was surprised when my answer was to homeschool--that seemed the opposite of what I needed--more time with my kids???? It was the best decision I ever made!!! My kids got to see me at times other than as a screaming, yelling maniac who always seemed stressed out and I got to see them at times other than fighting and being disobedient. My kids learned to cooperate with each other and become best friends and I have loved watching them learn and grow.  
Happy 10 years homeschooling to us <3 :)