How lucky I am to live in a place where there are so many options when it comes to school. Neighborhood public school, neighborhood private school, traditional calendar, extended calendar, Montessori, projects-based, home school, home school co-op, Christian school, foreign language learning, etc, etc. And further, how fortunate that I am part of a family that has the financial and emotional resources to understand and take advantage of any of those options.
It's scary to send your baby off into the Great Unknown for 7 hours of the day. Will he pick the right friends? Will he be learning the things that I think are important? Will he ever eat a fruit or vegetable without my encouraging (read: bribing) presence? He's only 6! What if someone else tells him about sex, or swear words, or the Tea Party? (just a joke- sorry, TP friends, I couldn't resist. ;) ) It's not wrong of me to want to shelter him just a little longer.
Jen and I have had many conversations about this, and we always come back to the idea that we feel called to have our children "in the world." There are plenty of ways that we continue to shelter them-- we monitor their play dates, we set up their after-school activities, we choose their church. But as long as my neighborhood school offers a safe environment with caring, committed teachers and quality learning, I will trust my child to mingle with the masses, so to speak.
Now, I would never say never. I don't believe that any choice is one-size-fits-all. If circumstances change, if my child's needs change, I have to be open to finding the best learning option for him and for our family. But for now--even as I miss him and mourn the passing of summer's freedom--this choice feels good. And, because I don't want him to be "of the world," I can still sneak my influence into his school day in small ways. I pack his lunch, after all.
