With school holidays here, we are feeling delighted and joyful. As we take our daily walks though the estate in which we reside, we notice the school-going kids taking a ride on their bicycles at 11 in the morning, or two primary-schooled brothers playing soccer at the local park.

It is such a jolly feeling, walking and seeing the kids be outside and having fun.

Then I am reminded of how incredibly fortunate we are as homeschooling parents. Not to mention our children!

I remember how we lived for school holidays as a child. Having to get up in the cold winter mornings and walk to school at 7am, while it feels like your nose is about to freeze off your face. Then, spending half of your day walking from class to class and when you are hungry you have to wait it out until recess, else you will end up with nothing to eat when it is munchy time.

I remember spending long minutes waiting in the queue in front of the classroom outside for the teacher to pitch up after recess to let us into class. Often then seeing THAT teacher–you know that History teacher with the weird mustache–the one you did not feel much enthusiasm for. Only to get into his class and feel completely uninspired and would frankly rather sleep through it all just to have the time pass by a little quicker, because hey, he was just one of them boring old teachers who simply was not cut out for the job.

Or he would have his favorite learners and the rest had to hold on for dear life if they were to grasp any of the teaching he was giving.

Now look, I’m not putting it all on the teacher here. Today I am aware that the curriculum or subject is often the problem. But in my experience, there were teachers that added zest to the classroom, and there were those who were simply a bore!

Oh, then there was that Mr Booyens! That teacher who would grab you on those little side hairs next to your ears if you dared question him about anything….and he would pull you out of your chair on those sidies until you were begging for mercy.

Now, I understand that not everyone had a poor experience in school and honestly, it wasn’t all bad in my experience either. We had fun at school too. But I do remember a lot of it was being outside in the cold and waiting. Waiting for life to go by just to get taught one or two pages I would be able to do within 10 minutes at home.

So of course one of the reasons why I was inspired to keep my child out of school and home educate instead, was exactly this: to save my child’s actual LIFETIME.

LIFETIME, which she can spend on meaningful things that drive her, such as playing instruments and playing with friends and baking etc. Homeschooling allows us so much free time to explore her passions as a person, yet, still she gets to be educated and be ahead of her school-going peers!

School hours are minimum because no one needs to go. We sit down and start ‘school’ immediately when ‘school’ starts. When a lesson is learned, there is one-on-one attention, so she need not compete for a teacher’s attention or end up left unsure or unclear, because the class was too big and the teacher ran out of time to answer everyone’s questions before the bell rang.

Of course there is no homework, because it all gets done with precision and efficiency every day.

I see homeschooling as an absolute win-win for child and parent.

Sure, it can get tough at times, but isn’t life just exactly that in general? Sometimes things are a breeze and sometimes life is challenging. After all, challenges are what makes us strong.

Even though I often wish my daughter could enjoy the ‘vibe’ of school, simply to experience it for herself, I couldn’t be happier with our decision to home educate our child from the get-go.

We are thriving as a homeschooling family and no school would have allowed us the opportunities we have had at home.

So next time you sit and wonder why on earth you chose to home educate–remember the freedom and ‘extra LIFETIME’ you are giving your children through your choice to homeschool.