Excellent post, Lauren.  This is so true.  @ironshield

this is great, lauren, thank you for sharing!  I have many friends who homeschool and although I don't (we had the opportunity to enroll our children in the public school down the street that offers a Spanish Language Immersion program) I absolutely agree with your assertion; we are expecting our children to disengage from us too early and too forcefully, and part of that starts with 'going' to elementary school. I work very hard when my children are not in school to ensure these strong familial bonds remain intact. Right now they are all cuddled on the couch reading books to each other, and I take this one tiny moment and feel blessed. :)

Worse yet, they are sent to be in a classroom taught by someone who will insert their own thoughts into the childrens' minds, with students who may or may not be the kind of kids/behaviors you would want your children immersing themselves for 8 hours a day. Home schooled children also get to spend precious time with people of all ages during the day, while their counterparts are stuck with the age group they were assigned, regardless of their actual maturity level. I've raised 5 kids on home schooling and I dont regret a minute of it! (When the kids get to high school age, I allow them to decide if they want to go. So far the two that have grown out of the house decided to go back so they could particpate in dual enrollment. Both graduated with an AA, one in business and the other in early childhood development at the same time as receiving their high school diploma. This is a very good age and reason to utilize the public school system).
Lovely girls and great post! Upvoted and resteemed :0)

Nice post. This is our second year homeschooling and our kids have learned so
Much more and had so many more experiences together because of it. I agree with your decision.

Excellent to read. You are doing the right thing. Strong families can make this world a better place!

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Dear Lauren Turner, wife, mother, chief cook-and-bottle-washer, blogger, and caretaker of civilization,

Thank God that you are among the caretakers of civilization!  And thank God for your mother! As a new Steemian who (for some reason) has not read the beginner's guide, I jumped into the deep end of the Steem pool by wandering around in Internet-land until I reached a video made by a friendly-looking man with a thick beard. (Would that be your husband?)  The man had me enthralled by his expertise on sanitary methods for the composting of human waste while living off grid. Seriously? Yes, it was absolutely fascinating.  As was the immaculate appearance of the pinewood compost shield just behind him. I could almost smell the fresh wood. The man was talking much too fast for my understanding, and as a city dweller, I know nothing about living off grid.  But I was immutably persuaded that whoever these people are, they know what they're doing. So of course that man must be your husband because anyone who knows that much about safe and sanitary composting could only be married to one of the caretakers of civilization.

Your decision to mirror your mother and keep the family together for as long as wisdom permits is supported by experts in educational psychology. Unfortunately, I cannot remember their names at the moment, but I remember their peer-reviewed research.  It has now been proven through longitudinal studies that children who remain at home for the first 4-6 grades of public school education are able to join their public school peers in grades 4-6 (at about ages 10-12) with a measurable learning curve advantage. In assessment tests, they outperform students who were educated in either the public or private school system, and they are able to competitively absorb and combine the information taught in multiple grades.  They adapt more readily, learn more easily, and quickly become student leaders, contradicting the expectation that home-schooled learners would be deficient in the broader social skills.  The theoretical conclusion is that the secure emotional bonding made possible in a home-school environment facilitates the formation of neural pathways in cognitive development. 

Or, in other words, what your mother said.

If you want further proof that occasionally the experts get it, compare the pictures of your very happy children with the tragic face of Prince George (link / video below) on his first day of school at age four. Kensington  Palace staff reported that Princess Charlotte cried when George left for "big school." The Inside Edition film clip below clearly shows the confident, ready-for-life body language of Princes William and Harry when Diana took them to school, and the reluctant, almost sorrowful social torture of Prince George.

So I am quite delighted to find you here blogging beside that fast-talking man with the thick beard.  All I wanted that day was the land of early American furniture, wood burning fireplaces, tongue-and-groove precision carpentry, the seductive scent of cedar, and "chestnuts roasting on an open fire." Therefore you and that fast-talking man are a double blessing.

Lest I seem much too impressed, I should add that I found the bearded man's explanation of upvoting by bot deeply disturbing and very must against the "constitutional rights" of Steemians.  But let me get my feet wet first before I challenge and antagonize the wrong people, as I am so prone to do. 

God's blessings and grace upon you and your family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el-f5gJ8-1w