What She Said

I have heard that we will get many questions over the years about our choice to homeschool our boys. At a seminar we went to a few weeks ago, a veteran homeschool mom said to have a short answer and a long answer ready to give. I've been thinking about those two responses and what they would be for our family.

I read several blogs daily. One that I really like is Edie's. She homeschools her girls in Tennessee. This week she posted her answer to why she homeschools. There are a few things in her thoughts that differ from mine, but overall I don't think I could say it any better. I wrote and asked her if I could share her thoughts here. She very kindly agreed.

I could cite so many reasons why I continue to homeschool my kids.

Yes, it’s true that I LOVE learning. I love the opportunities to relearn with the kids the things I never learned very well the first time. And the classical model for education is beautiful. It’s rich in great literature, rigorous and demanding in memory work and reading and writing. It’s centered in history and is time tested as a proven way to raise leaders and independent thinkers.

I could tell you that I love teaching the faith to my kids. I don’t have to worry about them being indoctrinated with secular humanism. I can enculturate them with confessional lutheran teaching and practice and hand on to them the faith of our fathers.

I could tell you that I love our family centered life where we are not segregated by age or surrounded by peers. I love that the bulk of their time is spent with adults who love them and have their best interests at heart. I am thrilled when I see that their siblings become their best friends and they get to spend long stretches of time in the magical world of childhood play.

But all that is really a cover for why I can’t imagine doing anything else.

I’ve seen in my older kids that life is a vapor. You blink and they’re gone.

I grieve the time I lost with them and I don’t want to miss anything else.

This mothering is what I was made to do.

I want to do it to the fullest for as many hours a day as I can.

I hate to admit it but I think I’m just selfish.

I want their mornings and their lunchtimes and their belly laughs and even all their groanings.

I want the bike riding and the lap sitting and the hours and hours of reading together.

I want the crafting and the cooking and all the holiday shenanigans.

After 3 years, all the lofty reasons I started homeschooling can be reduced to this—-I just want them here with me.

For as long it lasts, I want their days.

And hopefully, we’ll learn some great stuff too.