homeschooling

When people ask me about our plans for Noah's education, and I tell them, I usually get one of two responses:

1). Delight, followed by "Cool! My sister/aunt/friend/mom/neighbor does that and it works great for them! You'll love it!" It's also usually followed by a bajillion suggestions and ideas that make my head spin.

or?

2). Absolute horror. Visions of a jean jumpers, butter churning, and a socially deprived kid jump in their heads.

That's it. The only two responses.

The sad part is that I'm constantly put on the defensive team. I immediately feel I owe everyone an explanation... a good two years worth of a background story, just to justify to them why we've come to this decision for our family.

I could go into why there are way more pros than cons in our case. How Noah learns best without a bunch of distractions and with one-on-one attention. I could go into the bullying issues, potty training issues, how our local public school systems suck, how private is a fortune (especially with special needs), how I can encourage his love of math while teaching him self-care skills, and on and on.

But I won't.

Instead, I'll explain it in an entirely different way.

It's no secret that I'm a woman of faith. I trust God to provide direction in our lives, to lead our family in the way He wants us to go. We pray regularly for wisdom and that He will make His desires for our lives clear to us.
Growing up, I thought homeschoolers were weird. My best friend was homeschooled, but she was an exception to my (very prejudiced) rule. I loved school, and from the time I was a kid, I never wanted to homeschool my kids. That was for weirdos that dressed badly and didn't use shampoo.

We've spent the last year trying to figure out what we're going to do when Noah finally does hit the magic age of 5. Every time I've prayed for direction, God sends someone my way. You know those big red flags? Like He might as well have just put a big flashy billboard in front of you? Well, I've had multiple billboards. Especially when I begin to doubt my decision to homeschool Noah for preschool and kindergarten.

God continues to put people in my path... the majority being parents of special needs kids, who either homeschool or wish they did. I've listened to a mom, with tears in her eyes, tell me how if her husband would just agree, that she'd homeschool in a heartbeat. Moms who have been down the special needs mainstream route, with way too many horror stories to tell here, only to finally make the decision to homeschool. I'm meeting these women everywhere, not just in places where special needs is prevalent (like the therapy clinic).
A couple of weeks ago, God put another mom in my path whose son is 16 and has autism. I was at the salon getting my hair done, and we struck up a conversation. This woman has homeschooled him from the beginning, before they even knew was autism was. I asked how it's gone for them, and she said that his therapists tell her regularly that it was the best decision she could've ever made for him. He's intelligent, well-rounded, social, and has very few behavioral issues.

I've met people who have been there. Who have given me more resources than I could've ever found on my own. Who have offered advice, wisdom, encouragement, and experience.

God keeps placing these people in my path for a reason. I can't explain it other than I'm trusting my "mom instinct" that this is the right decision for Noah at this particular moment in time.

This is not to say that I will be a homeschool mom forever. That this decision won't change. Tomorrow God could put another billboard in front of me that flashes "send him here!" But until then, I'm sticking with what I know is right for Noah right now.