I have a million reasons for wanting to homeschool but honestly? I am homeschooling because it seemed the most natural thing in the world to do. You see, I was homeschooled myself. I never attended public or private school at all. I grew up at home with my parents and 4 siblings. I learned at home, in the back yard, on the road traveling between California and Texas to visit family, at church, in my neighborhood, at the beach. And I learned at my own pace.

I am the oldest of 5 kids. My parents first heard about homeschooling when I was about 18 months old and knew that's what they wanted to do. There weren't many other people homeschooling at that time, at least not that they knew. We moved to California from Texas when I was 6 and there were a few more people in CA who homeschooled. It's amazing how many people homeschool these days! I feel so blessed to have so much support.

When I was 25 years old I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). I had always known something was "wrong" but never knew what. I sought an evaluation after reading about adults with ADD and thinking "Wow, that's me!" The Psychologist I saw said I was very "lucky" to have been homeschooled because I probably would have failed in public school. I think she is right. Although my mother did not know what was "wrong" with me she knew that I did not learn the way others did. I did not read until I was 11 years old but she was so patient with me. A year after I started reading I was 2 grade levels above where I was supposed to be!

Homeschooling just seems like they way it's done to me. It would seem weird to send my kids off to school everyday and hassel with homework every night. Teaching my children at home, at church, on the road, outside, that seems normal to me.

I can teach my children the way that works best for them, even if each of them learn best in a different way. I can watch them grow and be the biggest influence in their lives. They won't have the pressure of getting homework done before class or pressure to fit in with other kids at school. They will have many opportunities to learn many different things. If they are interested in a subject, then they can study it because their "school" offers all subjects. They will learn to get along with people of all ages because they have parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and people at church around them all the time.

I have many reasons to homeschool, but mostly, it just seems normal.