It is hard for me to believe that we started homeschooling 7 going on 8 years ago... My son, Jack, will be entering 8th grade next year and Katrina will be entering 4th grade. Where does the time fly to? I was recently looking through some old photos which reminded me of numerous field trips, group events, and just plain fun we have had over the years. Each year, our routine is a bit different. The last two years we have become very involved in a 4-H Homeschool group that meets twice a month and completes other activities as well. We miss the meandering park days from when the children were younger and periodically, some of us will try to set those up, but the need of homeschoolers now seems to be different than it was just 7 years ago.

Sometimes, I can't help but wonder if that is really a good thing? I mean, in the beginning people seemed more carefree about teaching their children and not pushing them so much. Now it seems like everyone wants to get their kids involved in this activity or the other. Are we truly homeschooling our children, or are we busy trying to keep us with the Public School kids that come to visit?  I think it is wonderful for children to have opportunities, but I think we should all remember that the best opportunity of all that we should make sure they have is the opportunity to be children.

When the life expectancy was 30, then children had to grow up much more quickly. Now average life expectancy is around 70 or so. Which means that once a child reaches adult hood (arguably somewhere between 18 and 21), they still have another 50 years ahead of them for work and following their interests. So, don't forget to let your kids be kids now while they still can, because those grown up days are coming soon enough!