10 Not 7

I have decided to count the years of homeschooling my 3 children as pre-schoolers. So when someone asks me how many years I homeschooled, I will say 10 years, not 7 years. My kids never went to pre-school. I couldn't imagine paying someone to do with my kids what I did at home for free. I had people ask, "Don't you think they'll fall behind?" Behind what, a 4 year old? They asked, "What about their social development?" 4 year olds can only be social for so long before they need a nap. "Aren't they bored?" Bored, with moi? "Aren't you bored?" With 3 kids?? Seriously, my kids and I had a grand time. We knew a bunch of "stay-at-home" moms and we got together at least twice a week in my backyard for play dates. One day the water company was looking for my neighbor who was at my house with her kids and the mailman told them she was in my backyard, "as usual." We did so many amazing things together and the kids and I learned so much. If you can do it, I encourage all moms to stay at home with your kids for at least a year before school starts. There is no one better for your children than you. If you can homeschool beyond that - even better. Homeschooling my children is the proudest and most enriching experience of my life. I know, because I did it for 10 years.