We all know that there is a great amount of diversity among homeschoolers (though, many *outsiders* don't realize this).  From the size of our familes to the types of curriculum we use, we are all very different.  Likewise, we all have different stories about what led us to homeschool.  I'd love to hear from you;  what pushed you to homeschool?  Did you always *know* you would homeschool or was it a sudden *need*?  Was your spouse (I know that I have acouple of guys that read and don't want to leave them out, lol) on board right away or did they need convincing?

When Deuce was 8 months old, I started reading about homeschooling.  I can't remember now why I had such an interest in it at that time, but I mentioned to Shawn that I'd like to try it.  He was, naturally, hesitant to do something so *different*.  I mean, public school was good enough for us, so why not send our kids to school?  Wouldn't our kids be *weird*?  Wouldn't they lack friends?  Aren't all homeschoolers socially backwards?

I just kind of left it alone;  I mean, Deuce still had a ways to go before kindergarten, LOL.  And by the time he was two years old, we figured that I would go back to school and finish getting my teaching degree so that I could go to work.  We thought that 2 was a good age to introduce Deuce to the concept of daycare;  he had all of the benefits of having an "at-home" mom for 2 years and could now make some friends and *cut the apron strings*.  We lived in a small town, so we figured that the local daycares would all be very friendly places, perfect for Deuce.

Boy, were we wrong.  Deuce did not take to daycare well at all.  He SCREAMED when I dropped him off.  When I would pick him up, I'd usually find him alone, sitting in a rocking chair or in a corner on the floor.  After a couple of weeks, the director told me that we were "being released from our contract".  I tried finding out if Deuce was being a problem, and her only issue with him was that he was a "loner".  She said that he spent all of his day lying on the floor, rolling toy trucks in front of his face.  (We had no idea, until Deuce was 6, that he was on the autistic spectrum). 

I thought that he just needed some time to mature, so we waited until the next year and enrolled Deuce in a local preschool.  Our thinking was that he just needed more structure than regular daycare provided.  Nah, it was the same thing.  After a couple of weeks, we found out that he just couldn't handle it.  He wasn't making friends, he was a nervous wreck and he just hated school. 

This was the point that I started to look at homeschooling materials, remembering that it sounded like such a good idea when Deuce was a baby.  Now that it seemed that Deuce and "school" just didn't fit, Shawn was easier to convince.  He said that we could homeschool through the elementary grades and then Deuce could start middle school at the local school.  Shawn wanted Deuce to be able to play sports, play in band, and have all of the other extracurriculars that are traditionally associated with schools.  At the time, we didn't realize that all that, and more, can be available to homeschooled children.

Now, we would never consider public school (or private school, for that matter).  Deuce is one of the most social children I know (amazing, given how he never had much interest in having friends when he was younger).  I can customize all of his lessons based on what he needs, and then turn around and give Cody exactly what HE needs, even though the needs are very different from Deuce's.  We see more and more as the years go by that this is the *right* way to educate our children. 

So, what about you?  Are you in it for the long haul, or is homeschooling just filling a need right now, with plans for other types of schooling later?  Doesthe need for extarcurriculars impact that decision for you in any way?  What caused you to choose homeschooling?