Why I Homeschool

"Why do you homeschool?" someone asks me. I stop, stammer a bit, and gave some kind of not very real answer.

"Why do I spend all this time homeschooling?" I think to myself later.

This is what I want to say: "Because beyond a shadow of a doubt God has called me to it! I must raise my children up in my home giving them a wonderful, godly education. It's a calling." And smile sweetly after it.

The truth is though, that that's not the truth. I have never felt an overwhelming "calling" to homeschool. In fact there were several (many) school days last year, that I felt very "called" to stick my 6th grader on that big yellow bus and send him away to school.

So, why do I spend most of my year homeschooling my children?

After much deliberation (with myself) I finally figured it out:

I homeschool because I want to.

It's not very holy, but it's true.

I want to.

I want to get up every morning in a relaxed environment with them. We eat breakfast together and read Bible stories together.

I want to know what they are learning every day. I'm very nosy.

I want to handpick their subjects and their curriculum.

I want to learn right along with them. Do you know how much 7th grade math I have forgotten! I'm learning it again. I can almost say, that, "Yes, I am smarter than a 5th grader!"

I want to be there when they learn something new. I want to see the excitement in their eyes when the light bulb comes on.

I want my children to be good friends with each other. It helps when you don't have a lot of options.

I want to teach them things that they won't learn in school. I want our life to be a part of their schooling.

I want them to be done with their school day earlier than if they went off to school, so we have time to do more together.

I want to teach them lots about Jesus every day. And I want it to come from me. Not because God told me that's how it has to be, because that's how I want it.

So, I figured it out this year. After 8 years of homeschooling, I finally know why I do it. It has a lot less to do with holiness than I had hoped, but it's still nice to know.

I'm doing it, not because I have to, but because I want to.

Happy 2015-2016 school year, Everyone!