Making decisions with a bondage mindset limits your choices.  A prisoner has choices but they are limited.  He may choose whether to eat or not, but he is not choosing between P.F. Changs or Olive Garden.  

Families that are new to Homeschooling may not know all of their options and could be making decisions from a bondage mindset. I have met families who truly did not know that homeschooling was an option. They only knew about the traditional state school down the road and assumed that it was the only option for their child. 

Let’s just put it all out there. There are educational options available to you. You may not choose to utilize some of them, but here they are…  boarding schools, traditional state schools, private schools, charter schools, homeschool charter schools, independent homeschooling (in CA filling out a private school affidavit), or you could burn your social security card, move up to the hills and homeschool without anyone knowing. That last one is a little “tongue in cheek”.  But it is an option. Our task as a parent is to wisely evaluate our options and find the best for our family.  

May I suggest some ideas for evaluating your educational options? Before beginning to evaluate your options I strongly encourage you as parents to discuss your “Why.” Why ARE we educating our children?  

As soon as possible it will be paramount to carve out time with your spouse and discuss “why” you are educating your children. Some parents have not truly contemplated why they want their children educated. They just know that they want them educated. 

Plan an evening when the kids are in bed or go on a date with the intention of discussing “why are we educating our children.” Some things that may help with your discussion are 1) think about what you are running to, not just what you are running from 2) think about what you want to pass on to your grandchildren 3) does your “why” include your spiritual beliefs 4)will your “why” help you persevere when the going gets tough? 

Your “why” begins to form some boundaries for “how” you will educate your children. If you are committed to educating your children about your faith you will most likely evaluate a traditional state school vs. a private school differently, you will most likely evaluate an atheistic science curriculum and a Christian curriculum differently. 

We are unapologetically partial to the homeschooling option, but we are not even to that point in our conversation here. We are only evaluating our educational options. After you and your spouse have had that conversation, then we can talk more specifically about homeschooling.