CLICK! 'with Butt-kins, the soft, cloth-like cover is sure to keep your baby's bottom comfortable"-CLICK! there would never be a need for me to heed the message of such a television commercial! At 34 years old, I was convinced that there would be no children in my future, and that was just fine with me! Only a year later, after an uneventful pregnancy, and an even more uneventful delivery, I became determined to take motherhood in stride-Butt-kins and all. Now, I find myself completely overwhelmed in regard to the education of my child. For so many years of my life I tuned out what was going on with schools, much like a diaper commercial. I now find myself considering homeschooling for what sometimes seems to be my reasons alone. During the meetings and activities of homeschooling parents I attend, it seems like I am the only person who does not currently have a child of school age. The meetings provide a great atmosphere of support for those who are currently homeschooling and offer encouragement to the people with school age children who are considering homeschooling. However, while the reasons for homeschooling are obvious for those who are currently homeschooling, there is little discussed about the reasons that someone would consider a homeschool education for their child while the child is still a toddler I would like to explore the reasons why I am considering homeschooling, perhaps they are some of the reasons that homeschooling started in the first place.
A natural continuation of attachment parenting:
Things did not go as smoothly as I had hoped when Ethan spent the first week of his life in an incubator, being treated for hypoglycemia and jaundice. If I were to be psychoanalyzed, it would probably be determined that this event set the stage for me to become a model 'attachment parent'. During that week in the hospital, I became determined to be the best Mom I could possibly be. Ethan recovered from his ordeal and has now grown into a wonderful 2 year old yes, there is such a thing! He was always breastfed on demand and has had his needs met by me looking at things from his point of view. This type of parenting always seemed natural to me and has worked well for Ethan. I have already been dismissed from one parental support group because of my outright refusal to 'let Ethan cry for awhile' when they required that he be separated from me to participate in activities in another room with child care personnel while the parents met next door. I remember back when I was pregnant one of my co-workers told me 'You'll never love anything so much as you will your little baby, then you lose them to school and they get ruined!' I never gave it much thought until now, but I now fear that her assessment of schools was right. I believe that homeschooling will allow me to keep my child all to myself for a longer period of time.
Violence:
One only has to look at the newspaper headlines, or watch the six o'clock news to get an idea that there are problems in schools, both public and private. A student poisons their classmate's lunch, a 12 year-old fathers his teacher's child, school bus accidents, shootings, drugs, gangs, guns, etc. Is this the kind of education I want for my precious child that I love? How can these things be avoided in the future? The answer is obviously homeschooling.
Location, location, location!:
I am a long distance hiker. At certain times of my life I have been able to backpack for months at a time on the country's National Scenic Trail System. To have a child in school would be a great disadvantage to my continued enjoyment of the sport. As a homeschooler, Ethan could hike with me, and get an education on the way. A friend of mine has hiked the Continental Divide Trail while homeschooling her two children. Their Unit Study of the Oregon Trail came at the junction with the Oregon Trail. It makes sense to me!
Timing:
My first experience with homeschoolers came in my own neighborhood, where a family had a new baby last year. The family's other six kids happily played basketball in their driveway for weeks after the new baby was born. Those kids just don't go to school!", my husband said one day, pointing out that it was not a school vacation week. It should also be noted that these kids are the most polite kids in the whole neighborhood, a definite credit to their homeschooling Mom! This got the ball rolling with the 'if she can do it so can I' attitude. I consider it a great advantage that one can work their child's education into their lives.
I have begun an informal course of homeschooling already. There is a lot you can do with a 2 year old, from workbooks - which he loves - to field trips with or without Homeschooling Friends. My husband is completely opposed to the idea of homeschooling, but it is my hope that with more information and the realization that I've been homeschooling Ethan all along, he will come around to my way of thinking when the looming date of notification dawns. There seem to be many valid reasons for homeschooling, not the least of which is the concept that one on one teaching can provide a better education for a child. I'm sure that my reasons for wanting to homeschool are not much different than those of people who are currently homeschooling. They are probably part of the fabric that made them want to homeschool in the first place. It is with their support that I feel confident that I will be able to homeschool my child. They just need to be reminded sometimes of what's out there if they do not homeschool!
