Yes, Dorothy, There Really are Great Teenagers!

I know, it is difficult for some of you to believe, but it is very true. I am SO happy that we homeschool. I am happy that my sons have wonderful friends. It is absolutely refreshing to hang out with teens that are comfortable talking with adults and have the ability as well as the desire to share interesting conversation.

Life is so different being that we have existed outside of the public school system completely for a few years now. For a long time we were at various stages of homeschooling. Now, we are just plain old homeschoolers, and I L-O-V-E, love it! There is such freedom and opportunity outside of the system. I feel like we are so much more able to be ourselves and live our lives the way we see fit now that we have completely separated ourselves from the confines of public education.

The kids and I have our own victories, discoveries, and struggles. Every day presents something new to explore, remedy, share, conquer, you name it. We are definitely not short on things to do. There is so much that we would like to learn that it is evident that a lifetime is not long enough to cover a fraction of our interests.

What is most refreshing to me is the difference in the quality of the friends my children have. It was a different world for my oldest four, as well as our token middle child. Anyone that has a large family knows all about the whole "two batches" thing. Well, it seems we clearly have two batches. The thing that sets us apart is the middle child slot. We clearly have two batches AND a middle child; three very distinctly different categories of children. It is so interesting to watch. We have our own case study taking place right under our own roof. It's rather interesting to observe the differences in our children and relate that to our own personal stages as parents and our level of education and awareness. Poor guinea pigs!

Despite the fact that I love my teenagers, something I would have never thought possible before, I am also very excitedly looking to the light at the end of the tunnel. I cannot wait to freely unschool myself! There are so many things I would like to learn, so many places I would like to go, and so many things I would like to do. I am looking to the day where I will have more control of my time; where I can focus on improving me. What an exciting time it is, indeed!