Yes, to all of the above!!!
We have a very “well-rounded” household.
We have Big T in home school, little t in public school, and Little Miss M starting Mother’s Day Out.
Each child has different needs, as do I.
Big T is 2 days into homeschooling. I guess I can say we are officially a homeschooling family. This has been a dream of my heart for some time. I am so thankful to be here. Finally. Day one was a bit of a cultural shock for both of us. We will be both need to learn patience and acceptance for one another. One thing that bothered me from the minute we started: I have no idea what this kid even knows. :/ Do you know what your kid knows? Please say no so that I don’t feel so out of touch. I realized that our first couple of weeks would be getting to know where he actually was. This made me even more against the testing and new school requirements. He can limp his way through school and even “pass the test”, but is VERY behind in Math. We started with addition and subtraction today. Is some of this my fault? Of course it is! That is why I am taking on the task of playing catch up. I was too trusting of the system and didn’t do my part as fully as I should have. I was at every party and he had all the “right stuff” but I didn’t diligently follow his educational process the way I should have. The report card is not enough. Shame on me! But, thankfully, we get to start over and give this all we have to prepare him for success in life. Day two was the experience every new homeschooling mom dreams of. Baby playing on her own, me and Big T reading the bible together, learning new spelling lessons, discovering Egypt through maps and books about mummies and pyramids. Wonderful Day!! I will need to remember this day for the bad ones will come when we both but heads. 
Little t is enjoying his friends at school. I would home school him as well, but I still have to work a part-time job that isn’t really part-time at all and my hours are never set. So, it works better for me to be able to dedicate some specific hours to this job. The school he attends is very sweet and small and only two blocks away. He will attend there through 4th grade and then begin home school as well. He has his BFF in his class so the world is a good place for him right now. Schedules work very well with him and learning how to live with Asperger’s Syndrome. Our goal is for him to be a fully functioning person in society.
Little Miss M will be attending a Mother’s Day Out program to give me time for my schooling as well. I will be starting the road to get another Master’s degree in two weeks and with my crazy schedule, this will allow her to have play time and me some study time.
All families are different. All children are different. I applaud parents who struggle to find the best for their child, even if it’s not mainstream. Here’s to a new year of school and here’s to your success as a parent/teacher/taxi driver/etc/etc!!
~Dayspring Girl
Agreed. I have worked full time, and homeschooled my oldest daughter to finish high school. Now she is a beautiful, 19yo, college student in the honor society. I also am fighting with my 7th grader to get her a Christian based education. She will be one of two 7th graders at the local Christian school. WOOHOO!!! God is good. You are right Loran, all kids need something different. And yes, it is worth all we have to do to make them successful humans.
I read this a year or 2 ago and appreciated it. You all pbolabry will too.Probably every homeschooling parent has heard, But what about their socialization? at some point. It’s really a silly question when you think about it, and I think the following story puts socialization is the proper light. I found this on another woman’s blog, but the author is unknown.Two women meet at a playground where their children are swinging and playing ball. The women are sitting on a bench watching and eventually begin to talk.Woman #1: Hi, my name’s Maggie. Those are my three kids in the red shirts it helps me keep track of them.Woman #2: I’m Patty. Mine are in pink and yellow. Do you come here alot?W#1: Usually two or three times in a week, after we go to the library.W#2: Wow! Where do you find the time?W#1: We homeschool, so we do it during our day most of the time.W#2: Some of my neighbours homeschool, but my kids go to public school.W#1: How do you do it?W#2: It isn’t easy. I go to alot of PTA meetings and work with the kids everyday after school and stay really involved.W#1: Don’t you worry about socialization? Aren’t you worried about them being cooped up all the time with kids their own age? What if they never get the opportunity for natural relationships?W#2: Well, I work hard to balance that. They have some friends who are homeschooled and we try to visit their grandparents once a month.W#1: Sounds like you are a very dedicated mom. But don’t you worry about the opportunities they’re missing out on? I mean they’re so isolated from real life. How will they learn what the real world is like what people do to make a living how to get along with all different kinds of people?W#2: Oh, we discussed that at the PTA, and we started a fund to bring real people into the classrooms. Last month, we had a policeman and a doctor come in to talk to every class. And next month, we’re having a woman from Japan and man from Kenya come to speak.W#1: Oh, we met a man from Japan in the grocery store the other week, and he got to talking about his childhood in Tokyo. My kids were absolutely fascinated. We invited him to dinner and got to meet his wife and their three children.W#2: That’s nice. Hmmm. maybe we should plan some Japanese food for the lunchroom on Multicultural Day.W#1: Maybe your Japanese guest could eat with the children?W#2: Oh, no. She’s on a very tight schedule. She has two other schools to visit that day. It’s a system wide thing we’re doing.W#1: Oh, well maybe you’ll meet someone at the grocery store sometime and be able to invite them to dinner.W#2: I don’t think that is likely. I don’t talk to people in the grocery store certainly not people who might not speak my language. What if that Japanese man you met hadn’t spoken English?W#1: Well, I never had time to think about. Before I even saw him, my 6 year old had already asked him what he was going to do with all the oranges he was buying.W#2: You let your children talk to strangers?W#1: I was right there with him. He knows that as long as he is with me, he may speak to anyone he wishes.W#2: But you’re developing dangerous habits with him. My children never talk to strangers.W#1: Even if you’re there with them?W#2: They’re never with me. Except at home after school. So you see why it’s so important for them to understand that talking to strangers is a no-no.W#1: Well, yes. But if they are with you, they could get to meet interesting people and still be safe. They’d get a taste of the real world, in real settings. They’d also get a real feel for how to tell when a situation is dangerous or suspicious.W#2: They’ll get all that in the third and fifth grades of their health courses.W#1: Well, I can tell you’re a very caring mom. Let me give you my number if you ever want to talk, give me a call. It was good to meet you.Author unknown.