On homeschooling

At least five times a day, my chest gets tight and I think that perhaps I am a little bit crazy for homeschooling my boy. These mini panic attacks stem from comments people give me at the grocery store, a well-meaning but uninformed relative who just doesn't like this lifestyle choice, and sometimes just my own obsessive need to research what the internet world is saying about it all.

We had a fabulous first year. Logan was homeschooled under a tiny private school. We are transferring to another private school for the fall, one with a co-op and field trips and weekly P.E. days. It's about an hour away, but worth it for the socialization and the support (for me!) and the private school records.

But back to Kindergarten. Logan knocked it out of the park. He's reading aloud, he's doing math like it's his job, and he can tell you all about the life-cycle of a frog. We had a co-op with our church buddies every Wednesday, and another homeschool S.T.E.A.M class at the library on Fridays, and the other days we did a lot at home. We started a garden and a compost bucket, learned bible verses and state capitals, and went on many trips to the zoo. It was great and it was exhausting.

First grade scares me more. He's getting older, he's losing teeth and developing opinions and crushes and I am terrified of somehow messing up school for him. I've researched pros and cons of homeschooling through the county verses homeschooling through a private school, made my decision only to retract it and make the opposite decision, and I'm finally realizing that no matter what my choices as a parent, there will be pros and cons.

I am aware that as a homeschool mom, I am not allowed to make spelling errors. I am constantly representing homeschooling, which is fine to me, although sometimes the southern girl in me slips out and I start dropping g's off of the end of my words. That's not really allowed when you're telling the cashier that yes, homeschooling is legal and yes, you are qualified to do this (I will show anyone my college transcripts if they don't believe me. No shame here. There was a time when I wore my GPA like a badge of honor. I feel really sad about that, but that's what your twenties are for, right? Doing things you'll later shake your head at?).

All in all, I am thankful for homeschooling, even if it causes my heart to palpitate about once an hour and even if my walls are covered in anchor charts. I get more time with my kids, more chances to make their meals and hold them when they cry and pray with them every morning. In spite of my fears, it's really good.

Portrait of L courtesy of Sarah Del Rio photography