Life before homeschooling...

Dana over at Principled Discovery is hosting Home Education Week, complete with writing prompts. Today's is this: Share your personal history…before you were a home educator. What was life like? Think about things you miss and things you and your family have gained.

Before homeschooling, which would for us be before children since the two go hand-in-hand, I think I had what one would call a social life. M and I had friends - we could stay out all night if we wanted. We could go out on the town completely spur of the moment. We had an occasional party at our home. Conversely, we could spend a quiet night in. I could read in the bathtub with no interruption. I could watch an entire movie from beginning to end, and could hear all of it. I drank hot coffee! It was okay that we moved regularly. It was okay that I changed jobs, as did M, several times. It was okay to skip grocery shopping and just grab a bite to eat here and there. I didn't have a definate plan, or a sense of real purpose. I was just here to live, in my own somewhat bohemian manner.

Would I trade what I have now for life then? Absolutely not. No way. What I have now is something completely different. I have two beautiful children that hug me many times everyday. I read more children's books than books of my own. Having and homeschooling children has helped me to cement who I am and has helped me to define my goals, to find a sense of purpose. Yes, we still have friends, but even that has changed now, since we've all grown up to some extent. I can only read my own books in snatches late at night, I haven't had a bath all alone in some years.... but all in all, it's worth drinking lukewarm coffee!