I Guess for Once, I'm Following the Trend... But That's Gonna Change!

Ever notice that most homeschooling blogs kind of fade away as the kids reach the teen years? Makes sense, since most people seem to decide that their kids need to experience "normal" high school, and send them back into the public education system. Among the diehards who continue, a lot of folks start feeling like the story they are telling is no longer theirs to tell, and they stop posting, or post very infrequently, out of respect for their now young adult students' privacy.

We are still going strong, but I have a bit of the latter going on. Mikro is a senior now, but he doesn't mind me chronicling his homeschool journey, so long as I pass anything that might be embarassing by him for approval before I publish it. So I'm not entirely sure why I have neglected this blog so badly. Maybe it is the bittersweet anticipation of my little bird fledging and leaving the nest. I confess, he has been a joy to raise and learn with, and I will miss him like crazy when he does go off on his own.

Through a combination of financial stress thanks to the unemployment fairy visiting us to make the plague years even less fun, and a desire on Mikro's part to make the best possible showing to the admissions office at his dream school by doing a serious independent research project, he will be taking a gap year before applying to colleges.

His departure isn't looming quite as large as it might, but I'm still feeling it. Truth be told, it has been hanging over my head like a dark cloud since his sophomore year, and while writing about our adventures was probably the smart thing to do, so I will always be able to look back on the details, I instead decided to avoid thinking about it much, and let this poor blog lie fallow. Starting to realize that was a mistake...

I may even go back and pop posts in where they chronologically belong, and share some of our crazy overscheduled but always interesting and usually fun adventures. Just waving hello at anyone who may still read this, and inviting anyone new to use the tags and explore past posts. The Mikro's Links tab on the purple bar at the top of the blog is useful, and a homeschooled student recently sent me some links to add, which I will try to get to soon. In fact, that is what reminded me that I have been way too absent here.

If you are new to this homeschool journey, there is a lot here, including tons of resources for curricula and DIY studies and the necessary evil of New York State homeschool paperwork. I hope you will enjoy this path every bit as much as we did. I think homeschooling is one of the best decisions I ever made, and I know it has brought our family closer than I even imagined was possible. I have an amazing son who actually likes to talk to me, and a strong foundation of mutual respect that I will treasure no matter where the future takes us.

I'll be back!