Deciding to Homeschool part 1 "A Strong Willed Child Is Born"

My son and I have recently become what the Homeschooling community calls Accidental Homeschoolers. 


Accidental Homeschoolers are typically families who had not planned to homeschool. Many of these families had children in school but found that it was not working out and as they ran out of traditional school options, started homeschooling.

Not working out...now that has become an understatement in our situation!

Before I get into the thought process of my decision to homeschool, I think I should give a little background on the subject...

Shortly after the turn of this new century I gave birth to a beautiful bouncing 8.8lb boy. He was so healthy and PERFECT in every way.... then we brought him home from the hospital!
It only took a couple of days to realize I had given birth to one of the MOST STUBBORN and INDEPENDENT human beings that had ever been born! I should have known something was up when he "decided" to stay in the womb up until the very day they were going to kick him out through "induced labor".
I am not exaggerating when I tell you he was holding his head up, looking around the morning after he was born. The nurse at the hospital was amazed!
At a few days old he would struggle like he wanted to leap out of my arms and take off walking. I would laugh and tell him he was a newborn and that newborns could not do that!
In fact, he has always acted and talked like he is a little grown up stuck in a child's body.
Now, he may be my first and only child, but he was definitely not the first baby or child I had ever cared for. I had a LOT of previous experience through babysitting as a teen and as an adult. I also had a hand in raising a few nieces and nephews, and teaching children at church during the 12 years my husband and I had been trying to conceive. I'm not trying to sound conceited here, but my husband and I were great with children and they loved us. Having a child of our very own would be a piece of cake..or so I thought!

Little did I know that The Good Lord had decided to give us a child like no other we (and many others) had ever experienced!

Our little bundle of joy, grew, and learned, and grew some more. Each step of the way asserting his independence in the learning process. Teaching him anything would become a challenge because he wanted to learn it HIMSELF! Oh, he would learn things from us, but the second he suspected he was being taught- the shields went up and the resistance began.
(Among other things he has taught himself to swim, ride his bike, ride an electric scooter, play video games, and use the computer.)

Well, time flew by and one day before we knew it, our precious little bundle of joy was old enough to go to school. We debated about whether or not to put him in Pre-K. I had also entertained the idea of homeschool, but decided it would be best for him to be around other kids in addition to the kids at our church. (Since I worked part-time, and my parents had been watching him during my working hours.) I also had decided that just maybe he would let someone besides us teach him things. It turns out he did..mostly...

To Be Continued....

Part 2 - PreK and K
Part 3- 1st & 2nd Grade
Part 4- 3rd Grade
Part 5
Part 6- 4th Grade
Part 7- 5th Grade - The Dramatic Conclusion