Support in an Unexpected Place

I just finished the new book by Dean R. Koontz, "Relentless," and absolutely loved it! Dean R. Koontz has always been one of my favorite authors, although I haven't read one of his books in quite a while. I highly recommend his new book - the character development is wonderful and the plot is fast-paced and highly suspenseful.

One of the main characters in the book is Milo, a 6 year old genius. Due to his unique and singular intelligence (think Einstein), he is homeschooled. Interestingly, his mother, Penny - another main character, was also homeschooled, although for different reasons. Penny's parents are ardent survivalists and demolition experts. For whatever combination of reasons, they chose to homeschool their only daughter.

In one part of the book, Cubby - Milo's father and another main character - expresses his concern over the very different life that his son leads. In short, he expresses concern about socialization and asks Penny about her own homeschooling experience, "What were the negatives of a childhood like that?"

Penny answers:

• "None," she said without hesitation. "Growing up in a loving family, with parents who have a sense of humor and common sense and a sense of wonder - that's not isolation, that's a wonderful haven."......"More than a haven," she said. "It's a sanctuary, where you can decide who you are, what you think about the world, before the world tells you who you are and what you ought to think of it."

While my own children's homeschool experience is not nearly as isolated as Milo and Penny's homeschool experience, it can certainly be argued that they are having a different childhood experience than the experience of a child who goes to a brick and mortar school. In many ways, my children's lives are more sheltered and they do interact less with age-group peers than children who go to a brick and mortar school. But, as I steadfastly believe, I don't think those things are necessarily bad things.

Since I started homeschooling over 6 years ago, I have always felt that the greatest gift of homeschooling was time. Time to be with my children. Time for them to figure out who they are and what they want to do with their lives. Time for them to get to know one another. Time for them to get to know me - not only as a mother but as a person. Time for them to work on those things that truly ignite their passion. Time for them to be children. Time for them to grow up at their own pace. Time for them to live without so much pressure. Time to be, just be.