No pressure here, but I would like to make one quick comment about homeschooling and the social issue:
Kriston, I have considered grade skip and homeschooling. Homeschooling I think about but worry about socialization,b/c my son really likes being with groups that are WORKING for him. Also, I worry about me. See braindead, above, and small baby. And we would be a lot more secure if I can get a job, you know? we're kind of scrambling a bit just now- we moved into this town last year FOR the school system and safe neighborhood thing. It's frustrating to think if we'd stayed in our mold-ridden place on a 60mph road with no children around, we could maybe have afforded private school. So there's money, there's worry that I wouldn't be a good teacher, there's ds's loneliness-- but there's also this feeling that we would be butting heads terribly, that it would be too much closeness or something. He's terribly strong willed, and probably I am too, really. It just feels like a good idea intellectually IFF I could keep it together to actually teach instead of leaving him to his own devices while I read things and fed the baby...but I don't really trust myself on that, and I have this worried feeling that then our relationship would become contentious instead of safe for him.
Did you know that there are homeschooling groups you can join to get that group dynamic? We have participated in MANY group activities (there's practically one available every day!), and DS7 has found a lot more like-minded peers there than he had found in the schools.
Not every area has groups as active as our area, but it might be worth looking into if you're interested and the social issue is the main reason you're rejecting it. Everyone who homeschools has the same issue, after all, so we do work to solve it.
And you might find that your DS is a lot more willing to cooperate if the work you're giving him is interesting and challenging. Plus it's perfectly fine to say, "What do you want to study now?" and follow his lead. DS7 and I are partners in his education, so while it is my job to make sure he is working and learning and not falling behind (Ha! As if!
), it's his job to decide what interests him and to pursue it. I set minimum daily requirements, and he does the work. I have his buy-in, so we very rarely have power struggles. If we do, it's usually a sign that we need to pick out some new topics to study.
I can't help you with the "baby brain" though. That's a real roadblock! :p It is a temporary one though.
I never push HSing on anyone. (Heck, we'd still be in the public schools if our local ones worked for us!) But I do try to point out ways to make HSing work if you think it might be useful. There are lots of misconceptions about it, and I'd hate to think that someone rejected a perfectly good solution out of misconceptions and urban myth.
