Home Schooling, Not on Your Life

     Let me say right off, that I love my children. I would give them a kidney in the blink of an eye if they needed it. I want my kids to grow up happy, healthy, smart and accomplished.  I want them to be people that others actually like to be around.  I want them to know how to get around in this great big world without messing up to badly.  I think that's what most parents want for their kids.  Their are so many ways to go about it though.
     Home schooling is one of them.  I can't believe how many blogs their are from moms that home school.  I understand that some people think they can do a better job educating their kids than the local public school.  They are probably right. I can see that their would be some serious benefits to being able to control what kids are exposed to.  You could teach them things that they never get to hear about in public schools.  You wouldn't have to deal with endless homework assignments like my sister has had to do.  No more shopping for back to school clothes in August that puts a major dent in the budget. You could sleep in everyday.  Sounds great, doesn't it.
     Their is a dark side though. The biggest one that I can see is you would have to spend all day everyday with your kids. Yikes!  I don't want to do that.  I know that makes me sound like a bad mom. I can live with that.  In my own defense, let me say that raising ten kids isn't an easy thing to do. My youngest started first grade this year and it has taken me thirty years to get to this point.  I deserve a few hours of peace and quiet and I'm not going to let anyone make me feel guilty for claiming it.  I need it, I have been waiting for it and planning it for years.  I actually had a list of things that I wanted to do when the big day arrived; I lost it. But that doesn't matter because most of the stuff was obsolete anyway.  New things have taken their place.  It doesn't even matter what they are, the fact that I have the option of doing anything I want without taking children with me is priceless.  I can think for more than two minutes without hearing "Mom!"  You wouldn't  believe how quiet it is around here after the last school drop off has occurred. I can actually clean the house and it stays clean( at least until they get home).  It gives me time to recharge and to organize my thoughts.  I need that.
     Today is a holiday and all the kids are home.  Perhaps we'll watch a movie or maybe they will go outside and play.  It will go by fast, that is for sure.  It will be nice.  And what makes it even nicer is that I know tomorrow they will all be back in school. :)