Every year my husband and I face the same quandry about our daughter's education.  I love the homeschooling adventure, even though at times it's wearying, but my husband and I always have an annual discussion --  always around this time, too --  about what is the best option for the whole family for the coming year.  We look at everything -- our finances, my health, our daughter's learning style and character issues, etc.  This year is no different, except that with four years of high school looming, the decision is weighing more heavily on our minds and in our hearts.

I know for some of you, there's no doubt about what your plan is.  You've been called into the homeschooling lifestyle for the long haul, no matter what.  It's never been that way for our family.  Every year has brought unique challenges that we have had to face and deal with, and for us, the plan has always been a year-to-year decision.  We have just never felt comfortable setting a plan in stone so far into the future.

So.....here we are at the crossroads again.  And our options are the same as usual:  homeschool, Christian school, or public school.

While there are days when I would love to heave-ho our difficult daughter onto someone else's back and say, "Here!  You deal with her!", I know that is not, in the long run, the wisest or best thing to do.  Our challenges have to do with matters of the heart and not matters of academics. Even if she was gone for eight hours a day, we'd still have to face the character issues but with less time and energy than before.

To me, public school is an option only if I'm dead or incapacitated.  Christian school, while tempting, is pretty much a pipe dream due to my health issues.  I'd have to work part-time in order to earn the tuition, and my health just isn't that great.  I can't look at a computer screen for too long, I can't sit down for too long, and I can't stand for too long.  I also battle chronic fatigue on a daily basis.  Who would even want to hire me, LOL.  So that leaves homeschooling.

It's the most family-friendly option out there, and the one we always gravitate toward.  I just wish our own experience could be more peace-filled and joy-filled.  My head is pretty sore from all the wall-banging and head-butting that goes on around here.  I realize it takes two to tango, so obviously I have as much learning and growing to do as our daughter does.  The Father's chisel faithfully chips away at the sin that entangles me, and some day -- some day! -- I will be a completed work of art.

But until that good and glorious day, you will find me in the kitchen and in the world teaching our daughter what I know about life and what it takes to live it.  So, here's to high school at home -- let the chiseling begin!

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  Galatians 6:9