I popped over to my daughter’s house yesterday afternoon because my granddaughter (who is 7 years old) called me wanting to know how to sign in to “her phone” (my old phone). What was my daughter, who incidentally works full-time and has four children, doing when I arrived? She was going over my grandson’s schoolwork with him. He is in 5^th grade, and she was helping him prepare for a grammar test and begin work for a research paper, in addition to reviewing his history and science. She also had to leave and do her grocery shopping for the week.

I helped my grandson with his grammar (I am kind of an expert at grammar) and then took three of the children to my house while my daughter did her grocery shopping. This morning, I started thinking about the fact that every time I go over to my daughter’s house, she is engaged in something productive – preparing a meal, washing the clothes, cleaning out her garage, organizing the clothes, etc. And on top of all that, she works during the week and spends a couple of hours each day dropping the children off at their various schools and picking them up. Her work is never-ending, and I have great admiration for her.

My life was so much easier when I was bringing up my children. I sent my oldest to kindergarten, but after that, I decided to homeschool her. Four more children followed, and I homeschooled them all for varying amounts of time. I loved homeschooling – loved researching materials, creating schedules, working with my children, and I loved the flexibility. I think my children benefited also, as they have told me that I taught them how to think. They were able to pursue their own interests in more depth and had more free time because they weren’t in school all day. And one of the nicest things about it is that I did not have to spend my time driving children to school or picking them up. I did not have an outside career or job for years. Life was simple and I loved it. But my now-grown children have their own interests and life plans, and they are all doing an excellent job rearing their children in the way that works best for their families. I am in awe of them, but I am so grateful that I was able to be at home with my children and educate them.