I know many parents choose to home school for various reasons.  This post asks why a parent might make this decision AFTER a child has already spent time in school and made friends. Do they lose something important when they lose those daily connections with other Tweens?

Woo-hoo!  We made it through the first week of school.  My tween is happy, thriving and loving it!

I was a home school Mom this past year.  Sending my tween back to school was a big deal.  He high fived me on the way out the door and there was no looking back.  I absolutely adore his teacher…she works these kids hard and I love that!!

I love every minute of being with my tween, but I also noticed that my stress level has decreased quite a bit.  I can actually think straight and even more, accomplish a few more things in a day.

I have been teaching my tween for a year now and every spare moment of my day was dedicated to school.  I feel like I need to re-invent myself in a way.  All those things that slipped through the cracks this past year can be patched up.  I even made a little cleaning schedule for myself to keep up on my home work.

The old days of scheduling school, have been replaced by getting the kids to and from school, getting some exercise and keeping up on the home and duties of Motherhood.

I still have one little one left at home and we have had fun together.  I have so much time to dedicate to her, read to her, play with her and laugh with her.  Heck, I’m even having play group in my backyard this week…..crazy!!

Although I miss the days of schooling my tween, I have learned what works for me and what doesn’t.  I have learned how I function best in being the Mom that I want to be.

Here is to a new year and lots of new experiences and adventures…wish me luck!!

As the summer starts to draw to a close, I find my mind on the start of the school year.  I mentioned in a previous post that I chose to home school my tween last year.  It was a wonderful but very HARD experience for me.  I have been busy getting all our home-school paperwork together to get my tween registered for school.  The day I drop him off at school is not a day that I am looking forward to…it is going to be so sad for me!!

At the same time, I know it is the best choice for him and our family.  The other day I asked him how he was feeling about going back to school.  In his sweet, honest little voice, my tween said, ‘sad’.  Uggghhh – he just ripped my heart out.  He continued to tell me how much he was going to miss me, miss being outside and miss being home.  Although it made me so sad to hear him say this, I know that school will be wonderful for him.  I know he will enjoy all the social time he will have with other children his age.  I know he will love learning and growing in a classroom environment.

My home-school journey has officially come to a close and I am forever changed.  It was a very positive experience for my tween and also our relationship.  Stay tuned for my back to school post where I will describe just how painful and wonderful back to school was for my tween and his Mom!

What are some of your fears for your tween going back to school?