Any one here have just one child?

[Mrs Darcy]

Are there any other parents out there that have just one child?

 

I am alone in thinking that you only have one chance to get this right?

 

How do you cope with the enormous pressure of getting it all right the first time. Is it OK that if something does not work this year, you can try again next year and it won't affect them?

 

What about the cost of curriculum? If you have more than one child, you can reuse it again, but with just one, there is no one to pass it down to. How do you justify the cost of say a $500 pre packaged curriculum that you can't reuse next year with another child?

[sunflowerlady]

Well, I have just one child. However, I have never really thought of it as having just once chance to "get it right." :)

 

Even if I had a half dozen children, each of them would be unique individuals, and what I thought was a great homeschool plan for the first, could be a failure with the next. What I was sure was a loser curriculum for one child, would be just the ticket for another.

 

As for costs, I don't justify anything. No matter how many children are homeschooled, money spent is an investment. Each child is worth it. That said, I don't spend anywhere near $500. I buy most of our books used. It also helps that I remain open minded and flexible about what I am willing to use each year. That really helps when I attend the local used curriculum sales. :) I take advantage of great deals I find there.

[Carol in Cal.]

I feel that since I only have one, my costs overall are less, so if I need an expensive curriculum, I don't feel badly about buying it.

 

But, I probably do agonize longer over those curriculum choices, because I know that if I have only one, if a particular curriculum does not work out I will be unable to fall back on it for another one.

 

I buy a lot of used stuff, and reasonably priced stuff as well. I tend to spend more on something that I think is really, really outstanding, like Real Science 4 Kids or LLLOTR. But, for instance, I'm not experimenting with buying TOG, because I'm not positive that I'll use it, for several reasons, even though it looks really appealing. If I had more children, I might buy it 'just in case', on the assumption that I would use it SOMETIME, even if not right now. And, if I had more children, some of the multilevel features of TOG would be more attractive to me as well.

 

I am more worried about overworrying with just one child than about anything else. "An old hen with one chick" is not how I want to be. I have to work at not being overly protective.

[Sunshine State Sue]

Are there any other parents out there that have just one child?

I have a 13yo ds who's always been homeschooled.

 

I am alone in thinking that you only have one chance to get this right?

It sounds like you are a perfectionist. I am, too. But, I never really think of it like that. I just think that I must be able to do a better job than the most gifted teacher with 20-30 students. Also, I research the curriculum I plan to use and generally choose wisely. I do my best, which is all I can do. Now, the whole parenting thing, yeah, I wish I could have a second chance.

 

How do you cope with the enormous pressure of getting it all right the first time. Is it OK that if something does not work this year, you can try again next year and it won't affect them?

It doesn't take me a whole year to figure out my failures, more like 1-2 months. And, I just switch to plan B then.

 

What about the cost of curriculum? If you have more than one child, you can reuse it again, but with just one, there is no one to pass it down to. How do you justify the cost of say a $500 pre packaged curriculum that you can't reuse next year with another child?

I work part-time, so money isn't much of an issue. I've never bought a $500 pre-packaged curriculum, but I regularly average $100 per subject per year. You can also resell some things.

 

There are some advantages to homeschooling an only child. The academics go quicker and it's perhaps less chaotic (or so I imagine...)

 

Have you ever read There Are No Shortcuts by Rafe Esquith? He's an amazing 5th grade teacher. His book is amusing and inspiring. Then, I think, yeah and you get to teach 5th grade over and over and over and over again. I have to move to 6th grade, then 7th grade, then ... Sometimes, I do wish I didn't have to work at something new every year.

 

Best wishes! :grouphug:

[sheryl]

I have 1 dd who turns 10. The benefits of homeschooling and spending some money to do that far outweighs the disadvantages. You can sell it or trade with someone. Visit the library. Start a co-op, etc, etc.

 

We received alot of preowned books from my cousin for the first 3 years and that helped financially. Now we buy mostly, but not all, preowned.

 

Mrs. Darcy, I love it! I love the BBC version and Darcy!

[Doodle]

I have an only. I know I am over protective so I guess I'll take the "old mother hen" title! I worry on top of worrying.:tongue_smilie: I'm not so much concerned about needing to get it right the first time as I am with not knowing about "the perfect curriculum" until it is too late to use it.

[Mrs Darcy]

Thanks everyone.

 

It's nice to know that there are other families with just one child. I've had some funny looks at park days when people realize I have just the one. They think I must have left the others at home.

 

I have not, nor do I plan on spending $500 on a curriculum. I'm just following my own plans right now. Kinda just following ds interests in history right now.

[Aurelia]

Are there any other parents out there that have just one child?

 

I am alone in thinking that you only have one chance to get this right?

 

How do you cope with the enormous pressure of getting it all right the first time. Is it OK that if something does not work this year, you can try again next year and it won't affect them?

 

What about the cost of curriculum? If you have more than one child, you can reuse it again, but with just one, there is no one to pass it down to. How do you justify the cost of say a $500 pre packaged curriculum that you can't reuse next year with another child?

 

 

I only have one. :seeya:

 

I don't feel like there's only one chance in anything in life. Kids are amazingly forgiving and can recover faster from our "mistakes" than adults can. It might take some work to "unlearn" bad habits or misinformation, but there's always another chance.

 

As far as expensive curriculum goes, if it's a wonderful program that works well, it's worth the cost regardless of how many or few children will be using it in the future.

[iammommy]

Hi! I have one child also. He's 9, in fourth grade. I am a worrying, overprotective momma! LOL I do overspend on curricula, but then again, I sell some things at the end of the year. Since ds is the only one I have to buy for, I can splurge a little. Love that! It's nice to see other homeschooling families with one child.I thought I was all alone!

 

Nan

[Cornerstone Classical]

You might enjoy reading 2 blogs that are moms only homeschooling one child. You might find some encouragement.

 

Here's the links

 

One Child Policy Homeschool http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Jimmie/

 

and

 

Milk and Cookies http://milk--and--cookies.blogspot.com/

 

HTH:001_smile:

[elegantlion]

Are there any other parents out there that have just one child?

 

One child here. :D

 

I am alone in thinking that you only have one chance to get this right?

 

I feel that way sometimes, but I feel that way about many aspects of parenting one.

 

How do you cope with the enormous pressure of getting it all right the first time. Is it OK that if something does not work this year, you can try again next year and it won't affect them?

 

I make sure I have others to bounce ideas off of. I looked for an educational philosophy to follow. I allow that to be my guiding light, so to speak. If somethings doesn't work, like others said, I know within 2 months so I can change it, tweak it, or start over again. We did that with math for 4th grade.

 

What about the cost of curriculum? If you have more than one child, you can reuse it again, but with just one, there is no one to pass it down to. How do you justify the cost of say a $500 pre packaged curriculum that you can't reuse next year with another child?

 

I look somewhat at resale value. However, I am buying the education, not just the materials. I'm tired so I don't know if that makes sense. There is value in the use of the tools.

 

I do work to get the most value for my money, but I buy what I believe will provide the best education, not what is just the cheapest. In the grand scheme 500.00 a year is a bargain for education.

 

[KAR120C]

I am alone in thinking that you only have one chance to get this right?

Of course you only have one chance to get it "right" but on the other hand I'd hate to think, if I had more than one child, that the oldest could be a disaster as long as I got the later ones "right"! You learn as you go with every child, and of course you make mistakes... but you do your best.

 

As far as expense, I do buy things with an eye to resale. And since we've used them just the one year (and we are very careful...) they are generally still current and in good condition when we're done. But even if we didn't resell curriculum, the real expense of homeschooling for us is in my loss of income... which is offset a bit by my being able to do a little part time work because I do only have the one child and he is fairly independent. If I had three or four of different ages I wouldn't have the free time or energy to work. So in the end it really works out cheaper for me to have just the one.

[buddhabelly]

This year (as in calendar year) has been nice because I met another mom of only one. Her son is the same age as mine, so somehow it all feels more status quo.

 

I guess I never obsess about THAT (although I probably will now, LOL). I worry more about a possible future transition to school. We are not passionate about homeschooling all the way through high school and are not sure when (if at all) that transition will happen. So I often find myself saying, "You would get sent to the principal's office if you did that in class!" I really am unsure about how much I should prepare him for appropriate classroom behavior, like not humming during tests or not shooting bionicle blasters while the teacher is reading history or science.......

 

And about the expensive curricula, I find that the most expensive (like IEW) can usually be used for multiple years. But the State of Alaska pays our homeschooling bills, so I really can't complain about this aspect of homeschooling. (Except, like another poster said, I am not out earning the big bucks since I am spending around 40 or 50 hours per week on homeschooling, planning, and the paperwork associated with it.)

 

Julie

[Paula in PA]

I have to admit I do worry at times, about getting it right and giving her the chance to meet her potential. I tend to overcompensate sometimes because of that worry. Like just recently, I went and bought 2 different pre-algebra texts to check out for later. They were used and relatively cheap, but still, she won't be doing p-a for at least 3 years! :blush: As far as normal buying of curriculum, yes, we actually do tend to spend a lot, easily more than $500 a year. And so far, I haven't resold any of it, though that is about to change. But, like a pp said, that's still very inexpensive for a good education.

[MrsMe]

I have an 8 yr old dd. Yes, sometimes I feel like I only have one chance to get this right. You know, you learn things with the first and can fix some things with the second. We don't get that learning chance! :iagree:

 

Fortunately we don't have money issues and my dh doesn't care what I spend on curriculum. (Thank goodness). I can also say that I don't buy clothes or alot of household items or anything else. I'm a book and curriculum junkie. I have wasted money. Well, not sure wasted. I spent a lot of money and found things that didn't work because of "learning languages." But I can say as I move along, I spend less (probably because I have it all, LOL!), because I've tried it all and know what does and doesn't work for us. What learning language works for spelling, doesn't necessarily work for history and what works for math doesn't necessarily work for reading. I spent a lot of money figuring it out. Like Paula in PA said, I've spent way over $500. Some I've sold, most I keep and I find myself going back to it for certain aspects of it. MFW K worked, MFW1st was a bomb. MFW Adventures I didn't use, but I'm now using the bible portion. So I don't sell it anymore.

 

I'm glad I have one, because I doubt I could hs more than 1. I suppose I also say that because I have one and if I had two I'd adapt. But yes, I feel the same way, but still I think it's money well spent. Better on curriculum that didn't work than on a bunch of shoes or a McMansion that has no real value in the end.