here's my dilema. i have been staying home with my 5 year old daughter for 2 years now, and homeschooling for like preschool etc. My now husband, and I just got married and have another girl-3mos. So to help out with the bills, I signed up for online classes through our local tech school. I get $ because I was single when I signed up. So anyway, we had agreed that he would help out with kids when I did school work, cuz that would only be fair. Well that didn't work. He hasn't kept up with his end of the bargain, and I am going batty. I try to explain to him that what he is doing would be like me asking him to bring the girls with him to work everyday. He makes me feel bad also for not wanting to spend every minute with them. "They are your children,how could you say that you can't stand them anymore" kind of thing. well now, he is very against homeschooling and uses the ignorant socialization issue, no matter how many times i tell him that homeschooled kids are more social,etc, etc. We just moved and older daughter has no friends out here, so she is driving me nuts. all the kids her age though are in school. In our last city, i tried to join the homescholers assoc. but they said that you needed the state id number or whatnot, and she doesn't need to be registered until she is 6. I have no idea where to find the homeschoolers group in our new area or if there even is one. Well i suggested that we put her in an at home day care for like 2 days a week, for socialization, and so i can get my schoolwork done, but now that money is the issue, he is pissed, and said that we should just put her in school!!! so he won't have to pay for daycare. Why can't he just realize how important homeschooling is, and why can't he just help me out by taking the kids once in a while, so i can do my school??? is this just a guy thing, or was i blessed with a completely inconsiderate guy? he is against the whole system, but if he has to pay to keep them out of it, then do whatever's free?? any suggestions anyone? i have found a cheap curriculum, not like i have any time to implement it. but i need help. i refuse to ut her in public school to be lost among the masses. thanks guys. sweetpeace
I don't have any advice for you really. I am currently homeschooling my almost 5 year old son for preschool (I also have 18 month old twins) but I suppose we will be sending him to public school next year for kindergarten, although the thought makes me nervous. I've been home with my kids for 5 years, they are rarely away from me, and I'm terrified of sending them off to school. Yet, I worry if I am truly capable of being a homeschooling parent. I mean, I want the very best for my kids, and I want them to succeed, and I worry that I'm just not "qualified" enough to take on such a responsibilty as my childrens' future education. I'd really love to homeschool, and my husband has no problems with me doing it, but I have so many family members against it, thinking it would be the "wrong thing to do". *sighs* Sorry, I didin't help at all, did I? I just saw a homeschooling thread and unloaded. *lol* Good luck to you, and I hope that you can find a solution. Much peace...
you CAN homeschool! there are so many curriculums out there that do it all for you. there are even online academies where all you have to do is turn on the computer. I tried to do kndergarden this year, but i have been way too busy. technically she doesn't need to go to school until next year, but she has been reading since she was 4 1/2 and she is almost 5 now and reading chapter books!!! we had her tested this summer, seeing as she is such a bright kid, and i told myself that if she didn't get in, that would be a sign from God that we should be homeschooling. how they thought a 4 1/2 year old who can read isn't ready for school is beyond me, but i went out and bought the Five in Row curriculum! I really like the curriculum, but with my school to do and no help, i sort-of gave up. i wish i could have given up with my school, but if i fail, i have to pay back all of the aid i received, so that wasn't an option. none of my family is pro-homeschooling either, and when i tell them i am doing that, they make a big deal out of quizzing my daughter?? like if you homeschool, your kid must have to be a genius. it bothers me a lot. but stick with it, i know you can find something, and just ignore those family members who don't approve. but don't feel like if your kid isn't a genius, that you aren't doing a good job homeschooling. every child learns differently, and that is why we choose to homeschool later--sweetpeace
Hi I'm new here but I would like to add to this topic. I and my siblings were home schooled till high school. We were not socially isolated at all. We became more sociable by means we did not go through the tough times of trying to "fit in" By the time we got to High school we has already established our own self. We did no feel we had to be excepted by our peer groups. We were there to prepare ourselves for the real world!!
Don't let anyone take this beautiful experience away from you and your kids. I get a lot of flack about it too and my son is only 2. But he's not going to public schools if I have anything to say about it. Kathi
My oldest child is 10, I have been dealing with the homeschooling issue since he was 4. Now I am homeschooling all three of my kids. The main thing is DON'T PANIC. I thought when I started out that I needed expensive curriculum and a specific amount of time ect... over the years we have fallen into an unschooling pattern check out www.unschooling.org . When my son couldn't read at 7 I got so much flac from family and even my supportive husband. I just let him progress at his liesure and now at 10 he reads all the time. He's got all the Harry Potters, Narnia LOTR ect... He even has favorite authors. If I had let people pressure me into putting him in school he would probably hate to read now. I would be glad to offer support and advice to anyone interested in homeschooling. I have info on all the laws, curriculum requirements ect.... Peace and Happy Homeschooling
We haven't bought any curriculum; we did spend money on flash cards ($1 a pack at places like Dollar Tree), and ink and paper for the printer (there are thousands of free worksheets online) and we borrow books from the library--ours is a very small, volunteers-only setup that runs on donations alone, but so far i have still been able to find enough to work with there, so it may take some creativity, but it's possible to do it cheap.
Back in June of 2003, my husband went to jail. I wasn't prepared for it, it's not like I was depending on someone who was always breaking the law and risking jail. I had a hard decission to make, for I am a dedicated homeschooler. I have always had my children with me, even before they went to school. I am very picky who I will leave my heart with. I will only leave them will people who love them, unfortunatly, there was no one who did love them that could watch them while I worked. You want to talk about agro vibes and words from my babalonian family. They thought I was crazy for I refused to put them in school so that I could work. I picked up enough odd jobs, to survive, but not even close to enough to get an apartment. I stayed with friends and family and paid rent by acts of kindness and balming positive energy. The reason I had to find a new place to live was because we were living in our house in TN, we went on vacation to Ohio. It was in my hometown of Ohio where my husband went to jail. Thus the need to find a place to live. I didn't want to go back to Tn because I had no friends or family there. Because of my firm beliefs, I lost my house, my RV, my dog and every material possesion we had accumulated in our marriage, but you know what? I never was that upset, for I had my kids. Honestly, I was afraid if I dwelled on what I had lost instead of what I had, I would lose that which I held dearest. As for money, I had none for homeschooling supplies. At such a young age, as both your son and my children are, you have to keep in mind, everything is new and a learning experience for them. There is a wonderful museum center in Cincinnati, however it is expensive. So I'm driving by one day and there is free temporary parking, so we went into the lobby, it was a museum in itself. Keep an open-mind and you can find free alternatives. Busmama said: I too am an unschooler, I believe all basic subjects can be taught through any interest. I too entreat you to check out this link. As for not knowing enough to school, learn with your kids. It shows them that no one knows everything, it will keep them from being discouraged. Also they get to learn the most important lesson of all.... how to find and learn new things, and they get to learn it by example. You can do anything you set your mind to. You are custodian of a wonderful creation. It is up to you to take care of them and make sure they learn what they need to survive, they will learn much more in their lifetime than the short period they are recieving their "formal education" Stick to your guns, it is worth it, so much more in worth than the approval of closed-minded people. We are at War. Not just with Iraq. It is a warzone in many public schools. Times are changing... keep those babies safe. Sorry so long, I hope to inspire you, cause I'm just an everyday joe shmoe and I did it. So can you. I'm working on my website right now, not done yet, i'll let you know when it is... in case you want some more info or advice. Busmama's site is good to check out too: http://thebusfamily.tripod.comThe Loving Harmony
