Choose what is best for your children!

I've been asked many times over the past 20+ years why I decided to homeschool our children. My answer is a personal one with many facets. First, I can't say I decided, but rather we decided to try homeschooling. A successful homeschool is a family affair. If one person wants to homeschool but the others in the family are against it it can become a battle. That said, it was my husband and I, but not our children who made the decision. They were not consulted when we started homeschooling them since they were young, but as the years went on, we did discuss our school decisions with them.

We started this journey by doing research and by praying about our decision. At first we decided to take it one year at a time. When I got the questions about why we homeschool I gave the same answer to everyone. We think it is best for the children. That should be the answer that everyone who homeschools should give. The reason it is best will vary. For some it is lifestyle; for others it is the relationship they have with their children; and very often it is their opinion of institutional schools. Our reasons were many and didn't always match with other people's reasons.

What about those who send their children to institutional school? They have also made a choice. It is not mandatory that people send their children to institutional school. Homeschooling is legal in all of the United States. If asked, the parents should be able to say they send the children to institutional school because it's the best choice for the children. Sometimes institutional school is the best choice. It may be because of the family's lifestyle or their relationship with their children or because of their opinion of homeschooling.

Whether parents choose homeschooling or institutional school, I just hope they base their decisions on the research they've done and on what is best for the children. I think everyone should research all forms of education before they make their decisions. I know of some who have decided to homeschool for a few years and then send their children to institutional school. Others who have started their children in institutional school before starting to home school. I trust they have done a lot of thinking about what was best for the children in each phase of their lives.

I talk to children who are in institutional schools but would like to homeschool. I wonder if the parents have researched the possibility of homeschooling. Are they doing what is best for their children by sending them to institutional school? Maybe so, because it is a huge investment of time to homeschool. People aren't going to do what's best for their children if they decide to homeschool but don't make the commitment required to be successful.

We all make choices in our lives. When it comes to our children we need to choose what is best for them. The reasons may be personal. Just as we don't demand an explanation as to why someone would choose institutional school for their children, let's stop demanding a reason from people who choose to homeschool. Let's do encourage parents to do what is best for their children.