I took the two olders out of school and yes it was terribly hard at first. Everyone is way different so I am not judging just giving it from my perspective. At first I became a witch and I got really mean to everyone. I looked forward to their dad walking in the door so I could leave. The grocery store, the drug store even just a drive anything at all. Then my oldest daughter came to me in tears one night saying she wanted to go back to school so I would be happy to see her again. Broke my heart totally. So I started thinking these days won't last. The days will come when I am not so needed and reading board books and driving to gymnastics will end, it will all end so it was cowboy up time. So I learned to deal and take baths with books and just hang out with my kids. For years that's how it was today my baby is gonna be 10 next week, my oldest is 17 and the days of being all over me have come to a halt. Next week I am actually going on a vacation away from the them for a week and I am gonna miss them so much. This is a first for me. I have also been a single mom for the last 6 years to them as well. They will be having their very first visit with their dad without me. What have I gotten out of it? I have amazing relationships with all my kids. I never lost any moments by being gone and have seen everything because I have always been there. I am not saying that this is the way everyone should do it or if you send your kids to camp you are a bad mom I am just saying this is how I looked at it and it worked for me. I knew my me time would come back someday and it slowly has. Truthfully there are some days I would trade this for chasing toddlers, changing diapers, watching barney for the millionth time and reading chicka chicka boom boom one more time. These days will end and you will look around and say what a ride I wish I could do it again.