The time has come

 Wow, I remember when we first started homeschooling. My oldest daughter was 4.5 yrs old. Before that I had known nothing about homeschooling. I hadn't even heard of the word homeschooling, and I definitely didn't know anyone who had been homeschooled my entire life up  until that point.

It wasn't until I had children of my own and the age of the internet , that homeschooling was introduced to me.  During that time very little was offered to homeschoolers. You were maybe lucky to know of a few companies like Calvert, and Abeka , and Ace , Alpha Omega, Bob Jones,  and a few other companies willing to sell to homeschoolers.

I remember our first day of homeschooling. I had our Bob Jones math and a few scattered workbooks and both Marilyn and I sat down at our little kitchen table in the small apartment we lived in and we started school. I felt like I had no idea what it was we were really doing expect having a little bit of fun.  It was enough for me. Prior to that I was afraid to send my daughter to school.  I had a horrid experience with the school system growing up. The bullying I endured was torture and I still suffer to this day with the effects of poor self esteem because of it.   I was bounced from school, to school, 12 to be exact, both private and public through out my life.  I didn't want that for my children. I knew how cruel children could be, I knew how there were both good and bad teachers.  I just didn't want that for them.

What I did want was to have happy , self confident children who would love to learn.  And I think after 13 yrs we've accomplished this.  Yesterday ( August 18.2017) my very first homeschool graduate went to college.

Marilyn was excepted into Mercyhurst college in (around) January or so. So was so happy because I think it was the number one school she wanted to go to. 

 Anyways, so we helped her pack  up and we got there sometime around 3 oclock by the time we were finishing getting some little odds and ends.  M finally had a chance to meet her roomate  and they hit it off automatically.  They even found out that they both love all things Marvel and X-Men. I think the two of them are going to be great friends. 

After lugging everything up two flights of stairs in a building that is NOT air conditioned. M made up her bed and put her stuff away.  Dad and I stayed long enough to help a little. 

 Then we said our goodbyes.  We didn't stay very long. We couldn't. That was the hardest thing in the world to do. The very interesting part is that as parents we watch our children grow up. We train them to learn to live in the world and then when we send them off. There is a HUGE part of you that just wants to grab them back and say , " No, I want them back. They aren't ready yet."  The way the world is today it's as almost as if  you can't prepare your  children enough. 

With that said , the first bird is out of the next. Now that the first child has gone off, it means the next will go and the next, then the next. It's as if time just went on fast forward and I'd love for it to stop for a little while now.  I know it won't though.  All I can do is be happy and excited for my children. They are now on their way to having lives of their own  yet the momma bear in me just wants to keep them close and near.   I can't wait though to see what these four years bring for M.  I really can't.