Schooling Change for Parker...

Parker started refusing to go to school after the first week this year. He missed 2 days the second week of school and only went the other two days with the promise of ice cream and getting picked up early. He hated school this year. He didn't love it last year either but I think he got through knowing he would have a good recess. This year they can not touch at recess and can not play Tag which is about his favorite thing ever. I think he felt a little lost in the mix there. He is not the smartest or the dumbest and so gets looked over sometimes because he is doing well enough and doesn't cause trouble.

He is also the middle child. He gets looked over at home too by his loud and busy little sisters and his older siblings. He has been feeling bad about himself. He is an awesome kid but doesn't always see things that way when he compares himself to his brother (2 years older) and his sister (3.5 years older). At home they all get lumped together for chores and he thinks he should be as good as them in all other areas too. He forgets that they have had 2+ more years of schooling, etc.

When things started so badly for him this year in 3rd grade we started considering homeschool. He was begging us to do it. We started thinking it might be good for him too. He doesn't seem to be reaching some of the potential we see in him. We haven't been thrilled with his language arts and reading skills/improvement this past year. And I'm not sure he was being challenged enough in math. He is also great about tackling a list of things to do if he knows there is a reward at the end. I thought we could do this without me standing over his head all the time.

Homeschool started to seem like a really good idea for him. I wasn't sure I could handle it though. I am already struggling with fatigue and mild depression and just got my Mondays and Wednesdays "off" with the little ones going to preschool. I was getting excited about the idea of homeschooling too. I've always been interested in it but we have been happy with the public schools. One night I was praying to know what was right for our family. I didn't want to make this decision just because I was excited about trying and learning something new. I wanted to make this decision knowing that it was what the Lord wanted for us/him. I prayed that Heavenly Father would put a stumbling block in my way if this was not something He wanted us to do. I prayed that I wouldn't go down this path without His direction. When I was finished praying my mind was immediately filled with thoughts about how to make this work for him.

From that point I knew that this was the right course to take. It has been a blessing to know that because I really have to trust in Him to make this all work. I don't have the energy to force Parker to do all of his work. Even after just one week, I can see that the Lord is taking care of most of that. I will take a nap thinking Parker will do nothing productive while I sleep and then he ends up working really hard and getting a lot done. I am starting to see what I need to do (pick curriculum, plan what he needs to do, teach, etc.) and what God is going to take care of for me.

So far I love having him home with me. Our first day of homeschool was one of the best days I've ever had with him. I think he is smiling more. He asks a lot of questions and we can get online and find answers to a lot of them. I see him interacting with Sydney more positively (although they still drive each other crazy sometimes). I hope his confidence will increase. I hope he will learn and feel as smart as he is. I hope the curriculum I picked will be good for him. Here's to a new adventure!