Why I Homeschool...

I've been reading people's answers to questions for the Homeschool Blog Hop, and it's been really fun to learn about people. I'm not going to answer them all, but this week's question is "Why homeschool?", and it reminded me of the day I decided to homeschool. We took Crumpet to Riverbanks Zoo for the first time, soon after we moved to Georgia. He was 14 months old, and he had just started walking. It is the first two pictures, below, which made up my mind. I realize that, as an outsider, these pics probably don't show much.

But I was there, and I still remember the excitement and joy he expressed at every turn. In the first picture, we found a frog in a stream when we were crossing a bridge. In the second, Crumpet, who could barely walk, is dragging me to see something that caught his eye. When I got home and looked at the pictures, I realized that I would do anything to keep that love for learning alive, and I knew that meant keeping him out of school. I loved reading and learning, but by the end of high school, I never wanted to see a book again. (Fortunately, I've gotten over that and want to learn everything there is know again, but it took a long time to recover from the public school system...) My husband gave up caring really early on in school. I won't let it happen to my child. So I started reading everything I could find about homeschooling and realized it was totally doable and absolutely right for us. I'm very lucky to have a husband who agrees.

And, just a few more cute pictures from that day, because I think Crumpet was the cutest child ever...

Gorilla, just inches from our noses (behind glass):

First petting zoo. This goat freaked him out:

First carousel ride:

Little Muscle Man:

I love that as a homeschooler, I will always be right there next to him, holding his hand as he explores the world, and I will never miss a minute of it.