When it is time to start some sort of formal education it can be difficult to decide between public, private or homeschool. How to choose which is right for your family can be stressful, cause marital discord, and even rifts in extended families.

It is, after all, your childs' education that your are deciding on. The decisions you make can have an effect on him for the rest of his life. No parent wants to think that their child is going ot end up on the psychiatrist's couch mumbling about how they were forced to listen to Rosetta Stone language program while they milked the cows.

Yet, the public school system is often in the news, and generally the headlines are not complimentary. Private school is expensive.

And what about socialization?

First of all, if you considering homeschooling then there is a reason you are considering it. It could be:

• Peer pressure- all our friends do

• Religious Preferencee
• Media Pressure-The homeschool kids in the news are all geniuses
• Academic Excellence- Not happy with the system

There are hundreds of other reasons that people consider homeschooling. Some of them are good reasons but many of them are not. In order to homeschool you must be doing it because you feel that it is the best choice for your family for this year. No one is asking you to sign in blood and commit to homeschooling for the rest of your life.

Most people who homeschool purely because they want their kids to be rocket scientists by age seven generally don't do very well. Academics are an important part of homeschooling but they are only one part.

Homeschooling is a lifestyle of learning with your children, deepening relationship, and discipling them in the fullest sense of the word. If you see academics as somehow separate from the rest of life then you are totally missing what homeschooling is all about.

By the same token, if you want to homeschool but feel that you must send your child to school because of that S word that everyone throws at homeschoolers (socialization) then you are missing the point there too. Socialization is the boogey-man of most parents considering homeschooling, the monster under the bed. Like both of them, the problem is non-existent.

What IS socialization anyway?

Have you ever asked yourself what people are so afraid of? In this modern society of Internet, instant messaging, cell phones, and youth groups have you really ever wondered what it would take for a child to NOT be socialized?

Merriam Webster defines socialization as a noun. It is the process that begins in babyhood by which a human acquires habits, ethics, and social skills through education and training to become an adult.

Have you ever been around thirty seventh graders? They are training for something but generally it has nothing to do with being an adult. Thirty seventh graders that spend eight hours a day together every day will elarn to act like ....seventh graders. They will identify with, communicate on the level of, and prefer the company of other seventh graders.

On the other hand, a child that is around all ages of people learns to communicate on a broad level. He learns to value all ages and interact in many different types of situations.

He is socialized in a much more realistic setting:

• The grocery store
• Church
• Neighbors
• Friends
• Family
• Extended Family
• The library
• Where ever you go

Whichever educational model you choose you should be aware of your purpose in choosing it.

Fear should not be the prevailing reason that you make your choice.

• Fear of violence in the school
• Fear of failure at home
• Fear of what others will say

Take a few minutes and write two lists. One one write down all the reasons you want to homeschool. On the other write down all the reasons your child should be in public or private school. Which list seems the best to you?

It is important that couples be in ageement when it comes to their child's education. Homeschooling, should you choose to do it, requires both parents to be involved and supportive for the best results. Having arguements over whether or not homeschooling is good for your child is not the way to start the homeschooling adventure.

Realize, too, that you don;t hav to commit to your choice for the rest of your life. If you try homeschooling and it does not work for your family you are free to try public or private school down the road. Likewaise, if you decide to put your child in school you can always pull them out and homeschool.

Whichever decision you make, it has to be right for the whole family. Be sure that it is based on the reality of your life and noton anyone else's opinions of what you should or should not do.

As with everything, do the research, get the facts, and then step ahead with bold confidence.