Does parent age and education matter?

[BillieBoy]

After reading some really great discussions on this board from theology to spanking and tea to pancakes, I am curious as to how diverse we all are in other things as well. One in particular is age. How old were you when you started having children? And the other is how many years of college do you have if any? And did these factors in any way inform your decision to homeschool. Do you think it matters? I’m fairly new to this new board though I lurked on the old so please be kind.

 

I’ll start:

I was 32 when my first and only was born

6 years of college

I most defiantly think my age mattered. I was way too much of an idiot in my 20’s. Albeit the lead guitarist I married turned out to be the best husband/father ever.

I think I gained a far better perspective traveling and living all over the world than my university studies ever gave me.

I do think my education and experience has made a difference in how and why I homeschool my child. But, I have found infinite wisdom in mothers much younger than myself with no college.

[Orthodox6]

First child born when I was 29-1/2.

Last living child born when I was nearly 44.

B.A., M.L.I.S., and about 2/3 of an M.A.

 

DH has a Ph.D. in economics. This is pertinent because he is one gigantic mathematical model, so teaches the more difficult areas of math and science.

 

I don't consider myself a successful homeschool educator. Not one bit. I'm just trapped into this because, fourteen years into this job, we still won't use the publics (for philosophical and religious reasons), and can't afford the privates. At least two of the dc are in college, in spite of it all.

 

I think my greatest asset for teaching is ADHD because I am interested in everything. Also the M.L.I.S. because I can research anything at basic level minimum, and often well beyond that.

Edited July 2, 2009 by Orthodox6

[joannqn]

I'm a college drop out...1 1/2 quarters.

 

I got married at 23 and had my first child at 26.

 

My parenting style was most directly influenced by my home life growing up; I didn't want to be like them. My decision to homeschool was influenced by my school experience (unchallenged "gifted" student) and the fact that the local school district refused to talk to me about testing and accelerating my oldest child when it was time to enroll in kindy (she was ready for 2nd grade).

 

I don't think my age had anything to do with it. The biggest influence to every decision I've made was my childhood. It was very abusive in many ways. Because of that, I've made some really good decisions and some really bad decisions.

[Ruby]

3 semesters of community college.

1st child at 20 (oops!) total of 3 by age 27.

Never intended to homeschool. Some friends who we had play group with had two older girls. They began homeschooling and I was shocked. Thus began my oh my goodness, soul searching, praying, crying and otherwise intense decision about wether or not to homeschool. (then I stressed out about going independant or not) Finally figured that I couldn't screw up Kindergarten and decided to take it one year at a time. Am I good at it? Not so much. Do I love it? Not always. Have we bopped around from curriculum to curriculum? Yes. Faith based decision as well as just believing in the family unit. Love the relationships.

 

Wish I had more life experience before I started but not necessarily more education. (maybe I wish the stuff from high school had stuck more...but I am familiar with enough stuff to lend a hand to my kids) Most of us can find information we need or can take a class etc.

[BillieBoy]

First child born when I was 29-1/2.

Last living child born when I was nearly 44.

B.A., M.L.I.S., and about 2/3 of an M.A.

 

DH has a Ph.D. in economics. This is pertinent because he is one gigantic mathematical model, so teaches the more difficult areas of math and science.

 

I don't consider myself a successful homeschool educator. Not one bit. I'm just trapped into this because, fourteen years into this job, we still won't use the publics (for philosophical and religious reasons), and can't afford the privates. At least two of the dc are in college, in spite of it all.

 

I think my greatest asset for teaching is ADHD because I am interested in everything. Also the M.L.I.S. because I can research anything at basic level minimum, and often well beyond that.

 

Do you think you would have been so inclined to HS the whole way if DH wasn't mathy? I’m pretty confident I can handle the academics but I know I’d sputter if I didn’t have DH’s artistic knowledge and skills to help.

[Orthodox6]

His education played no part in our decision. When the first two children are entering 1st and 3rd grades, nobody is thinking about calculus !

 

Our attitude always has been "do what works for each individual child." Problem is that money is not available ! One ds attends an outside school, but is on 100% scholarship. (God be thanked for those wonderful people ! ! ! )

 

We came close to sending the eldest ds to public high school, just for the social/sports avanues. About a month before we would have gone to enroll him, some brain-lacking student brought a gun to school, and held hostage his geography class (including the teacher, heavily pregnant with twins). That ended our interest in PS.

 

 

Do you think you would have been so inclined to HS the whole way if DH wasn't mathy? I’m pretty confident I can handle the academics but I know I’d sputter if I didn’t have DH’s artistic knowledge and skills to help.

Edited July 2, 2009 by Orthodox6

[lionfamily1999]

How old were you when you started having children?

DD was born when I was 16. Dh and I married when I was 19, older ds born when I was 20, younger ds when I was 26. The kids are all five years apart (they straddle my birthday).

And the other is how many years of college do you have if any?

I've been taking various classes off and on since I graduated from high school. I don't know if I have a complete year, but I've taken a handful of classes.

And did these factors in any way inform your decision to homeschool.

If anything, it made it more difficult for me to decide to start. I'd finally started my first full semester of classes and was doing very well. Then, it occurred to me that I could keep my ds from going through the issues with school that dh and I had faced and that was more important than me getting that elusive slip of paper.

Do you think it matters?

Not really. I know high school drop outs that have more information stored away in their brains that the college grads I know. It depends on your love of learning and information, more than how long you lasted/could afford in school. If the library gave out diplomas, I'd have one by now ;)

I think I gained a far better perspective traveling and living all over the world than my university studies ever gave me.

I do think my education and experience has made a difference in how and why I homeschool my child. But, I have found infinite wisdom in mothers much younger than myself with no college.

The great school of life, all kinds of lessons to be found there :)

[BillieBoy]

His education played no part in our decision. When the first two children are entering 1st and 3rd grades, nobody is thinking about calculus !

 

:willy_nilly: What! you're not supposed to be thinking about calculus now? :blink: I didn't get the memo. :001_smile:

[dani3boys]

DH and I were 18 when we got married and four months later our oldest ds was born. We then had our twins dss at the age of 20. I have had no college education, but my dh went to college and got a degree in computer science/math. I sometimes worry that I can't do this just because I don't have a degree. On the other hand I was always a good student and still think that I am. I love to learn along side my dc and think that if I decide to go to college when they graduate I will be well prepared.

My dh will take over math if it gets too hard for me. My 12 yo is already doing algebra so he might pass me up! I think a college degree would be helpful, but I think a love of learning is more important.

[Rosie_0801]

`I was 27 when I had dd and 29 when I had ds. That's the lot for us.

`I have a 4 year bachelor degree, which took longer because I was part time for a while, and a diploma which ordinarily took 2 years but I got RPL and skipped the first semester.

`I wouldn't be the person I am today without my degree (humanities,) so I sure think that matters. I wouldn't have the confidence to attempt homeschooling if I hadn't been to uni. I had a poor school experience socially, and there's no way I'm going to let the system do the same to my kiddies. I was convinced of that after having my daughter, when I had my son, I actually shook my fist in hubby's face and told him he couldn't send my boy off to school! Who knows what they'd do to him! He'd either get into trouble for asking questions or learn not to ask questions, and neither are any good. Dh just smiled and patted me on the shoulder :)

 

No idea if I'm going to be good at this gig, but I don't imagine I'll suck. Too stubborn to allow that. Where there's a will, there's a way, as the saying goes. :)

 

Rosie

[Colleen in NS]

How old were you when you started having children? And the other is how many years of college do you have if any? And did these factors in any way inform your decision to homeschool. Do you think it matters?

 

I was married at 26 1/2, had my first child 3 weeks before my 30th birthday, my second child at age 32 1/2. I have no college experience, neither does dh.

 

Neither of these factors influenced my decision to homeschool. In fact, I never even thought about homeschooling until after my first baby was born, and my former-p.s.-teacher-Mom came to visit, and talked to a friend of mine who was homeschooling, to show her how to teach her kids to read. Then my Mom started asking her all sorts of questions about what she does and gave her all sorts of teaching advice, and made it sound like teaching was fun, so I started reading about homeschooling. My Mom basically told me, "you are their mother, you CAN teach them to read, and you can teach them to do a whole lot of other things." I believed her, and set about to learn how to do this. Then I read WTM and (after my first overwhelmed reading of it) it made everything else seem so doable, so I believed the authors and put my mind to it. So for me, I suppose it was the combination of my Mom and a book telling me I could do it, and telling me how, that influenced my decisions.

 

Also, before I got married, I spent over six years working with a volunteer international Christian missions organization, traveling, working with inner city people, working with students from all over the world, doing/teaching drama, taking 3 different training schools in the organization, so I didn't exactly have the mainstream mentality anyway.:D

 

EDIT: actually, I do think my "education" (high school diploma) did influence me - the further along I go, the more I realized I didn't learn, so the more determined I am to pass important skills on to my kids, so they don't have to struggle to learn like I am now.

 

Also, my husband is a guitarist, too. Worked in various bands and everything. Currently teaches privately in people's homes. :D

Edited July 2, 2009 by Colleen in NS

[abreakfromlife]

I had my first child when I was 19, the 5th and last one when I was 26....I have 1 year of college. I don't think age and college education is as important as maturity and the parent's desire to learn. I was very fortunate growing up that I loved learning and my dad really valued education. He used to take me to all the used book sales and I owned a ton of the Landmark books. (I think my mom threw them out when she moved a few years ago...I had no idea how rare they were; I'm still upset about her doing that and not offering them to me!!!) I loved reading and writing and learning, and I still do. That was one of the main reasons I wanted to homeschool.....I couldn't believe how little my classmates knew, and even my little sister....I love her, but man, is she a perfect example of the public school system! That would just drive me up a wall to be so ignorant. I was also forced to have a strong work ethic and be a lot more responsible and mature than a lot of ppl my age (and my siblings :tongue_smilie:) so I think that plays into it a lot. I got married at 20 and was fully capable of running a household and raising kids......I know that's not the case with a lot of people.

 

My dh is an engineer so I knew he'd cover the math and science...if it wasn't for that, I would be iffier on jr.high and high school and how to manage that....thankfully I won't have to worry about that.

[Garga]

How old were you when you started having children? And the other is how many years of college do you have if any? And did these factors in any way inform your decision to homeschool. Do you think it matters?

 

Almost 30 when 1st was born. Have two ds now--ages almost 7 and 4.

 

I'm currently 36 yo.

 

I've taken only 4 college classes--all after ds7 was born. I wasn't impressed. I guess it's because they were only the 101 level classes, but I had already learned pretty much everything they taught me just by working and living. Maybe if I'd gone to college right out of hs, the classes might have been more challenging, but to a 32 yo woman, they were very simple. I begged my eng 101 instructor to give me advice about my papers, but she said they were perfect and there wasn't anything more she could teach me that I didn't already do naturally (except that I missed a few commas.)

 

None of that was a factor in deciding to homeschool. Without sounding pompous, I'm confident that I'm reasonably intelligent enough to teach through 12th grade. After all, I already learned it once! ;)

 

I don't think that age or education matter. I know some very mature 20-somethings and some very flaky 40-somethings. I know some very wise and intelligent people w/o college educations and I know some very air-headed people will college degrees.

 

It's all about the personality, dedication and the incentives a person has to homeschool. There are enough resources out there that a person lacking experience or confidence can rely on to get the job done.

[abreakfromlife]

 

Also, before I got married, I spent over six years working with a volunteer international Christian missions organization, traveling, working with inner city people, working with students from all over the world, doing/teaching drama, taking 3 different training schools in the organization, so I didn't exactly have the mainstream mentality anyway.

:drool5: that's as close to a jealous icon I could find :D That's what I regret about having kids and getting married early - not missing college, but missing getting to travel and do missions.....I'm hoping to make up for it later when the kids are grown since I'll only be 44 when my youngest is 18!

[Colleen in NS]

:drool5: that's as close to a jealous icon I could find :D That's what I regret about having kids and getting married early - not missing college, but missing getting to travel and do missions.....I'm hoping to make up for it later when the kids are grown since I'll only be 44 when my youngest is 18!

 

Oh my goodness, and all during my missions work years, I really wanted to get married and have kids!! TRUST ME - at 44 (I'm 41) and after having all that experience with family raising and homeschooling, you will be WELL equipped to do missions work - you will have plenty to offer in service.

[Orthodox6]

Oops. I forgot to say that I do NOT assume that higher education provides any automatic advantage for a homeschooling parent.

 

Being of older age may help in some ways (theoretical patience, for example), but it may be a detriment in other ways. My last student shall be graduated from high school when I am 62. :blink:

[Misty]

Another college drop-out here.. I went for 2 1/2 years... Got married at age 21, had my first daughter at age 22. My fourth child was born when I was 31.

 

My husband is a Naval Officer with a degree in Biology. He is gifted in math/physics, went to medical school for a while, but then decided he would rather be a nuclear engineer.

 

He was 18 when we got married!!!! :lol:

 

We have both been on the same page about homeschooling since we were pregnant with our first. Always agreed on it and our kids have always been homeschooled.

[Julie in Austin]

I have a BA, MA, and teaching cert for secondary English. I had a child at 22, 25, and 28. We've just started the process to become foster/adopt and hope to add two little girls to the family. I finished my education before ds #1 was born.

 

I think you can homeschool well regardless of your own ed. level as long as you are willing to consult with those who have more expertise as needed and are willing to learn along with your kids.

Edited July 2, 2009 by Julie in Austin
If a post announces that I have an English teaching certification, I better spell everything correctly.

[BillieBoy]

I don't think that age or education matter. I know some very mature 20-somethings and some very flaky 40-somethings. I know some very wise and intelligent people w/o college educations and I know some very air-headed people will college degrees.

 

It's all about the personality, dedication and the incentives a person has to homeschool. There are enough resources out there that a person lacking experience or confidence can rely on to get the job done.

 

:iagree: The one common bond we all share here is in fact our love for our kids and our dedication to their education. It's amazing we all have arrived at doing this coming from such varied nationalities, faiths, ages, economic diversity.

 

Not to sound sappy but I'm feeling incredibly grateful to be an American this 4th of July, to have these choices and these freedoms to express.:party:

[Amira]

... We've just started the process to become foster/adopt and hope to add two little girls to the family...

 

Congratulations! I hope things go well.

[joannqn]

:willy_nilly: What! you're not supposed to be thinking about calculus now? :blink: I didn't get the memo. :001_smile:

 

Neither did I...or, more accurately, neither did my 7 year old. He's on a fast track towards Calculus so I'm trying to find some filler so he's not doing it at 12. He was very disappointed when he found out that I dropped out of Calculus. I told him it was ok because I'd be doing Calculus with him. He's been trying to find out if DH took Calculus but DH says he doesn't remember. He, the 7 year old, is very hung up on Calculus right now.

 

None of that was a factor in deciding to homeschool. Without sounding pompous, I'm confident that I'm reasonably intelligent enough to teach through 12th grade. After all, I already learned it once! ;)

 

I feel the same way. Most of the time, I hear about how kids become more independent and mom is less involved in homeschooling as the kids get older. I'm finding myself more involved every year as I want to learn it too...and I know I'm capable of learning it and explaining it as we go along. I'm also learning that good curriculum and experience that comes with age/adulthood is making things that I once thought was hard easy.

[anotherclassicmom]

I went to college for 2 years, married my husband at 20 had twins just a few months after my 21st birthday and another when I was 25. We homeschool for religious beliefs and that we feel it is our duty and privilege to do so. I watched more movies in high school and yes, drew body outlines of ourselves in my advanced English class. 1/2 of our grade in that class was writing down the quote each day. I'm still unsure why the teacher had us lay down on paper to draw our body outlines and color them. I went to college very unprepared.

I loved school, loved to study and research so I did very well in college. However, when it came to understanding history I didn't even know when or where the civil war was. I was embarrased more than once in our history study groups. (Funny thing...I married a History Major)

I wish I had taken a few more years to finish my college degree, but ONLY so I could use it as proof to naysayers. Thankfully I still enjoy researching and learning. If I pass anything along to my children, I hope to give them the skills to be able to learn whatever they want!

[Melinda]

I dropped out of college after 1 semester and got married 2 months after my 21st birthday.

 

My first baby was born when I was 22 1/2 and the third was born right after I turned 26.

 

DH is 8 1/2 years older than I am and has advanced degrees.

 

I am not as organized as I would like to be, but I feel like I am serving my family well in the HS endeavor.

 

I think I would have been a better mother (more patient/organized, if nothing else) if I would have waited until my 30s to have children. However, I love that by the time Nathan is 18 and has graduated high school, I will be 44 and DH will be 53, as long as we stop at 3. That leaves plenty of time for doing things like world travel that we didn't get completely out of our systems before kids.

[lllll]

How old were you when you started having children? And the other is how many years of college do you have if any? And did these factors in any way inform your decision to homeschool. Do you think it matters? .

 

Had first (of 6) child at 18 (eloped, lasted 6 months) and last at 37. Didn't start college until I was 21 (?) and it took me 5 years to get a BS in Medical Technology (27yo when graduated - lost credits when transferred from cc to large university). (Also a high school dropout - finished in night school.) I stopped college at 23 to marry dh and work for a year when we moved to NC. Got in-state residency and decided that as long as he was in school (grad) I may as well go ahead and finish my undergrad degree.

 

Dh never finished high school. Got a full scholarship to GA Tech at 16yo, skipped his senior year of high school, and went straight into college (big mistake, btw). He didn't finish his undergrad degree until he was a few months shy of his 23rd birthday. Was asked to leave GA Tech (something about trains and railroad tracks and plastic explosive gunk ?? ... ), so lost the scholarship and had to move back home and work for a while. Got into a small private college where he lived with relatives and finally finished, between working as a coop and anything else he could find (garbageman, collecting insurance premiums, paper mill, anything) in the summers.

 

He went on to graduate school and did all his PhD work in chemistry and physics, but never went back to defend his dissertation because he "already had a job". Thus, he can't technically claim to have a PhD when he writes up his resume. (I think he regrets this, but doesn't admit it.)

 

The major factor in our (mostly me, at the time) deciding to hs was watching oldest ds suffer through the ps education system ... and getting a lousy education on top of it all! I just knew there had to be a better way.

[AngelaNYC]

After reading some really great discussions on this board from theology to spanking and tea to pancakes, I am curious as to how diverse we all are in other things as well. One in particular is age. How old were you when you started having children? And the other is how many years of college do you have if any? And did these factors in any way inform your decision to homeschool. Do you think it matters?

 

I am 39.

I'd just turned 24 when my first was born.

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology.

If I had known about homeschooling in my 20s, I probably would have started then. Once I had kids, I became this earth-mothery, all natural, attachment parent and for me, homeschooling would have just followed that. The older I got, the more research I did (didn't have a computer til I was 28). The more research I did, the more comfortable I felt going against the grain, so to speak.

 

But I don't think age matters. Maturity and a willingness to understand is what matters. I do wonder about education, though. Studies show that most homeschoolers have college+ under their belt. Would college-educated parents better allow for one parent to stay at home? So many factors involved.

[elise1mds]

I like this thread... very interesting.

 

I was 18 when I got married, which was SO not the way the grand scheme of things was supposed to work. DH was 21, we had barely started dating, and I had scholarships lined up to two great colleges. So I got married instead. Oi vey.

 

We had DS when I was 20 and DD when I was 22 (almost 23 - which means I'll only be 40, almost 41, when she's 18!). I started thinking about homeschooling when he was little-tiny but then we found a good private school that's close by, so we decided that would be a better choice... NOT. So now he'll be at home. DD is going to go to preschool there and can continue there if she likes, but if she prefers to come home, I'll happily let her.

 

As for college, I'm technically a sophomore. DH has a GED (he had to drop out of high school because he was experiencing chronic fatigue) and a few classes under his belt but is also considered one of the best in his field in this state and part of a neighboring one. I'll get back to school someday but right now my priority is my kids. I'm not worried about homeschooling, even into the higher levels, because I believe I have retained a lot of it and would love to be able to refresh myself again to learn to teach it to my kids.

[mommaduck]

I was raised in a home that held education in high regard even though my stepdad did not get a degree until I left home and my mama only had an Associates Degree (self education was encouraged as well as formal...my biodad has no degree, but my aunt and uncle do). However, I was the rebel...I didn't drink, didn't do drugs, didn't do premarital tea, started dating Dh at 15, engaged at 17, married at 19, first baby at 21, and last baby at 33. I've taken college courses off and on throughout the years, including a course while I was in highschool. I'm going back to school this fall to get my degree. This time, I'm determined to GET. MY. DEGREE! I don't want to wait any longer. I'm tired of putting it off for this or that reason. My husband also has had some college and plans to go back to school for a degree after I finish and am able to financially support the family (his mama is an RN and his father has no degree that we know of).

 

From the start, I determined that public school was NOT an option. I had experienced both public and private school. Then I learned about homeschooling and researched this option when my eldest two were little. I was informally schooling my 3yr old and it just grew into a natural thing for us as we got more formal.

Edited July 2, 2009 by mommaduck

[anotherclassicmom]

 

But I don't think age matters. Maturity and a willingness to understand is what matters. I do wonder about education, though. Studies show that most homeschoolers have college+ under their belt. Would college-educated parents better allow for one parent to stay at home? So many factors involved.

 

 

My husband has his Bachelors in Business, Masters (Aug 09) in Business and I do believe that because of this, it has allowed me to stay home. That and before we were married we talked about me staying home once we had children, the rest has just evolved over time. I know many many homeschooling families with very little college if any and jobs that are just barley enough, and they have some of the best kids I know. So, while school/education has some to do with parents staying home, I think it has do with wanting to give our kids the best start possible in life.

[mommaduck]

My husband has his Bachelors in Business, Masters (Aug 09) in Business and I do believe that because of this, it has allowed me to stay home. That and before we were married we talked about me staying home once we had children, the rest has just evolved over time. I know many many homeschooling families with very little college if any and jobs that are just barley enough, and they have some of the best kids I know. So, while school/education has some to do with parents staying home, I think it has do with wanting to give our kids the best start possible in life.

 

That or how much parents are willing to sacrifice to be a homeschooling or even large family. We learned to make do with less, I learned to sew, hubby has worked long, hard hours and sometimes 2 jobs, and we rent instead of own.

[anotherclassicmom]

That or how much parents are willing to sacrifice to be a homeschooling or even large family. We learned to make do with less, I learned to sew, hubby has worked long, hard hours and sometimes 2 jobs, and we rent instead of own.

 

:iagree: It is something not many non-homeschoolers can understand. I'm happy to make the sacrifice! If my husband were to lose his job tomorrow and we lost everything, we would still do whatever we could to make sure one of us was there to do the schooling.

[BillieBoy]

My husband has his Bachelors in Business, Masters (Aug 09) in Business and I do believe that because of this, it has allowed me to stay home. That and before we were married we talked about me staying home once we had children, the rest has just evolved over time. I know many many homeschooling families with very little college if any and jobs that are just barley enough, and they have some of the best kids I know. So, while school/education has some to do with parents staying home, I think it has do with wanting to give our kids the best start possible in life.

 

This is interesting. I guess statistically if the working parent was more educated they would have better job opportunities hence better wages. Also considering the cost homeschooling can run, esp. with a curriculum junkie like me, wow! There have been times when I thought we should switch (I have the degree) but dh is a staunch supporter of me doing the educating. Regardless of our current financial standings, we would rather tighten up than have me work outside the home. We own our business and I do all the managing from home but even when things are fat I still am a frugal-wugal.

[abbeyej]

Hm. I was 21 when ds was born, but I had graduated with a BA and a few grad courses by then. Dh was in grad school at the time, and has since gone on to finish his PhD and become a professor. I'm shocked at how young we must have been, when I look at other 21-22yos, lol, but it worked out well for us. I was home schooled myself, through 8th grade, so I think that was probably the single biggest factor in our home schooling our own kids.

 

One thing that I think benefitted dh and me as very (at least in our circle!) young parents was a certain flexibility. Many of our friends who waited till their 30s and 40s to begin having children went through a much greater adjustment period.

[swimmermom3]

After reading some really great discussions on this board from theology to spanking and tea to pancakes, I am curious as to how diverse we all are in other things as well. One in particular is age. How old were you when you started having children? And the other is how many years of college do you have if any? And did these factors in any way inform your decision to homeschool. Do you think it matters? I’m fairly new to this new board though I lurked on the old so please be kind.

 

Dh and I were married when I was 24 and he was 26. I was 29 when my dd was born and 34 when my last ds was born. For me, waiting until I was nearly 30 to have my first child was great because it was the difference between having children and not having them. I needed the maturity to realize that my life would be incomplete without them.

 

I have a BS, an MBA, and a Real Estate license. I don't really know what part my education plays in home schooling. The skills I have needed in my role as a teacher, namely patience and humility (and I'm humiliated often:D) are not ones I learned in school.

 

The reason I homeschool is because Swimmerdude's teacher called and told me that he wrote a bad elf story vs. a good elf story. I've always maintained that people who home schooled are crazy, and that call pushed me right over the edge. I'm joking. Sort of.

[WishboneDawn]

I was 25 when I had my first and I have my high school diploma. My husband has a few college courses and a technical degree.

[lovemywhirlygirls]

I had my first (living) child at 30, last at 36. I have a BA in Sociology.

 

My childbearing age and my years of school did not directly influence my interest in homeschooling. I wanted to homeschool from the beginning of our marriage. At the time I had the best job, made the most money and carried the insurance. It took a long time for my husband to see things the way I do. We've just completed our 2nd year of homeschooling.

[Mountain View Academy]

My dh had a master's and I have a bachelor's and some graduate level work. We traveled Europe and here in the states tons before we started our family. We had been married for 7 years when 1st ds came along.

 

I loved the time we had together and wouldn't change it at all. Plus waiting to have children enabled us to set ourselves up for me not having to work. We never lived on my income; just socked it away for a house.

[MIch elle]

their dc the love of music, card players teach their dc how to play cards ....

 

You get the picture!

 

What matters is a loving, stable home where people are respected and taught to be loving, contributing members of society.

[Stacy in NJ]

I have many undergraduate credits from various universities, but no degree. At 18 I left home and supported myself while taking classes. I've worked various blue collar jobs like waitressing and bartending, and also had a white collar professional career prior to children. I also traveled quite a bit during my 20's, to the UK, Europe and Latin America. Dh and I meet while I was working as a nanny and taking classes at NYU in Manhattan.

 

My dh has a MBA and a professional career on Wall Street; he is also ex-military and nearly 9 years my senior.

 

I can't really say whether education and experience weigh into our decision to homeschool, and our confidence and ability to do so. I think any adult with a decent work ethic and some common sense is capable of homeschooling. Children are probably going to benefit if parents are well grounded regardless of their ages.

 

I've known 20 year olds quite capable and 40 years olds not yet ready.

[jentancalann]

Had my first child at 22

4 years of college w/ no degree (ie: dropout)

i wanted to be the best mommy i could be, so i spent time w/ my children, teaching them, reading to them, essentially, homeschooling them. but when time came for school, i put my oldest in, because that's what you do... so i thought. i knew others homeschooled, but of course "I" could never do that- not enough patience, not organized, etc.

 

i brought ds home for 2nd grade.

 

i don't think it was a matter of physical age, but for ME (please no one be offended, this is just me), a matter of spiritual maturity and deciding to take responsibility for what the Lord has entrusted to me. not sure how to wrap this up, other than to say i now understand that my education isn't essential and i know this is what i'm supposed to do.

[briansmama]

I was 25 when I had ds1, 28 with ds2. I do have a BA, though I've learned more outside of school than I ever learned in school, which is why we homeschool.

 

I don't want my kids to be like me and have to sneak their books under desks while the rest of the class does worksheets :)

[BillieBoy]

Thank you all for responding; so many wonderful life stories and experiences. A few things I can summarize. I am old :cool:, no wonder it seems like most of you can get done in a day what I can in a week. Plus I only have one, by golly my hats off to all of you with more. You guys are truly a testament. But, seriously, age and education really doesn’t matter does it. I hope people who felt insecure about their education read some of the extremely intelligent things others posted. And this is one 40 year old that readily listens to the wisdom of a younger generation.

[Tree House Academy]

I was 19 when I had my first son. I was a sophomore in college. I finished, graduated with a 4 year degree and had a career until my second son was born and I quit to be a SAHM. I still did freelance work for a bit after I was a SAHM too.

 

I always LOVED school. I wanted to be a college professor with a doctorate when I started college. That dream changed after my kids were born, but I never lost the love for learning. I believe that, as long as you are willing to learn along with your kids, you can homeschool. I was top of my class all through school, so I have never worried, academically speaking, that I would not be able to homeschool.

[Colleen in NS]

I am old :cool:,

 

And this is one 40 year old

 

No, no, no, you are NOT old!:D I'm older than you. And there are plenty of people here in their 40s and 50s, even 60s - one poster is 64 and homeschooling an 8yo and a 5yo (I think those are the ages) that she adopted.

 

Although I can relate to your comment about accomplishing in a week that younger ones can accomplish in a day - I'm slowing down in that regard for sure! (I figure I'm getting more efficient as I prune and prioritize. :lol:)

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I was married at 39 and dh was 34;) We were blessed with our ds when I was a month shy of 41. I did not plan on marrying so late, it just took a long time till I met my mate:)

 

We both have bachelor degrees. Our decision to homeschool was multofacotrial. It included the fact that my ds had a hard time focusing in school and possibly has some special needs. Another factor was that my ds is really a very smart little guy. He just tested at a 7.5 grade reading level and consequently I think he may be bored in a regular school setting. My personal experiences with public, parachial, and a prep school also colored my decision to homeschool since I went through and witnessed many negative social experiences in all of these settings:sad: In addition, I flunked the english part of the prep school admission test in spite of having received good grades previously. I have come to the conclusion that the education often offered to our children is dumbed down so to speak.

[Mommyof4ks]

My dh and married at 19 and had our dd 18 months later. By the time I was 26 we had all three of our kids. DH finished college a few months after dd was born and I finished when she was almost 2.

 

Our highschool was strong in the arts and language, but math and science were a joke. I did not want our kids to suffer through that. I also love the idea of having the time for the kids to pursue things that are important to them (my 5 year old would not have time to build lego robots if he were in school). My dh also said that he wanted them to keep that love of learning throughout their lives. It is interesting that we never talked about homeschooling until our dd was born and we both came to the same conclusion.

 

I don't know if age matters much, but I guess that is something that is yet to be seen. In my opinon it is more important that parents love their kids than how old they are when the kids come along.

[Radish4ever]

I had my first child at age 21.... I was in the middle of an early childhood-4th teaching certification and getting my BA degree and was already a licensed massage therapist.

I had my 2nd child on my 23rd bday - I graduated with my BA one month before he was born.

Decided a few months prior that there was NO WAY I was going to get my certification because I was unhappy with what I learned about our state's education system and didn't want any part of it. The teaching program made up my mind that I would homeschool! LOL

 

So now I'm 25, due with #3, have a BA in Child and Family Studies, am a licensed massage therapist, and have finished doula and childbirth educator certification...

 

I feel MORE than qualified to teach my children. I am way too much of a worry wart to let my kids slide too far behind for too long and have great friends and family and kids to keep me in check

[AnneGabe]

I was 20 when my first daughter was born.

I had one year of college completed when I had her.

 

My high school and college experiences didn't exclusively affect my decision to homeschool but they were a small part of it.

I don't really know if my age has had any impact on the choice to homeschool or my approach to homeschool.

 

It's been really interesting to read all the replies. I think this was a great thread topic :001_smile:

[ncmomo3]

Married at 23-1st dd at 27, 2nd at 28 and 3rd at 29. I am 9 credits shy of a sociology degree and dh has an MBA and an MS. He and I have learned so much more hs'ing than we did at university. We are continually amazed at what we weren't taught.

Neither of us are of the opinion that our education had any bearing on whether or not we hs'ed. I am very content with the ages we were when we had our dds. I wouldn't have had the patience any earlier and I can't imagine having the energy for littles now:tongue_smilie: KUDOS to you all who do!!

[Renee in NC]

After reading some really great discussions on this board from theology to spanking and tea to pancakes, I am curious as to how diverse we all are in other things as well. One in particular is age. How old were you when you started having children? And the other is how many years of college do you have if any? And did these factors in any way inform your decision to homeschool. Do you think it matters? I’m fairly new to this new board though I lurked on the old so please be kind.

 

I’ll start:

I was 32 when my first and only was born

6 years of college

I most defiantly think my age mattered. I was way too much of an idiot in my 20’s. Albeit the lead guitarist I married turned out to be the best husband/father ever.

I think I gained a far better perspective traveling and living all over the world than my university studies ever gave me.

I do think my education and experience has made a difference in how and why I homeschool my child. But, I have found infinite wisdom in mothers much younger than myself with no college.

 

I was 17 when my first child was born.

B.S. and a couple of classes towards my M.S.

My marriage started out badly and was doomed to fail - or so it seemed. I have been married for 12 years and he is now my best friend.

[AndyJoy]

I will be just shy of 28 when my baby is born, and dh will be 26. I have a B.S. in accounting and dh has a B.S. in business pre-law and M.S. in engineering. I was 21 and he was just shy of 20 when we married.

 

However, I was just 19 and in my freshman year of college when I decided to homeschool. My main reasons were/are in no particular order:

 

1. I was unchallenged as a gifted kid

2. Too much time is wasted in institutional school

3. Standing up for what is right in school generally results in mockery rather than praise

4. I want more time to mold my kids' character than time outside institutional school allows

 

I started dating dh when he was just 17, and he was on board with homeschooling from the start for similar reasons.

 

I think my frustrations with the limitations of institutional school are what first made me seek out the idea of homeschooling. I knew there had to be a better way than trying to make everyone fit in the same mold, repeating content that was already mastered, expecting the "smart kid" to teach others rather than learning herself, etc. My college education served to broaden my horizons in such a way to prove to me that I was capable of providing that education myself.

Edited July 3, 2009 by AndyJoy