You have no clue what a help you have been.....

[twinmomma]

Hi Ladies,

I've been a lurker for a LONG time and have finally made the jump to poster. We have been praying about homeschooling since our boys were babies then this past summer the Lord seemed to have confirmed our desire. Anyway, I have come to this board often....mostly because I feel so alone in this decision. Most of my friends chose PS and sort of think I'm strange for choosing HS. The Lord continues to encourage me, but to be honest I still have those moments of doubt. The doubting makes me so sad. My point in this post is to let you frequent posters know that your thoughts have been a great help to me. When I'm feeling like the only one taking this path, it helps so much to realize I am not. Feeling like I need to be a part of the crowd is a weakness of mine. I have been praying about it and it's amazing how the Lord is making me more content to be alone and in my decision.

I know of other homeschoolers yet do not feel like I have much in common with them. I'd say 99% of them are pro-spankers and share about it often. This board also helped confirm our decision to stop spanking( I always thought good Christians spank :shrug.) I'm babbling.....I just wanted you to know that I have been blessed by you all!! I hope I made some sense in all of this. :O

MaryBeth

[Punkie]

:hearts :hug I'm so happy that you are posting, MaryBeth. How encouraging and what a wonderful reminder that we never know who is reading! GCM has been such a blessing in my life too :heart It is so nice to have like-minded women around!

[happyhousewife]

Hi Mary Beth, I too strugglked with the decision to hs. I have a sister that is a ps teacher. :/ It wasnt a hard decision to make...my struggle was when we started doing it I started having doubts. I know i might have doubts along the way but I am sure that this is what God wants me to do. Its great to have you posting. I am a lurker too. :cool

[Singingmom]

I'm so glad you've joined! :)

When I began homeschooling we were the only ones in our small town, and I had been a ps teacher so many of my friends were ps teachers. I felt so much pressure to prove to everyone (including my dh who wasn't impressed at the time but is now) that my son would excel. I wish I would have just relaxed and been more confident. I hope you can be.

[twinmomma]

It's weird, I get so excited to purchase curriculum and have done a lot of research on it. So now I am almost stocked with what I need to start kindergarten in Sept and I feel frozen. The doubts and lack of energy can be overwhelming. I'm going to keep giving it over to the Lord. I'm committed to my decision. It can be hard feeling like an "island". I already feel that way because I am a Christian that does not believe spanking is right or biblical(whole 'nother subject).Maybe it's all fear of the unknown?

thanks!!!

[Singingmom]

Sometimes I still feel frozen, even after 6 yrs, but every time that happens the Lord is faithful to show me the next thing. Encouragement always comes, whether it's through a book, a friend, this forum, or the sweet Holy Spirit speaking to my heart. When the journey ahead is unknown and we know how inept we are on our own, that's when we have to fully rely on His strength to see us through. And He will! :hug

[Reva]

I'm glad you joined too! :) It's so hard when you feel like you're the only one that hs. I live in a *small* town, and feel like people think I'm a freak when they find out I hs. :( I remember the fear when we started hs'ing. Don't worry, as you get more "into" it, it will mostly go away. I still have fear sometimes, but then I just remember all the reasons we started hs'ing in the first place, and things just settle back down.

[AttachedMamma]

Hi Marybeth :welcome2

It is hard when you feel alone in your choice. I started feeling that soon after becoming pg...choosing a natural birth, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, to name a few of my "non mainstream" choices. Sometimes I really felt like an oddball. But, you know, in the end you have to make choices that *you* can live with. Better to feel as an outsider and follow your heart than to deceive yourself and not follow *your* path. When faced with a decision, I try to ask myself how I will feel about that decision at the end of my life.

HSing, like any choice, is not easy. I believe that when you have the conviction in your heart to homeschool, you can do it. Statistics show that the greatest predictor of HSing success isn't education or being the most organized person or having the best behaved children, but it's sheer *determination*. (Funny, but I think determination plays a huge part in starting a business too.)

And, as you get deeper into learning about HSing, you will meet more and more HSers, find a support group, etc.

Good luck on your journey and may God bless your decision! :)

cindi

[twinmomma]

So encouraging!!! I had a really rough Easter with siblings who were challenging me on many parenting/HS issues. Had a really restless sleep.....but the Lord is good. In different ways(including this board) He has been encouraging me today. Thank you for taking the time to share with me.