I am reading a book that I picked up second-hand about a year ago. The book is by Gwendolyn Mitchell Diaz and is titled "Mighty Mom's Secrets for Raising Super Kids, Guidelines for the Adventure Called Parenting."  The book is published by RiverOak Publishing and is copyright in 2001. I'd like to share a little of the passage I just read. It's from chapter twelve titled "Kid's Don't Become Independent on Their Own".

"You see, childhood and total independence are incompatible. Until its roots are firmly established, a young seedling grows best under the protection of a forest canopy or sheltered on the side of a mountain. When this security is not available, as in the case when a landscaper plops one in the middle of a naked backyard, the sapling must be fastened to a stake to keep it from washing away in a rainstorm or toppling in a heavy breeze. Children must be protected or anchored in much the same way. If security is not provided, they will grasp onto something in order to survive. They are rather indiscriminate about whom they choose to lean on. Usually it is the prson most readily available. Yet, the choice they make will affect the course of their lives.

A couple of years ago, a news report contained a profound statement made by a drug dealer in inner-city Boston. A new minister had just moved into the neighborhood. As the pusher was showing the preacher around, he made this telling remark: "I'm there when Johnny goes out for a loaf of bread for Mama. I'm there, you're not. I win, you lose. It's all about being there."

The drug dealer was absolutely right. The people who influence a child most are the people who are there--the ones who are close at hand when the child is in need. God intended for parents to be the ones to provide the greatest security and the largest influence on the lives of their growing children. To accomplish this, parents must be present in the lives of their children. We need to be the ones who prop up our kids until they can make it on their own."

I don't believe the author homeschooled her four boys, although I could be wrong. But this passage and others that I have read just scream to me that HOMESCHOOLING IS THE BEST OPTION FOR OUR CHILDREN. Spending time with our children is not the "quality verses quantity of time" we spend. Quality times are most likely the result of spending quantities of time with our children. Remember to talk with your child(ren) not at your child(ren).