Why I Decided to Home school My Daughter.

Okay, I’m starting this out with the obvious since it’s in the title. So, when DJ and I first learned we were expecting, I knew right away I wanted to home-school our child. At first I was considering letting them go to Elementary school for the first couple of years to interact with other children and not be an antisocial mess. (Hello, me.) So, we go through the whole pregnancy and terrible birth (That is a birth story that I will definitely have to share at a later time). Out came Lulu and the emotion I felt and the need I had to protect what we had created was beyond anything in my imagination.

Now, DJ and I were going fully for the whole experience. VPK and even looking into little classes that would teach your kids their motor skills super early (Now that she’s 7 though, I can see we were insane because her first word was “Delicious.” Guys not good, not yummy. NO Delicious. She hasn’t stopped talking since.) Now, when Lulu turned one is when I started looking into schools around the area and seeing what we’re going to do. You guys, I admit, I sounded a little stuck up, but all the schools around us had C averages; barely Bs. That wasn’t good enough and I started looking for private schools. AKA expensive as hell, out of our price range, and our stress meters will be high.

I don’t know what higher faith/entity was looking down on us, but a floodgate happened. I started seeing articles of children being abused by school faculty and staff. Most of the articles had pictures of the perpetrators in the courtroom, with their jumpsuits, pleading guilty. These were from “A-grade” schools too! A grade is just the quality of the schools curriculum, not about the teachers they hire. Then, Sandy Hook happened. Like most of the people who heard about this heinous crime, I felt like the floor was taken right from under me. I remember sitting on the sofa and watching the live updates of what was going on. Every time I looked over the edge of my laptop, there was Lulu on the floor, babbling and playing without a care and without knowing of the dangers she could possibly face in a place meant to protect.

Now, for me, I was beginning to consider homeschooling. In one of my first posts, I spoke about how I dropped out of high school and tried homeschooling. I didn’t mind it whatsoever. Then I read another article which put the nail in the coffin for me. A child had an accident on the gymnasium floor and didn’t tell anyone. The principal had 4 students go into his office with 2 other teachers, had them strip their pants off, pull down their underwear, so he can inspect them to find out the perpetrator. They didn’t. I’m not one to condone violence, but I would’ve touched a faculty member with these hands that day.

As Lulu grew older and came into her own personality, she would tell us herself “I don’t want to go to school.” Or “I don’t want to go there.” After watching her cartoons of other kids going to class and having fun. She still said “Nope” she’s been adamant about it from day one. Now, I’m not one of those parents who simply give in and let our child make their life decisions at such a young age, but I had to know why she didn’t. She wasn’t interested and didn’t see the point in being gone from home so long. Her exact words were “But who will protect you mommy? That’s stupid.” I mean, she had a point. I, unfortunately, thought school was stupid as well.

Lulu is and has always been a child who marches to her own drum (Who isn’t?) and she knows what she wants. Doesn’t mean she always get it, but she knows. She doesn’t like to play with kids her own age. She either likes playing with younger children and helping them or sitting and talking to the adults. There was one Christmas party we went to where Lulu was at the kids table. The look on my child’s face as these other kids screamed about butt and farts was by far…the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m not going to lie, I died laughing at her expense. It wasn’t until they started arguing with her about Santa being real. I’ve never lied to my child. I tell her the honest truth. When she told these children, “Your parents lied to you. Santa is not real.” I had to save the day. (Again, I am not one to judge or criticize another parent, but I was not expecting her to open her mouth and spit truth.) It’s safe to say that she spent the remainder of the dinner at the adults’ table.

Homeschooling, for myself, my daughter and family unit has been a blessing. Lulu didn’t want to read. She fought tooth and nail to read. Within two months of starting school and having one on one interaction with her teachers, she was reading paragraphs. The workload is so much lighter than going to conventional class, doing work, and then going home and doing homework. Her creativity is off the charts. She goes and plays with anyone and everyone now. She’s empathetic and one of the most loving children I know. Her vocabulary has always been ridiculous. (Here I was at her age saying, “Yeah mom that was great!” Here’s my child “I ravished this food mom. I ate it all down to the sifhdoifhphdpihsf (ß that’s a word I can’t pronounce) and now I’m going to start digesting.”)

Through all we’ve been through, Lulu is still a thriving, normal little girl. Of course,…she likes anything and all boys stuff, but I digress. If there is ever a time she wants to go to normal school, I will have a long talk with her, and we will decide together in the end. (I know good and well I will not be as calm writing that sentence).

Don’t get me wrong. Having my child with me 24/7 can be a pain in my ass. There are some days where she doesn’t want to do a damn thing, and I have to fight with her. But, in the end, her stress and our family’s stress is what matters.

Now, homeschooling is not for every child or every parent. I am a stay at home mother/author. I have the time to work with her and her struggles. It’s helped me see exactly what her weaknesses and strengths are. (Science, she’s amazing at. Me? AHAHAHA moving on.) Our curriculum and little community works best for us. It truly doesn’t matter how a child learns, as long as they’re thriving in the end, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

As we go into April and leave March behind, I can honestly say that starting this whole endeavor officially three months ago was daunting. I was scared about blogging, worried about Maddie and I not making a dent in the writing community. We may still be unknown, but the people we’ve met and the rewards we’ve gotten has been beyond our expectations. We are amazed and grateful. Now, in one month Cherish and Simon: The First Year will be published, and we’ll be on to the next. Honestly. If these months are what’s in store for us, bring on the rest of the year. Let’s crush this sucker!

Alright, I’m done being a mushy heathen. It’s making me break out in hives. I’ve said my piece. Love you all.

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