I would agree with mmytoboys that homeschooling is a choice and would encourage you to weigh the costs and benefits, just like any other decision. We have three kids (ages 6, 4, and 2). We identified a few benefits for our family:
- We believed that we could provide them with a higher quality education than was available through the public or private school options locally available. We very much appreciated the opportunity to tailor curriculum choice and instruction to each child.
- We enjoy spending more time together. My husband works from home, so our paths frequently cross during the day, and we value experiencing the mundane parts of life together.
- We appreciate the flexibility of homeschooling. We take our family vacation in October when there aren’t lines at area attractions. We schedule appointments in the morning when our doctors have more availability. We can school year-round (so the kids don’t forget as much material or get out of the routine of doing school). We can lighten our load when a kid is potty-training or having a rough day.
Homeschooling also has its disadvantages. For us, those have been: - Social outlets. Our oldest has some social anxiety so we feel that it’s important for her to get opportunities to spread her wings. Extracurricular activities, co-op, church, and playdates have helped.
- Limited extended family support- neither of our extended families have been thrilled with our decision. We ended our most recent school year with a grandparent’s night when they could look at the curricula and the kids could show their work, but our families still have some reservations.
- The workload- planning and executing a day of school is a lot of work. And because everyone is home all day, we have a full day’s worth of messiness. This has been especially hard with littles who can’t help much. We work hard on school in the morning, and then after quiet time the kids free-play (giving me a chance to unwind, do housework, etc.). Sometimes, though, I wonder what it would be like to have the house to myself for a few hours.
It helps me to remember that there’s no perfect schooling option, and that we can always investigate private or public schools in the future. Best wishes as you make your decision!