Not sure how much a reader might want to know about our situation! Sitting here poised over the keyboard.. Funny how home schooling can really shine the spotlight on motives, queries, criticism. I am aiming to keep in mind that any reader who may happen upon this blog will be either in the transition between school and home themselves or thinking about it. I am thankful that there are far more fun things to look at if you are not in those two groups!
Stepping into taking responsibility for the kids education, for now, not necessarily for ever, has been overall incredibly empowering.
I hadn't realised that the school runs were contributing so much to my feelings of unhappiness and depression. Also, I didn't think I had the confidence or gutsiness to follow this through. We thought and talked and talked and thought for years about this one. And then at the end of the summer holidays we asked the girls and they said yes and so here we are.
I'm glad we waited til the end of a year as it gave them that natural ending. They both were fine at school and our school was good, the teachers excellent, so it was not a hasty retreat but a leap of faith.
We maintained friendships with some key families from school, organising sleepovers and playdates as much as possible, especially in the beginning.
The further along the road we go, we find that we can throw a lot of the decision making back into the whole family arena, such as our menu, the activities we do, when we do them. It becomes clearer and clearer to me that this is excellent preparation for life. I love strewing, leaving things around for them to find, letting their path unfold before them, responding to their calls and queries, hearing their explorations, observations and tales about the world they find around them.
I am very excited about this choice. I have a lot to learn, each day is new :)
