No Perfect System

 I was talking with a dear friend this past week.  I asked her how homeschooling was going this year, and she smiled and said, "There is no perfect system."  This is a mother who has home schooled for years, and when she speaks I tend to listen because she is seasoned in the art of motherhood.  I knew exactly what she meant.  I could write a book on the pros of home school, and I could write another book on the negatives of home school.  By the way, the same holds true for public education.  I started thinking about the time that we home schooled our children.  As I was thinking about this time in our life, I considered what our life would have been like if we had never home schooled at all.  It was about that time that I realized the best part of home school for our family was the relationships built between each of our children.  They are best friends, and I truly believe that wouldn't have happened if they had gone to public school at the age of 5.

 This weekend Matthew drove down from college to pick up Jacob.  They headed out to Missouri to visit Josh.  This was a new experience for Michael and I.  Our sons were going on a vacation that they had planned and for the most part paid for without our help.  Josh rented a cabin on a lake, and they provided and cooked their own meals.   I know that memories were made this weekend...probably some I don't even want to know!

 They called Hope and told her next time she was going to go too.  They needed her to help cook and clean!  She laughed because she knew them well enough to know that there was some truth in that statement, but they also like her company and her cookies!

I wouldn't trade those hard years of home schooling these kids for any amount of money.  I certainly wouldn't trade their friendships! 

Just in case your kiddos aren't the best of friends yet, don't worry.  Home school may not be the solution for your family.  Remember, there is no perfect system.  My brother and I didn't do so well together when we were children.  However, we have grown into wonderful friends now that we are adults.  It took awhile, but it was worth the wait!

grace and peace,
julie