Getting the Homeschool Journey Started

Getting the Homeschool Journey Started
Denise Kanter

This article was originally published in the July/Aug ’07 issue of Home School Enrichment Magazine. For more details, visit http://HomeSchoolEnrichment.com

Denise Kanter is a homeschooling mom of four children, ages 11, 9, 8 and 6. She lives in California with her husband Gary, where they operate Considering Homeschooling Ministry, a national outreach with local chapters across the United States. (Learn more at http://www.consideringhomeschooling.org ) The Kanters are also involved in a creation science ministry (www.worldsbiggestdinosaurs.com ).

The article begins:

It is not uncommon for families to feel “buyer’s remorse” after the first few weeks or months as new homeschoolers, and maybe with good reason. With every change or new beginning there will be struggles, some big, some small, and some monstrous. Maybe the in-laws are furious with your decision. Maybe you just can’t seem to find time to finish all that you had planned in your day. Maybe cooperation has only seen a few moments or your house has seen better days. Sometimes, life just takes an unexpected turn.

We homeschooled all through the preschool years and continued with homeschooling for kindergarten shortly before our firstborn child turned five. We also had a preschooler and a toddler, and I was two months pregnant with our fourth. I truly loved homeschooling. For me it was just a short step from what I had already been doing all through the preschool years (which is why I so strongly encourage preschooling at home). Everything was going so smoothly. Then, seven months later, just after the birth of our fourth child, our routine was brought to an immediate halt. Amy had an extremely dangerous infection in the brain. She was only 19 days old. After spending weeks in the ICU, we realized that she had severe tissue damage. Medical advances could not increase the likelihood of normal development. I must confess, the thought lingered in my mind that there was no way I could continue homeschooling our kindergartner, preschooling the next child, and keeping the toddler busy while taking care of the huge needs this child was going to have.

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http://homeschoolenrichment.com/articles/view/getting-the-homeschool-journey-started