8 Reasons I Love Homeschooling

To be honest, I've always homeschooled, even though I was in school. Now it is my children's' turn, although they don't have the detriment of institutionalization to hold them back.

My 8 reasons:

1. Socialization - Everyone's heard it, here's my spin on the "S-question." My kids know how to get along with each other, and how to behave in public. Whenever I take them anywhere - the doctor's office, the post office, the grocery store - I always get complimented on the good behavior of my children. Even when I feel like I am stretched to the limit with their shenanigans, to the outside, they are behaving so well that perfect strangers have to comment on their excellent behavior. The ps kids we observe aren't usually so well behaved, and I think that having the children together, in close contact with each other, means they either are going to have to get along one way or another.

2. Music - With budget cuts and so on, we have the opportunity here to cultivate my children's musical talent. I have 2 kids who play instruments, and the 3rd has already expressed an interest in piano, so soon we may have 3 actively pursuing music, we never would have time if the kids were spending all that time in school. Also, I can get primo teachers - that teach at the local cultural center - at a good price, because I can come to their houses for lessons at weird times, since the kids are free at 12:30 or whatever.

3. Drama - Every year we manage to have the children (even the little ones) in two plays. We are able to do this because we aren't cutting into school time with the rehearsals. In our homeschooled world, the rehearsals are the lesson.

4. Vacation Any Time We Want To: Florida in February, with no lines at Space Mountain - nuff said.

5. Educator Discounts - If school is life, and life is school, then purchases are for school, and let's face it, every little bit helps.

6. A perfectly clean house - just kidding.

6. (For real this time) Personal Development for myself - I think that I've become more well rounded as a person, since teaching my kids. I've been able to teach myself a lot of things because my kids have wanted to know, so we've learned together. My knowledge of history has really improved, I've taken up knitting, I've learned how to make bread from scratch, I have learned a lot about the local fauna, and just about everything I can find out about the animals we see at the zoo. I've read some classic books that have always been on my "to read" list, and I've finally figured out how Algebra really works, not just doing the formula. I think that this has fired up my husband as well, not to mention setting a decent example for the kids.

7. I get to sleep in. I am not a big sleeper, but with the baby, I don't like getting up to get the kids off to meet the bus before the sun comes up. We have time to have a really nice breakfast together (the whole family), and then do some chores, before we do some leisurely lessons.

8. All the really nice people I've met through homeschooling.

So what are your reasons?