Those Age Old Questions...

Why are you going to homeschool?

Depending on how this question is asked you could receive a range of responses from me, along with a range of tones/attitudes. I am going to respond to this as if I were asked in a generally quizzical manner by someone who may want to give homeschooling a try themselves.

1. No one other than myself (my wife and the boys' dad too.) will have my child's best interests in mind.

2. Who better than myself to insure that my son is learning all he needs to learn at a pace that works for him?

3. I know he won't get lost or left behind OR on the opposite end, he won't be bored with what is being taught.

4. The student/teacher ratio is perfect. In a classroom of 20 some odd children (give or take) it can at times be difficult to give every child the attention he/she needs and deserves. I say this from my experiences in PS.

5. This one is a HUGE plus! We get to make our own schedule. If we want to sleep in one morning we can sleep in. If we want to "skip" school in order to go do something fun, we are able to without getting an attendance notice. If he wants to do extra-curricular activities that may only be offered in the middle of the day he can. Best of all, if my family wants to take a vacation for 3 weeks, we are free to do so and can still bring school with us. 

6. Probably one of the best reasons I can find off the top of my head is that we don't have rules as to how we have to do things. He won't have to sit in a classroom for 6 hours a day with about an hour of time away from his desk. We can school for an hour in the morning take a break for a few hours and come back to learning a little later in the day. If he is having an off or particularly moody day we can take a "mental health day" without any repercussions. 

7. I have a complete say in what he is learning and how he is learning it. I have realized that quite a few parents homeschool for religious reasons, which is fine. We are not a religious family but there are things that are left out of structured learning in PS that I may want him to learn about. If I choose to incorporate religious history into our lessons just for diversity and so he is able to hear multiple different belief systems, then I can do that. 

Those were a few of the not selfish reasons, now on to the selfish reasons. 

1. They are me babies and the thought of them being somewhere that I am not certain they are being cared for properly shoots my anxieties though the roof! Especially with the amount of school shootings you hear about. 

2. This may or may not be considered selfish I suppose it just depends on your viewpoint, I want him to stay little as long as possible. In PS that can't be guaranteed. They grow up too fast as it is. 

Don't you think you will get tired of them being home all the time?

First of all, NO! Secondly, for days where I feel I may need a bit of a break or some me time, they have grandparents who are MORE than happy to have them for a few hours and get in some much wanted snuggle time. Also for days where I may need a little space, they have their own bedrooms equipped with TV and a playroom full of toys to keep their little minds and bodies busy. 

Aren't you worried they will be "weird"? What about socialization? 

 (Insert blank, huh? stare here.)

...?

I honestly don't even feel the need to respond to this one ever but I get asked quite frequently. If you so much as take your child to the grocery store they are getting socialized. If you take them to a public playground where other kids are playing, they are getting socialized. If you take them to a museum, a gallery, a sporting event, guess what? They get socialized. Even my terribly shy 5 year old eventually opens up to the kids around him and makes fast friends. Almost every town or city has a homeschool group that you can join to find others in your area who homeschool as well, this opens up a world of possibilities for group lessons and the like.  

So NO, I am not worried they will be "weird" and even if they are weird, so what?

Here is how I see it, who knows more than you what is best for you, your child(ren) and your family? No one. You do what you feel is best your family unit and don't let "mommy wars" or nay sayers stop you. It has taken me 20 of my 26 years on this Earth to realize that, one, I will never be able to make everyone happy and two, I honestly could not care less what others think about the decisions that I make in the best interests of my family. 

Did I miss any good reasons as to why to Homeschool? If you have a different reason(s) for doing it, let me know I'd love to hear! Also how do you deal with some of the negative, stereotypical questions/concerns when people hear you intend to or are homeschooling?