THIS makes me feel positive and helps me - so thank you SO much for this post. An update on our life: we have made the decision to pull DS from Kindergarten and begin homeschooling him for the rest of this year. My husband has agreed to it and says he will assess it after the year to determine what we do for 1st grade. He is still not "sold" on the idea, but we've agreed that the only way for him to know for sure is to experience it, so here we go. My DS was sick for almost a month straight and last week was out for a WHOLE week with the worst sickness I've ever seen him have - that was more than enough for me to just can it. On top of him getting so tired of school that he literally wakes up every morning at 5am in alarming fashion asking "is today is a school day?????" - trying to prepare himself for the worst. It was TIME. I am SO thankful for this opportunity and now let's hope I can enligthen hubby. :) I giggled at the "Drunk on homeschooling" post because this is SO ME. I cannot stop. I am so inspired, excited and READY that I cannot stop thinking about it!

I like that advice. I think pulling together some supplies and prepping would help me "stay busy" and feel a bit better so I know I"m prepared if we do decide to pull him. And if not; I can use what I discovered now (at least the same type) for our year of 1st grade, because at this point it's looking like a definite for next year. And yes, I am this way with most decisions in my life, and most certainly having our two babies - lots of thinking & discussing :). And yes, you definitely understand my family dynamic if your husband travels that much, too. I tend to vent maybe a bit too much; but over time have learned to word my questions differently or be careful what or how I say things. Even after posting this week; I've changed my approach with my parents and somehow my mom is totally on board (and I've decided not to discuss with dad - and this is typical for him - don't ask him too much and just tell, he's very in the box). As long as I tell her "this is what I want to do, and this is why" instead of "what do you think I should do?" --- it changed EVERYTHING. So I appreciate all of your help with that!

Small update; I know some of you suggested pulling my DS from K this year yet. My main goal was to make it through this year and begin homeschooling in 1st grade, but I am struggling! I can't tell if it's because I'm just excited to begin with him or if he SHOULD be pulled. Yesterday he brought home a "math test" (keep in mind, were are in Kindergarten) and it was marked up like a high school test should be. He was marked off for writing a 9 backwards, and not counting a triangle. A big -6 sat on the top of the paper and was only labeled as "satisfactory." I'm assuming he wasn't read the instructions because he knows what a triangle is and can easily count to much higher than 100, much less 3 or 4. He's a whiz at math and is already doing multiplying/small division problems at home with me. It rubbed me the wrong way, because what type of learning is this? That he's "wrong" and "not smart"? Luckily, he really didn't even look at it nor does he care, so I have to remember that it probably isn't affecting him. Only me. He has been crying every morning this week not wanting to go. He gets home and is okay; he still says he doesn't like school but agrees to go the next day without much trouble. That's what confuses me - is he just tired, or should I be listening more and just make an immediate change or stay the course? I don't feel prepared, and clearly we still have some work to do on my hubby. He agreed with me on the testing and overall seems to be softening to the idea. I suppose I just want to be sure of what I'm "pitching" :laugh: - school this year, or next? Has anyone pulled a child mid-year, and if so, was it tough on your child?

That is a thought I've considered before! He is a corporate pilot so we don't get miles though, so it'd have to be at our own expense (the kids & I) which would slow us down a bit ;) But, he goes to pretty cool places for 1-2 weeks at a time and just sits there, so we'd get free lodging & lots of family time - plus a world full of knowledge & learning! He would love that!

Thank you so very much! :wub:

Originally I posted this topic just to kind of get the feel of how you all dealt with negative comments from family, friends and community. It's reassuring to me that you say they're not all that common and maybe I'm just dealing with a bunch of crazies, but I do think my community is relatively closed minded. The friends I have told haven't all been as rude as the comments I posted in the original post, but they've all kind of scratched their heads and said "huh"? I will not decide what to do on what people think; but I did wonder what the best way to approach it would be. I didn't expect this to turn into a feed about how I don't believe in myself, haha! But maybe I don't enough to be strong enough to be a homeschooler. I mean, yes, I am worried about this - it's new to me, I've heard a lot of negativity, and I'm not sure I will be able to succeed. Is that me not believing in myself? I don't know. Maybe. All I know is that I have this spot in my heart, if it's God, seeing my son struggle, if it's my belief in how I think education can be inspiring, fun and personalized - I don't know. But it's a desire in my heart and I need to explore it. Thanks again guys. I really appreciate all of it, even the constructive comments. Helps me to think this all through!

Homeschool Mom in AZ: No, I don't think you're being a jerk. I appreciate you being straight forward with me; and I agree with most of what you're saying. Thank you for it! And my dh isn't likely to refuse. He would agree to it if I told him it was what I needed to do. It's more just getting him on board mentally!

Hahaha! This is so good, and you're right :). Spot on. Once he agrees I will likely just go do my "thing" and he'll probably never question it again. And I agree whole heartedly with you all on the Kindergarten curriculum and how it has changed. We actually did a "Young 5's" program just so our son could not have to do full days, every day, so young. I am a true believer in the importance of "play" in a child's education. They won't learn a thing if they are tired, stressed and overwhelmed. Exploring is where they get curious, and curiosity is where they learn!

To Homeschool Mom in AZ, you said: "Those of us who have successfully homeschool do so because of our hard work and diligence, not because anyone believed in us. I find this question odd coming from an adult. " I am an adult. Maybe I'm an odd adult, but adult I am. Although I do think I've got a bit of a childlike wonder ;) --- I merely meant that if people don't believe in my homeschooling practices, it will be very hard for me to succeed - most agree my DH needs to be on board because this isn't just a simple task! It's a lifestyle & a commitment, and I need support. "I've never heard of an adult parent calling their own parent overwhelmed with normal parenting. If my adult child did that I would have to wonder of homeschooling was going to work out too because it's not within my frame of reference as normal parent to grandparent interactions. Are you part of an American subculture outside the mainstream? Are you from another country? I'm not saying it's odd to be overwhelmed. What is odd is you "often call overwhelmed..." to your parents. I don't think that's a typical adult child to grandparent relationship dynamic and it's certainly not going to be helpful if you're homeschooling while dad is against it." Yes, I live in the US and if I"m part of a subculture "outside the mainstream" then so be it. I don't think I am, but I definitely march to the beat of my own drum. My husband is a pilot and I am raising the kids most often alone; and when I have a baby screaming, or a toddler having a temper tantrum, or I have had no sleep because the babies were up all night - or what have you - I need to vent. My parents (my mom) and I are very close, and I call her at least twice a day, because she's my friend. So, like any normal parent, I do get overwhelmed, and I do need to vent. I haven't met a mother who hasn't been overwhelmed with having small children. It's a rite of passage and I'm happy to be knee deep in it, but yes, I call my parents when I get overwhelmed. I haven't met someone yet who doesn't do that. Except maybe you! "You're an adult. Children ask. Adults tell. If you have a habit of asking people what they think about what you're doing, it's time to stop." I think we probably just have different personalities. I do tend to ask others opinions, and yes, my children ask a lot - and I tell them to do a lot - but we also communicate effectively and I get down on their level and ask THEM a lot, too. I am the adult and I make the final call, but I really care about what they think and yes, others too - maybe to a fault, but that's who I am. As far as the rest of your advice, I appreciate it!! And there is that chance that my husband may never change his views, but if that is the case - we'll need to take a different direction, because I can't just toss aside his feelings either. No matter how strong mine are. But, I think we'll get there together. I sure hope so at least :)

We have a dinner date planned for Saturday night so that'll be a good, relaxing time to sit down and chat without the stresses around us. I'm going to try to have a heart to heart and we will see how it goes. I keep texting positive things about homeschooling and he isn't really responding to those, only other things - haha! He really cares about the kids so I'm hoping he can open his heart to my point of view. I totally agree that Kindergarten should be mainly play with creative learning attached, but he is of differing opinion I suppose. It makes it hard but I know marriage & parenting hold a lot of compromise. But I also feel that because I am the one getting up with DS daily, putting him to bed daily, and seeing first hand his attitude towards school - he should at least be open to listening whole heartedly to my opinion on the situation. I've completely ceased talking about it with anyone else as I'm finding they are not being super supportive, so we're going to focus on the core family decision at this point and when we make our decision, just tell the family. :)

Thank you for this! xoxo - I kind of have to give this to God for now and trust in him. Much appreciated :)

A quick response from my hubby - I told him our DS had a tough night & morning and he replied "Yes, I know it's hard to go to school. I had to do it too! We all have to do it every day!" ...how do I even suggest I'm considering it? You see what I mean? He thinks it's coddling & not teaching him to "work hard" :mellow:

Maybe? I feel scared, to be honest. I am not sure what materials I'd use and I'm nervous I would not succeed. There are a few nature programs I've seen we could enroll him in, but he probably wouldn't have a lot of social interaction the first few months either, so I'd also be worried my DH would notice this and put it down. I also (and my DH especially) feel that if we've committed to a year of school, we should finish it. I know that's silly to feel that way, but even I feel like I'd be "failing" if we had to pull him. I just don't know. In all of my research, I've also read a few stories of folks who pulled their children mid-school year and regretted it for a certain number of reasons; mainly because it was so sporadic that they just weren't prepared. I so badly want this to work for us that I don't want to make a mistake being hasty. Does that make sense? ETA: this may be a better way to pitch it though, as I think about it. DH has mentioned in the past "it's only Kindergarten" - so he may be more 'open' to letting me try for the last few months. food for thought... you guys are definitely challenging & encouraging all of me! :)

Oh gosh, if my DH was on board, we probably would have homeschooled beginning this year. The first two years (my DS was in 4 year pre-school and we did a Young 5's program) were just as bad and I kept thinking things would "get better" - but clearly after 3 years, things are not "better" - my DS just isn't a fan of school. I didn't really start thinking about homeschooling until about one year ago - and I've been slowly (and quietly) watching videos, reading - getting inspired - on my own. I'd casually mention it to DH and he'd say "No way" - so I was too nervous to even tell him I was seriously considering it up until a few months ago. So that is why we are where we are - and as much as it hurts every morning to send my boy off and see him crying (it's REALLY hard), I know that my DH needs to be on board. It'd cause more family problems if I did something that he didn't fully agree with and I think this is so important that I need to do it in the right way (if he winds up resenting this process, that'd be even worse). And right now I think that means - having to wait. In the back of my head I secretly hope that maybe we can try for after Spring Break, but again, my DH needs time. All of you are also giving me so much encouragement and that's more helpful than I can ever say.

Isn't that the truth!? Sitting in a classroom being directed vs mending fixes and taking tae-kwon-do - hmmm, which sounds more "manly" :) And to be fair as far as male influence at school - every single teacher is a girl except for ONE third grade teacher which everyone "requests" so he'd likely never get him as a teacher anyway. The only other older male influence at his school is the custodian which he reports is "mean and yells at us to get back in line" - ha. So, the only real influence of boys that he's getting is from his direct peers who I also don't feel are the best role models (6 year old boys! push, hit, throw things, call people names) :) So, how to convince hubby of this, I am not sure. He's still really stuck on you have to get knocked down to toughen up. And yes I really need to turn off the viewpoints from the outside world, even if they're my mom & dad - but they echo the same as my husband, so I'm trying to work through it all and (sadly) desperately just want a companion in my thoughts. I think my husband will get there. I hope.