The Right Group

Is there such a thing? Every home schooler struggles to find the right group for them. Is it the group that holds the same religious philosophy, teaching style, or just the right mix of kids? There are several groups in our area, many of which are not a good fit with our family. Then there are a few that are better than others. Right now, I am struggling with whether or not we want to be a part of any group.

When we were in the charter home school, I was very involved in the school and planning activities. This past year, I have focused of the mindset of our family as we transition to life learning. I only planned one group activity this year and we attended all the ones we were interested in. Mostly we did things with our friends or just the family.

We still have a long way to go with our ideals. We know where we are headed, but it is very difficult to keep from falling back into our old ways. Owen still has his days where he digs in his heels and refuses to attend an event. I don't blame him for feeling pressured, but how can I plan group activities if he is going to change his mind? I still want to honor his desires, but we haven't gotten to the point where I can help him honor his desire and participate in the outing. Half of the time he honestly doesn't know what his problem is.

We were getting in the car yesterday and he and Bridget were arguing about who would sit where. I started to talk to them about it and Owen quickly rescinded. He would rather give in than have to discuss it. So when they both sat down, he started poking her. I asked him what the problem was and he said he didn't know. I explained that even though the disagreement had been settled, he hadn't let go of the anger. So Bridget and I made funny faces and he started laughing. I really think this is a first step, but I have no idea how well we can do this in the future.

The kids have finally asked for me to provide more educational resources for them. So, I have lots of ideas of activities for us to do this year. My question is, will that be enough? Do we want to spend another year doing our own thing with our friends or do I want to go back to planning group outings for the kids to make new friends?