I Am So Proud of Jackson.

We began homeschooling Jackson when he was four. When we first moved to this area of the state, Jackson was two. We had been here like an hour and people started hounding us about where we were going to send Jackson to preschool. At that time, I had not planned to send him anywhere. I was a stay at home mom, my job was to stay at home and be a mom to my little boy. I had no intentions of sending my two year old to preschool. As time went on, it seemed I couldn't have a conversation with someone, without them asking me about preschool.

So when Jackson was three and a half, we decided that maybe we were wrong and Jackson would like going to preschool. So we enrolled him in a private Christian school. He went three mornings a week for three hours. His first day was right before Halloween. Every single day when he left to go, my heart broke. Honestly, it went against every ounce of my being to send him away for 9 hours a week. He was three for goodness sakes. You know what? He didn't like it either. He tolerated it at best. Most days we had to beg him to go. If he ever cried when it was time to drop him off, I didn't make him stay. I couldn't stand the thought of walking off from my crying child and actually leaving him there. When May rolled around and school was out for the summer, we were so happy.

At some point that summer we decided he wasn't going back. We just had such a peace about him staying home. We started homeschooling him that August, when he was four, and never looked back. It has been the hardest thing we have ever done. It has been the most awesome thing we have ever done.

We have both learned so much over the last year and a half. We have struggled in a lot of areas, but I feel we have made such progress. I am sure that most homeschooling families have a rocky first year. We are no exception, but I feel we have worked out most of our kinks.

All of that to say, that Jackson officially started first grade today. A whole 6 months early. He finished his kindergarten curriculum, and we decided to keep moving forward. In his kindergarten year he has learned how to read, excel in math (never made less than 100 on his math test), and he accepted Jesus into his little heart! Its been an awesome year! And to think, I almost gave up the opportunity to share all of that with him. I am thanking Jesus that I have the opportunity to experience the blessing that, that child is to me.

I wouldn't change my life for anything. Maybe I am not the best mommy in the world, but I for sure have the best kids in the world!