Homeschooling has been such a boon for our kids, but I won't lie...it's difficult. Honestly, though...we have so much more flexibility in all aspects of our lives because we're not tied to the school system. My kids don't get up until after 9am, and in the summer, our days don't usually start until later than that.
Last summer, the public school kids went back to school in mid to late August...we were having so much fun we decided to delay our school year until mid-September (though we were doing summer school, which was a light schedule...mostly review). We should be done this school year by mid-May and that late, only because I took an extended break during the holidays.
We do history during the cold months and switch to science for the warmer months. I can swap out curriculum when needed (and have done so,,,often). My oldest two kiddos are all over the place in terms of "grade level" but are working on what they need to be working on, not what they HAVE to work on because the classroom grade dictates it.
Socially...my kiddos will (hopefully) never have to bear social scars...never have to worry about fitting in with a certain crowd or clique. They are socially skilled with kids of all ages because they're not exposed to the idea that...6 yr olds hang out with 6 yr olds, 7 yr olds hang out with 7 yr olds. I also have much more say over who and what influences them and, when they encounter difficult social situations (which they do), I'm right there to help them navigate that. They have plenty of opportunities to interact with other kids, including classroom-schooled kiddos...via baseball, church, horseback (for my daughter), playgrounds, etc.
Homeschooling isn't for everybody...but it is way more overwhelming at first than it ends up being in the long run (our first year was very difficult, but this past year has been a breeze now that we know what to expect).
For us...it was one of the best decisions we've made for our kiddos....so far anyways! We re-evaluate every year!
