It's been awfully quiet here!
I've got another question. If you had all the maturity you have now and were just beginning to homeschool all over again, what would you do differently?
Christine

I've been thinking about this for the past couple of days. Something I read on another forum this morning helped me come up with an answer to this. I think the main thing I would do differently is that I would not worry about what other people thought. I would not try to live up to anyone else's expectations of what a "good homeschooler" is supposed to be like. I would encourage my children to be who they are, not who other people expect them to be, and I would try NOT to put those kinds of expectations on them myself. I don't mean standards of right and wrong. I would still teach and enforce those. But I think, especially at the beginning, I had a hard time distinguishing between what was "right" by God's standard, and what was "expected" by other people. I think I put too much focus on the "expected". I was too concerned about how what my children did (or didn't do) reflected on me. I wish now that I had just taught them the way I felt was right, with God's leading, and totally ignored what other people thought. At least those people who were more concerned with telling me what they thought, instead of helping me find what God had planned for my family.
Lori

Dear Lori,
Amen and amen! I heard someone say once that peer dependence is a terrible problem - among homeschooling moms! It is so true that we are overly concerned about what others think about what we're doing, whether we're doing enought, whether what we do is like what everyone else does, etc. etc. ad nauseum.
We are unique creatures of a creative God. What a heritage!
Anyone else have anything to share?
Christine

That was beautiful advice. I think I will use it in my new homeschooling adventure. I hope more homeschooling moms with experience will answer. You veteran homeschoolers are amazing!!

Hi tenfeet,
Welcome to the board. Come back often to chat.
Stop by to tell us your story.
Blessings,
Christine

As others have posted, I'd relax and not let well-meaning family and regulations worry me.
One more thing.... I'd make them write more!