The Grass is not always Greener...

A good friend of mine started off her kids in private Yeshivas. For good reasons, her family moved to a place where there are no Jewish schools available for her kids and she has now been homeschooling them since October 2013.

She is having such a wonderful experience Homeschooling, and I feel that a lot of what we talk about can really help other moms out there who are new to or are having a difficult time Homeschooling.

Here is her story:

 "When we lived in a big Jewish community, my kids started school at age 2. They were picked up by the bus at 8:15 am and dropped off at home between 4:30 and 4:45 pm. They would arrive home starving and exhausted. I would feed them, do homework with them (the Preschool and Kindergarten age kids) bath them and put them to bed.

"I did not know my kids.

"I had no idea how advanced one of my kids were in reading since her class were only learning the Hebrew letters. I would never have known she could have advanced in her fluency of reading in Hebrew and English within 4 months if not for homeschooling. One of my other kids was behind (we later found out it was because she simply needed glasses) which was not good for her self esteem as she was not up to class level.

"Once I began Homeschooling, it was like this whole new world opened up to us on so many levels.

"For one, I now know what my kids are eating and make sure they have healthy wholesome meals and snacks throughout the day, something I had no control over when they went to school.

"For my child who is ahead of her grade level, I am able to move forward with her and challenge her and she could not be happier. For my other child, she got glasses and is now able to catch up at her own pace with out being compared to anyone. She feels so much better about herself, its amazing to see.

"Socially, the only time they complain is when they say they miss their cousins. Never once have they asked to go back to school. In fact, they are the happiest I have ever seen them.

"I did keep their uniforms for school time. I get them from http://www.cookieskids.com/ and it really helps keeping school time structured as well as keeps the weekly amount of laundry very manageable!

"We finish our school day at 2 pm and I don't see them until dinnertime. They play with the kids in the neighborhood, ride their bikes, play outside, play all together. It is so beautiful to see my kids all so close. I wish I would have had that as a child, to be able to develop real relationships with my siblings. But we were always at school or with friends or doing homework, we never got a chance to really get to know each other even though we lived under the same roof and shared parents.

"I get to hug and kiss my kids during school time. I really get to know them. They have chores at home that they are more then happy to do, since they don't have the pressure of tests and homework. I wish I would have had the opportunity to grow up like this. I always had friends at school, but I also always felt so lost. Here, my kids get their life and education catered to who they are. Its such an amazing gift! I feel that if we do move again, I don't think I can ever put my kids back into a conventional school. I want to Homeschool them all the way through High School if I can.

"To the moms out there having a hard time, I have been on the other side. Where your child just gets lost in the shuffle. Sure, you have A LOT more time to yourself! But the gift of giving your kids this individualized attention and guidance is something that will be with them forever. You may think the grass is greener on the other side, but if you take the time to water your own it will be greener."

Wishing you all a wonderful week,

Always,