"You would miss us super terribly . . ."

Thus saith my daughter upon interrogating me as to why her father and I don't send them to traditional school and whether our house will ever have every single room clean and tidy at the same time.

I couldn't deny it. I WOULD miss my children super terribly if they were gone all day. (This is why our house is never 100% tidy. We're all home most of the time!)

The best part about homeschooling is being with them as they learn new things and being there to help them navigate the tougher questions like, "Are there still wars? Where do they fight wars? Why do they fight them? Do many people get hurt in wars? What happens to animals when there's a war?" and my personal least-favorite, "Will we ever see a war? Really see one?"

How convenient it would be to send them off to school each day and let someone else try to explain the more unattractive aspects of humanity. Convenient, yes. Responsible, no. At least I don't think so.

They're my children, it's my responsibility to clothe and feed them, keep them safe and protect their health, right? The way I see it, it's also my responsibility to make sure they grasp the world with hearts and hands prepared for the job by one who loves them above all else.

Would a teacher in a school care whether studying slavery in America caused my child to have nightmares? What about the Holocaust (see previous post)? What about modern-day genocide and religious persecution?

Can teachers in traditional schools even talk about religious persecution or is it too politically incorrect?? Not being snarky here, but genuinely curious. I mean, can teachers point out that it's really hard to attend church openly in China, read a Bible in Iran, or homeschool for any reason -- including religion -- in Germany?

(See, homeschooling is against the law in Germany because the government wants everyone to receive the same education. Ironic that groupthink is supposed to protect them from sliding into a Hitleresque scenario when groupthink is EXACTLY what brought Hitler to power.)

Even if I could be assured that my children's thoughts and sensitivities would be treated with the utmost respect, I still wouldn't send them away to school. Because, as my daughter so aptly noted, I would miss them super terribly.

And life's just too short to miss anyone that much.