Life is full of stress in everyday life and we all go through periods where stressful events come into our lives and cause havoc…therefore to me there is no sense in adding to that by turning school into something that is anything other than pleasant, enjoyable, nurturing and encouraging. Rigid things generally do not bring calm, peace, and enjoyment into our lives, it causes more worry and more anxiety, something we do not need to add to the daily life of a child. Childhood is so short, it needs to be nurtured, enjoyed and treasured; when we are stressing, we are doing none of those things – which harms us and the children…so keep it simple and keep it as free from stress as possible. As I come to the end of our homeschool journey, I can tell you that there are things I would have done very differently had I had the knowledge I have now. I would never have put them in PS, I would have started with the CM approach, and I would have started with MUS. I would have made much more time to smell the roses, and I would have not bought so much curriculum which just muddied the waters. I would not have been as impatient with my girls as I was when they were younger – I would have learned about their learning styles much earlier – I would have made God much more of the focal point of their days, and I would have been much more forgiving than I was at times. I would have spent more time on art, music and nature when they first started out – PS gave them none of that and I felt I had to play catch up – so remember, treasure the moments, and don’t forget these are the best years of your children’s lives, make them wonderful. Linda