***I am so excited at the response for Back to Homeschool Week! There is a ton of encouragement and inspiration within all of the posts and I thank you all for that!
Today's topic is "Getting out there...". Simply scroll to the bottom of this post to find links to the blogs of other participants or to post your own blog post URL. Tomorrow's topic will be "If I Had Only Known...". Please feel free to join in!
One of the things that I love the most about homeschooling is the ability I have as a parent to pick the best social situations for my children. We spend lots of time out in our community, with friends, and at church, but we always pick what is best and what enhances the life that we lead.
While I desire for my kids to engage in their world and relate with people from all walks of life, I won't allow them to do things that compromise the teaching and instruction that my husband and I are establishing at home. We pick activities that build our kids up, allow them to learn and to be of service to others, and we always make sure that parents are welcome. There have been many times, even with church activities, that parents are subtlely let known that they don't need to be there. Even if competent adults are present, my hubby and I like to be a part of what our kids do because we are the ones who are responsible for them.
Some of the activities that we engage in regularly are: karate classes, church, co-op (during the school year), soccer games and picnics in the park with other families, family game-night, park day (twice monthly), sewing days (the moms sew while the kids play), bbq's with friends, etc., etc., etc. The kids have friends over about twice a week (not as much during the school year) and they visit the homes of their friends often as well.
Homeschooling allows my hubby and I to make the best choices for our kids. There are tons of things to choose from, but not all are good or even beneficial for us. This might sound rather rigid, but my children are happy, healthy and they enjoy life. They also love each other and the people around them.
Being choosy about what our kids engage in is not being too strict, it is simply doing our job as parents.
