Why Homeschool

Our 5 year old son will begin kindergarten in the fall and my wife and I have decided to homeschool him. Below is my list of reasons why we have chosen homeschooling. These are not necessarily the same reasons that my wife would offer.

• Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." The absolute most important thing is that all of our children put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Everything else is secondary. I see homeschooling as the best way to achieve the desired outcome. Note that this may not be the first response that I would offer to someone asking the question, why homeschool? But it is my primary reason.
  
• I believe that my wife and I can provide a better education for our kids than they would receive in public schools, at least during the early school years.
  
• Government schools are either moral neutral, moral relativists, or worse, they teach a worldview totally antithetical to our beliefs. We have a limited time to influence the values and character development of our children, and we have decided not to expose them to several hours a day of we don't know what, while hoping for the best.
  
• We chose to protect our kids until they are old enough to distinguish between truth and error.
• I don't want my kids to be dependent on others for their sense of well being and self esteem.
  
• I want to tailor learning to my child's interests and allow my children time to learn subjects not usually taught in school. I want to allow my children to have time for more in-depth study on subjects that are of interest to them.
• School is a waste of time. Why sit in school for 6-7 hours a day for 3 hours of instruction and 5 minutes of one-on-one time?
• I want independent, free-thinking kids. I am not raising sheep.
  
• I do not believe that the state's interests and the best interests of my kids are the same.
• Not to disparage all young people, but if I what I observe on a daily basis is the result of socialization; then my children and I will pass. I don't need to expose my kids to bullying, materialism, sex, drugs, disrespect for authority, etc.

I do not expect most people to understand or agree with my reasoning, and in most cases I do not care what they think. They are my kids (they do not belong to the village), God has given my wife and me responsibility for them, and I will one day answer to Him on how I have raised them.