Well Heck, I am SELFISH TOO! and LOVING IT!♥

As Salaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

Many of us choose to homeschool, mainly for Islamic reason but there are other reasons why we strive so hard to homeschool our children as well and one reason often over looked. A homeschool mom has taken the words right out of my mouth as to why I choose to homeschool with a few more added on my list as well. Take a look at what she said here. Spoken like a loving homeschool mother.

Umm Samyrah

Part2: I homeschool because I am selfish – Homeschooling Five

Written on November 17, 2010 by Kimberly in Children, General, Homeschooling Five, Kids, Parenting

30 Comments - Leave a comment!

To read Part One go here. Again, a disclaimer:

The question I get asked most often in my every day to day life on and off the internet is this one. I am going to answer it honestly. Some of my readers are not going to like it. Some of you will want to defend why you send your children to school. Some of you are going to try to explain to me why you do not want to or can’t homeschool your children. Here is the thing, this is my opinion. This is me being honest instead of funny and coy about why we homeschool and I am not trying to tell you how you should raise your children or that you are a bad parent for not making the same choices as I do.

********************************

On November 5th I ended my post on “Why do you homeschool?” with the statement that another reason for homeschooling my children was “I want my kids to be kids and I want to enjoy them being kids.” One of the reasons I chose to be a stay at home parent was because I wanted to watch my kids grow up. I didn’t want to miss out on things my children did or participated in. I didn’t want to come home after work and have to jump into a night routine of meals, bath time, and bed time with moments of homework, studying, and crammed in “quality time”. I wanted to spend time with them when they were at their best, their happiest, their funniest, and not when they were tired, stressed, and grumpy after a long day.

I had five children because I am selfish. I stay at home with my children because I am selfish. I homeschool my children because I am SELFISH.

Even on my hardest days when a glass of Crown and Coke sounds good before noon, kids are fighting, toddlers are coloring on walls, and I can’t even take a piss by myself, much less hammer out some writing on the computer, I would rather have my kids here, at home, with me than anywhere else. I don’t want to miss out on those special moments. Moments I missed with some of my children because they were in traditional schools, like that gleam in their eye and smile that crosses their face when they realize they can read or understand simple math or realize the earth rotates around the sun. I’m sure you remember those other firsts, like their first smile, steps, and first foods, then imagine how magical and wonderful it is to watch them learning all about the world around them and how to read! And it isn’t just about watching them learn, it is about watching them play. It is about seeing my kids be creative and using their imagination. I don’t just get to see the finished works of art my children make, I get to witness it being made and it is priceless.

I do not want to give those moments to someone else. I do not want to give a teacher, a practical stranger, those moments. Moments – special, wonderful, delightful moments to someone who will not treasure them nor appreciate them the way I will. Most kids are just another student in a different year passing through their classroom. Rarely does a teacher form a long term relationship with a student. Even if a teacher is very interested in a student and cares about their outcome, there is no way a teacher feels equally about each one of their students each and every year. The bottom line is this – no teacher is ever going to care more deeply, more passionately about my children’s education and well being than I am.

Childhood is such a small part of our lives and I want my children to enjoy it. I want them to get plenty of sleep without being forced out of bed early in the morning to ride the bus or go through a carpool line. I want my kids to be able to stay up late to spend time with their dad when he comes home late. I want to take my kids on vacations whenever I want too or go visit friends whenever the mood strikes us. I want my children to have healthy meals not the garbage served in school cafeterias or the processed foods that end up in most sack lunches. I want my kids to have recess, be able to chew gum, go to the bathroom, wear clothes they picked out and not uniforms, and drink water whenever they need too. I want to have long conversations with my teen about her latest work of fiction or the new vocabulary words she has learned that she is going to use in her own stories. I want my five year old to care more about playing with dolls and digging in the dirt than learning how to read. (gasp!) I want my kids to run around the yard with wooden swords fighting to the death, or using sticks as wands to act out a scene from Harry Potter – and I want to witness it. I want my kids to dress up stuffed monkeys and read them books and pretend to teach them geography or even better, pretend to take them off to some far off land while I take pictures when they aren’t looking. I’ll admit it, I’m greedy. I don’t want to share these moments with just anyone.

I’m selfish and if that was my only reason for homeschooling, it would be a damn good one.