Back to School: Ten Reasons to Keep Your Children Home This Year

I realize that not everyone will be able or willing to unschool. Some people have other commitments for their time. Some people honestly don't like spending time with their children. Some people just think it is a bad idea. I am not opposed to school. My girlfriend is a school teacher, and I work hard to support her in her chosen career. I hope that all of the students in school have a wonderful experience.

This article is directed at those who think that unschooling is a great idea but think for various reasons that it won't work for them or just isn't worth it. If you find yourself dreading "back to school" season, here are ten good reasons to avoid it this year and keep your children at home with you!

1. Keeping your kids home will increase your bond with them. When you send your kids to school, you lose a part of them. In school, your children are primarily interacting with peers. They are forming their values and goals based on those expressed by the majority of the other students in their classes. The teacher is a minority and often seen as an adversary. Don't be fooled by a school's lofty goals. The bottom line is that we all are influenced by those we are with most of the time. Everyone wants to be liked. If you keep your kids home, they will bond with you. You will know what they are doing. You will have common experiences. They will have plenty of time to talk to you about who they are. Consider keeping your kids home from school this year and growing a bond that will last a lifetime.

2. Keeping your kids home will help them avoid burnout. Schools are busy places with lots of expectations. In school the whole day is scheduled. You do what you are told and are allowed to make few decisions. Then when the school day is done, you come home and do homework. This race to the finish starts in Kindergarten and continues for thirteen years! Many kids experience burnout. Perhaps they get run down by the pace, or they fail too many times and figure why try anymore, or they are chronically bored. Giving your kids time off from the rat race is sure to improve their mood and desire.

3. Keeping your kids home will help them figure out who they are! In schools, kids learn to do the things that please the teacher and the things that please the other kids. That is what they are rewarded for. They are not rewarded for being themselves. At home, your child can take the time he or she needs to explore both the world and him or herself. In a loving home, your child will have the time to form a strong self-concept, learning what he or she likes and dislikes, what things make him or her happy, how he or she prefers spending his or her time. Keep your child home, and he or she will have the space to develop his or her own unique personality, the one he or she was meant to have!

4. Keeping your kids home will give them a chance to see the real world. School is not the real world. When you keep your kids out of school, you give them a chance to go different places with you. Find out what is in your neighborhood and explore. Enjoy running errands together. Ask different businesses if you can have a tour. Go to the mall or the movies during the day when they are less crowded and take your time. You will be surprised how open the employees are to answering your questions and helping you when they are not busy. If possible, let your kids follow you to work or to your spouse's, friends' or relatives' jobs. Let them see what adults do! Your kids will also get to see what goes into keeping house. Chores and cooking together can be fun activities if introduced properly.

5. Keeping your kids home can simplify your life! School imposes a lot on a family. You need to have your kids somewhere at a certain time each day and then make sure that they have proper care after school whenever their particular school ends its day. You need to make sure your kids do their homework and have clothing that is both appropriate and agreeable to the peer group. You need to provide money for your children to eat school lunches (generally on the unhealthy and untasty side)or pack them a lunch each day that is both tasty and will keep well until lunch time. You need to provide specified supplies and money for extras. You can't travel unless you travel at the usual vacation times when everyone else is traveling.

You may think that school is free daycare, but it doesn't seem so simple when you realize how many days your children will have off from school and that you have to find care for them for all of those days! Most employers do not give their employees that much time off. Simplify your life! When you keep your kids out of school, you can travel on your schedule. You can decide what you need or want, and spend your money as you choose. If you need or want to work outside of the home, you can provide suitable uninterrupted care providers that will work with your chosen schedule.

6. Keeping your kids out of school gives them a chance to see what learning is all about! Learning is not about doing projects to share with your class or memorizing facts to pass a test or trying to please the teacher or get good grades! Learning is about acquiring the skills and knowledge that you want or need for your life. Learning is about following up on curiosity. Schools teach kids that they need help to learn the important things they will need to know in their lives. In reality, we are all capable of seeking out resources to help us learn the things we need to know.

There is no longer a core knowledge that everyone has to know! There is just too much information out there. It is more important that you can learn the things you need and want when you need or want to. Modern technology makes acquiring a variety of skills and knowledge much more accessible to everyone than it was in the past. Everyone is born with an innate curiosity about the world accompanied with the desire to learn, learn, learn! School is often most successful at squelching that desire and making learning seem difficult and unpleasant. Give your children the chance to remember that learning is what people are all about! Keep them home this year.

7. Keeping your kids out of school allows them to be creative. When school budgets are cut, art and music programs are often the first things to go. Most elementary schools don't have theater or engineering programs, and they are not available at all middle or high schools either. It is easiest in a school class to teach to the average student in ways that allow the teacher to easily evaluate what knowledge has been acquired. If you want your children to develop the creativity to come up with unique and innovative ideas, keeping them home is the way to go! At home they can paint, draw, cut and paste, sing, play, and build to their hearts content. There are so many wonderful resources out there in these areas that you can purchase or borrow for your home. Your child won't have to be subject to the cookie cutter approach to creativity either. He or she can pick and choose what to do finding out which areas work best for him or her.

8. Keeping your kids out of school can keep the whole family healthier. School kids get sick more than anyone else. In school classes, the students interact and share everything. Although teachers often provide hand sanitizer and encourage hand washing, the large peer group model found in most of our schools is highly conducive to spreading germs. In the winter, it is common for kids to stay cooped up with each other indoors all day. Of course, school kids who get sick bring these illnesses home to Mom and Dad as well as any younger siblings who aren't in school yet. Keep illness at bay by keeping your kids home this year.

9. Keeping your kids out of school allows them to grow and develop at their own pace. School teaches to the average. Most kids aren't average. If your child is slower than average in an area, he or she may feel like a failure. If your child is above average in an area, he or she may be stifled. In your home, your kids can progress and grow at the rate and in the manner that they need to. As you celebrate each of your child's accomplishments and accept your child for who he or she is right now, your child will learn that she or he is a wonderful human being exactly the way she or he is!

10. Keeping your kids out of school can increase your joy! As your kids learn to live and learn without school, it is likely that you also will learn a lot about learning, and who you are, and what you want. Watch and follow them in their journeys, and you just might find your family filled with a joy that you didn't previously know was possible!