Do You Like Being Homeschooled?

I always find the children amusing when the cashier at Wal-mart asks about school.  They are usually quick to reply that they are homeschooled.  The latest time, they got asked, "Do you like being homeschooled?"  This is almost always interesting, because I never know exactly what my children will say.  This time, Ellie said "Yes!" and Wyatt said "Kind of."  That just reminded me of the little "survey" at the end of the stories on Starfall.com.  They always ask "Did you like this story?" and the choices are "Yes", "Kind of", and "Not Really."  Phew, I'm glad neither one of them gave me a not really.

Then today, some friends stopped by and Ellie told me later that the children did not know what a typewriter was called.  They called the typewriter "that thing that people used before computers."  Ellie said, "I'm so glad that I'm homeschooled, and I know what a typewriter is called."  Ellie recently found a really funny/cute youtube video done by a homeschooled girl who is now grown up, married, and recently had a baby.  It's called Homeschooled????.  I think both of my kids are pretty happy being homeschooled.

They both got pen pals this summer.  There was a little form on the back of their Clubhouse magazines to send in for a pen pal.  Ellie got hers back first.  Her pen pal is girl just 20 days younger than her from Ohio.  She was thrilled and so was her new pen pal.  They were fast friends and writing to each other every week, sometimes twice a week for a while this summer.  (Note:  This is another way that this homeschool teacher turns everything into a school lesson... writing to pen pals is writing/handwriting practice!  And the kids thought I was excited because they were getting pen pals.  That was not the half of my being excited that they wanted pen pals.... )  Wyatt is a little young for the Clubhouse magazine suggested ages 8-12.  Technically, he should still be reading Clubhouse, Jr., for ages 3-7 (for another 2 months).  So, when Wyatt didn't get a pen pal as quickly as his sister, I was thinking it might be a while before they found someone close to his age who was looking for a pen pal.  Well, a month or two later, he got his pen pal.  His pen pal is a boy about two months younger than him from Arizona.  Wyatt sent the first letter, and he didn't hear anything back for about a month!  I was getting worried that he would not hear back at all.  When Wyatt's pen pal wrote back he told Wyatt that he was homeschooled, and asked if Wyatt was.  Oh, there was so much excitement in my kitchen.  Wyatt was celebration hollering and Ellie was as much, or almost as much, excited as her brother that his pen pal is homeschooled.  Ellie and her pen pal have not discussed school yet.  Though Ellie is now ready to ask her.  They've been too busy discussing what they like.  They both live in the country and their favorite color is green.

I'm so thankful to God for sending them just the right pen pals.  I'm also thankful that my children appreciate being homeschooled.  I'm thankful for the freedom, the right, and the privilege to homeschool my children.