Homeschooling Through the Alphabet: U is for Unexpected

I just knew I had to use Unexpected for the letter U.  So many things about this homeschooling Journey have been unexpected.

I never expected to be homeschooling:

• When my boys were born it was just assumed that they would go to school like both my husband and I did.  They all happily started preschool at 4 (and some even earlier than that!) and had a great time.  We found a wonderful, small, private school where we just clicked with the fellow students, parents and teachers.  The school suddenly shut down when my oldest was just starting first grade and we transferred to our local public school.  We weren't thrilled but we were willing to give it a try.  By the end of 2nd grade we knew it wasn't working for us.  With tons of family support we turned to homeschooling; as an experiment.... and have never looked back since.

I never expected to enjoy homeschooling so much!

• I started homeschooling because I knew it was the best option for my boys but I was so afraid of being with all three of my boys every single day all day long.  I had been home with my boys since birth and I am honest enough to admit that I was thrilled when they were finally old enough for school and I could get a break.  It was a lot of work being home with them when they were small.  I figured homeschooling would be more exhausting since I'd be adding teaching into everything else I was already doing. 
• While homeschooling can be challenging at times, I have had so many opportunities to teach my boys many valuable and helpful life skills that I find I have MORE time now then I used to.  I have more help and I enjoy being with my boys.  We have so much fun together!!  

I never expected homeschooling to bring us all so close as a family!

• I would have sworn that we were a close family.  I knew what my kids were doing in school, who their friends were, what they were interested in, etc.  But homeschooling has brought us so much closer together!  We spend so much time together and since the boys and I can do most all of our activities during the day we are all home at night for family dinners, projects and game nights.  

I never expected homeschooling to change the way we parented our kids:

• I honestly thought that homeschooling my kids would mean that we were teaching them school subjects at home and that the rest of our lives would remain the same.  I had no idea that homeschooling was more of a way of a life than a teaching method.  It has completely changed the way we parent our kids and altered our outlook on life.  We now look for learning opportunities (and see them EVERYWHERE!).  We have more faith in our children and their choices.  I am much more willing to hear the boys out and listen to their side of any discussion and argument; knowing that they have unique perspectives and their own ideas.  Homeschooling has helped me relax quite a bit and lay off on all the rules we used to have.  

I never expected homeschooling to open up so many opportunities to us!

• I had no idea that there were as many people homeschooling around us as there are.  I had no idea that all these wonderful groups and mothers would be planning unique and wonderful field trips and experiences for us to try out (usually at a fraction of the cost too!).  I had no idea that we would have so much free time to explore, play and learn together.  
• We've taken trampoline lessons, tried out obstacle and aerial courses, and climbed rock walls. We've taken classes at our local zoo to learn about animals, learned about marine biology on an ocean research vessel and toured many a museum.  

I never expected that my boys and I would make so many new and wonderful friends. 

• I honestly thought that we would homeschool during the week, during school hours and the boys would see their school friends on the weekend.  Once I realized that they were missing their friends during the week I knew we should at least get out of the house and meet up with a few other homeschooling families every now and then.  
• I had no idea that three or four years later we would have our own little tribe of friends that we just clicked with and want to do things with over and over and over again!  My boys and I have met some really wonderful families through homeschooling and are so blessed to add them to our already large group of public and private school friends.  (Yep, my boys are still friends with kids they met in preschool!). 

I never expected that homeschooling would lead me to blogging and all of you. 

Homeschooling Through the Alphabet:

A is for Awe
B is for Boisterous
C is for Creativity
D is for Determination
E is for Expectations
F is for Fun
G is for Games
H is for Heart
I is for Independence
J is for Journey
K is for Kitchen
L is for Longevity
M is for Moments
N is for Nature
O is for Options
P is for Personalized 
Q is for Quicker 
R is for Recreation
S is for  Simple
T is for Trends