As I stated in one of my previous articles, having been homeschooled is one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. In my opinion, no only did it make my education an enjoyable experience, but I feel that it made my family a very close-knits one. In this article, I'll briefly discuss my feelings on my relationship with my siblings and how it relates to homeschooling.
Not only did my mother homeschool me, but she homeschooled my three younger siblings as well. As a result, all five of us were in the house together all day, every day. To some that might sound like agony, but we loved it. We became so much closer because of all the time we spent together. My life wouldn't be completely different if we didn't all love each other so much.
And I seem to live in a world where the level of closeness we posses is unusual, which, if true, is incredibly unfortunate. I was watching a television show the other day where one of the characters was speaking to her brother, with whom she had a strained relationship. What she said to him made me rather sad. "It's normal for siblings to resent each other," she said. I could hardly believe what I'd just heard. I had to pause the show and just sit for a minute, thinking about what she'd just said.
I can't imagine living life without loving my siblings. I am the eldest of four and not only am I incredibly protective of my younger siblings, but I love them with my whole heart. I won't pretend that we always get along. Everyone fights occasionally, but with us, there's always a deep underlying love and we always make up soon after a fight. And yet, the life of that character and her relationship with her sibling doesn't seem to be an anomaly in today's world. I know several people that aren't close with their siblings or with their parents either. I am very thankful that my siblings and I care so much for each other. I wouldn't want it any other way.
If I am completely honest, I think it was the fact that we were homeschooled that made us so close. Homeschooling families are some of the closest knit I've ever seen. This isn't to say that a family that doesn't homeschool isn't loving or close or that all homeschooling families are. All I'm saying is, that a great number of homeschooling families that I've encountered seem to have a close bond. The reason, perhaps, is that, as all the siblings spend so much time together, it's so much more convenient to live in a house with people you enjoy. It's a good motivation to get along with one another. Obviously that isn't the only reason, but I can't delve into every reason in this article.
Once again, I'll say that being homeschooled was one of the greatest parts of my life. It afforded me so much more time to spend with my family, who I love dearly. I thank God often that my mother homeschooled me and all my little siblings. I think all four of us, as well as both my parents, benefited greatly from it.