Our Beginning

We all have a story, a why, a beginning. This is ours.

Initially, my husband and I never planned on homeschooling our children. We always assumed we would enroll them in public school. We were so certain about our decision that in 2019 we even bought a home in a school district we believed would be ideal for our family. Having both been raised in public schools and not knowing anyone who homeschooled, it seemed like the natural choice.

But what made us change our minds? It all started with having children.

Talking about having children and actually having them are two very different things. Before you have them, you have all these grand ideas of what it will be like. What you will and will not do, and the things you aspire to do better for them compared to your own childhood experiences. Is it just us? Probably not.

Our first baby came into the world in 2018, and it was absolutely the best thing that could've happened to us. The love we had for her was unlike any other. But it wasn't easy being a new mother, let alone a stay-at-home mom.. Looking back, it was the best thing we had ever done. Becoming a parent transforms you in a way that's hard to grasp unless you've experienced it yourself. This tiny baby depends on you for everything, love you unconditionally and it's your responsibility to keep it safe.

During this period, we started thinking about the future we envisioned for our dear girl. The concept of homeschooling came up, but we had a long way to go before we needed to even think more about it.

2020 was a year of reflection and change for our family. In April, at the start of the lockdowns, my husband lost his job due to no fault of his own. We then welcomed our second baby girl in June. In a time filled with uncertainty and struggle, we found peace in God and continually leaned on each other.

School was getting closer for our first and homeschool was officially a part of our plan, but we still included some public schooling in that plan. Our idea was to start with preschool and kindergarten, followed by homeschooling. Why? Mainly for socialization, since we're just two people who went through public school and have little understanding of what homeschooling entails.

Fast-forward to 2022, we had a beautiful baby boy in May and our oldest started preschool at a small local preschool in August. It was only a 3-day-a-week in the morning, but leaving her there was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. It was all part of our plan, but after leaving her on that first day, I wanted to change it. My wonderful husband, however, was very adamant about sticking with our original plan. We stuck it out and she did her two years of preschool and then we enrolled her in a small Christian school in the fall of 2024. By that time it was also time for our middle child to start preschool.

Preschool this time around was a little different. She attended the same school, but she had a different teacher. We liked her, but after four days of school, we received a message (via ClassDojo) about an Amazon list of things the teacher were hoping to have for their classroom. I decided to look and see if there was anything that I could contribute to, but in the midst of the list were some books that presented ideas we felt were not appropriate for a preschooler. We immediately brought our concerns to the director about it. She said that the teacher wanted to include these kinds of books in her classroom library to show family diversity, but she assured us that these ideas weren't being presented to the children & hadn't been presented before. Regardless, having these books on a shelf in the classroom was a big red flag to us. Plus, the damage had been done, and the trust that we had was completely broken. We could not send our child back, so we decided to homeschool her for preschool.

Then came spring of 2025, which also brought another time of reflection for our family. I won't go into great detail, but this rough time brought a huge change of heart to my wonderful husband. He had been at his current job for about a year, but some others in the company were being let go due to budget cuts. This was extremely scary and hard on him, especially since he lost a job back in 2020. In this stressful time, the big question finally came.

"Dear, how do you feel about homeschooling everyone next year?"

Yes! I prayed for this day, and even though I was willing to follow through with our original plans, I believe that this is what I am called to do.

His reasoning, you may ask? He simply wanted to stop waiting to do what we desired to do. He recognized that the time spent hesitating on our dreams was time lost, time that could have been invested in pursuing our passions and fulfilling our potential. Furthermore, he wanted to stop worrying about others, shedding the weight of external expectations and social norms that frequently dictate our choices. God has a divine purpose, a path uniquely designed for us, and waiting passively for the right moment to act could mean missing out on the fullness of what He has for us. I believe, his speaking up and stepping out was a call to arms, urging us to step into our potential and take charge of our destinies, free of doubt and hesitation. This dedication to concentrating on ourselves and our shared goals marks a crucial point in our journey, one that encourages us to seize the day and embark on the adventure that awaits us.

It might not all be sunshine and rainbows. It will be hard and take a lot of change and learning for us as a family, but we are willing to take this leap of faith, willing to go against the norm and follow God and His call for our family.

I firmly believe if we can do it, then you can too. One of the most important things to remember is that you are not alone. God is with you and has already given you the tools and wisdom you need to succeed.

P.S. Finding a good co-op has helped us immensely on this journey. I highly recommend finding your community and holding on to them.

"Teamwork makes the dream work" - John C. Maxwell