Huckleman2000
It was something I ate.
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2004
- Posts
- 4,400
Like many things involving children, I think the choice to home-school reflects the parents a lot more than the kids. I mean, things like conformity, respect for authority, individualism... - it seems to me that the decision to homeschool, and it is still a pretty drastic step, says a lot more about the parent(s) expectations and aspirations for the child than sending her off to school every day. And that isn't always a good thing for the child. There's such a thing as "too much" parental involvement I think. Kids learn a hell of a lot more than what they are taught, if you catch my drift. 
In my case, my son was in daycare and then nursery school all day practically from birth, and he is now a wonderful young man (who wants to be a teacher!). I certainly tried to instill in him a desire for education, but so did his teachers in daycare, school and after-school care. I like to think that he benefited from the diversity.
When I was a kid, my family lived overseas for a couple years. In retrospect, it was probably the single most impactful experience of our lives, but not all of it was 'good' impact. And it was a unique experience for each of us - you'd have to ask my siblings whether they view it as an overall positive or negative for themselves.
Try as we will, our children manage to find their own ways, and loving them and encouraging them often means sacrificing our own desires and will. What we think is best for them is sometimes simply what is best for ourselves, and we've rationalized. Often, we can't really know the difference until years after the fact, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to question ourselves and our motives as parents as we make such drastic lifestyle decisions for our kids.
In my case, my son was in daycare and then nursery school all day practically from birth, and he is now a wonderful young man (who wants to be a teacher!). I certainly tried to instill in him a desire for education, but so did his teachers in daycare, school and after-school care. I like to think that he benefited from the diversity.
When I was a kid, my family lived overseas for a couple years. In retrospect, it was probably the single most impactful experience of our lives, but not all of it was 'good' impact. And it was a unique experience for each of us - you'd have to ask my siblings whether they view it as an overall positive or negative for themselves.
Try as we will, our children manage to find their own ways, and loving them and encouraging them often means sacrificing our own desires and will. What we think is best for them is sometimes simply what is best for ourselves, and we've rationalized. Often, we can't really know the difference until years after the fact, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to question ourselves and our motives as parents as we make such drastic lifestyle decisions for our kids.
