Finding the balance

Like all parents, hsing parents have to work hard at finding the balance. The inevitable "socialization" questions always puzzle and amuse me (and make me grit my teeth as I pretend to smile). Instead of having nothing to do, it seems there are too many things from which to choose. It's easy to spend too much time out of the house.

Shortly after we began hsing, Holly started attending a part time school, two half days per week. She was in second grade and had a wonderful teacher. The kids and other families were great, and we made many new friends. That was the year I learned how to teach Spalding (no small feat!) and was introduced to Shurley English (which we now use at home). The school was a great fit, a good balance with what we did at home.

Her third grade year was pretty good too. In addition to the part time school for both of these years, Holly played soccer 2x a week, took various art classes, swimming lessons, and we joined weekly hs park days, and more. Trevor went to preschool two days a week too. Again, we found our balance.

Holly's fourth grade class required more time on homework. She was also doing more work at home, and the two seldom meshed. We had to commit to one or the other--if we spent too much time doing the school's homework, what was the point of hsing? She dropped the school, and we subsequently dropped every single outside activity, except for AWANA. It was a change, sure, but a welcome one. It was a big relief, it was relaxing to not feel like we were always on the right. Our new balance was perfect.

But the scales always change, and the following year, we joined a co-op. Holly was in fifth grade, Trevor in second. It's a big co-op, really big--175 classes per semester, 350 families. (Some families take quite a few classes.) It offers a huge variety, math, science, language arts, foreign language, P.E., art and more, with classes usually of 12-16 kids, classes for Kers, all the way through 12th grade.

Not wanting to upset our balance much, we tiptoed in gently. Holly took an IEW-based writing class; Trevor took a class on Aesop's Fables. Their classes were at the same time one afternoon a week, a perfect balance to keep every morning open for school. The second semester, Holly got into a marvelous tae kwon do class, taught by a popular local Christian instructor, a former U.S. Olympian. Trevor took a PE class. Their classes were in the morning this time, but we'd rush out the door before 9, come back home and do a little school, eat lunch, and the kids would spend those afternoons at the ice skating rink. Class days were fun, and we balanced it out by fitting in more work on the other school days.

Last semester, I let Holly choose her class, and was surprised and pleased when she opted for Dance. Holly loved learning hip hop and had a blast at the recital at the end of the class. This time, though, I couldn't get Trevor into anything even close to the same time. Instead, he would play on the playground, or play cards with me. He was happy taking this break, and both kids once again found their balance.

The new semester begins next week. This is the first time both kids will be taking two classes each. We had orientation today and met the teachers, saw some familiar names on the class lists. Holly chose Beginning Photography, and she'll be posting those pictures on her blog. She can't wait to use Dad's camera. :) She's also taking a horse care class, which includes oral presentations and several riding "field trips" at the instructor's home (oh-so conveniently across the street from her regular riding instructor's place). Trevor is excited to take a weather science class and learn karate (can't you just see Spiderman leaping along the floor and jumping up with karate moves?!).

Two kids, two classes each this time. Spread out over two days. I'm not worried about balance. Okay, I am, just a little, but I know I can work it out. We spend a lot of time at home doing a lot of work, and this WILL be a nice balance, as I'll cut down on some of the routine things at home. The kids will appreciate the break; I think our days will be more balanced overall. At least for now.