There is peace in Decision.

We live two blocks down from a public elementary school and I often take a walk with the girl's to play on their playground. Riley absolutely loves schools, the busses. The "friends", the buildings, and when she is coloring in her coloring book she calls it "doing schoolwork".

It's no secret that she would most likely do very well in school, public or private, Adam & I have noticed this very early on.

But I have this weird feeling holding me back from wanting her, or any of our children, to go to school {verse being home schooled}. For one, SC {the state we live in} has awful public schools. We are pretty much one of the dumbest states in the U.S. As a matter of fact, in the "25 worst schools in America", TEN of them are in South Carolina. The county next to us, has such a poor school system, that they have to cut school days out of the month to save money. A little further down the interstate, is the town that Obama promised that little girl back when he got elected, that he would build a school, because they need one badly...and of course...over a year later that school is not built. They are closing elementary schools and shoving all the students into other elementary schools in the district.

Not to mention, the awful students & teachers. If your a SC teacher, sorry, I do know that there are passionate, good teachers out there but sadly, they get lost in the crowd of awful ones. Take for instance the elementary school teacher who was charged for child molestation of a student in a school nearby. I'm not sure what the charges turned out to be{this was a few years ago} , I do know that he is now, working at a elementary school in the next county over. How about the high school teacher that showed a picture of a boy with his penis out and a hand touching it to his entire class, and made a joke about it being a catholic priest & a little boy. This just happened this week, and guess what he gets? To not be able to come back to that school next year. This was a school in the next county over. Or when my littlest brother was in 1st grade and his publicly racist teacher pushed him in the hallway in front of the entire class, and guess what? The principal told my mom that he could finish the year at home, "homebound", if she did not take it any farther than talking to him. Why does all this happen? Because a) the schools dont have the money to care and b) they do not care about the well-being and safety of the students. Ah, a middle school right here that was having major issues a little bit ago with students having oral sex in the bathrooms. Gang fights, cat fights, cussing, kids telling your kids about sex and drugs and booty dancing, oral sex, and bad words WAY to early on. Metal detectors, bag searches, police dogs checking high schoolers vehicles. There is no God in schools now, no moment of silence, you don't have to say the pledge of allegiance if you dont want to because it says God {if your school says it at all}.

Not to mention the pressure to fit in. No matter how you raise your child, everyone wants to fit in, everyone wants to be liked. Unfortunately, being "cool" in high school and even middle school now, means a few things...

Dating. {what? you mean your parents don't let you go on dates? how dumb, your 15 years old, they need to cut the cord}

Parties. {so & so is not allowed to go to parties...her parents are mad religious freaks. I'm trying to get her to sneak out...}

Smoking. {yea, I know smoking is stupid and does not make you look cool, these kids still think otherwise....}

Drugs

Sex {If your not having it.. lie and say you have!}

Gay {Gays & lesbians seem to be getting more and more popular in school}

Oh I can go on, and on, and on. No, I do not want my children around this environment, around these type of kids, and it almost sounds like your putting your kid in danger by letting them go to school if you think of it like this. But, most everyone has gone to a public school & they turned out fine.

But...did they turn out the way they could have, if not had been exposed to all of that stuff way before they should be? Way before they are mature enough to handle it and make the right, safe, decisions for themselves. Way before they get the "everyone else does it" "syndrome" drilled into their heads, before they begin thinking what kids tell them is the right thing? Way before they are mature enough to handle the pressure. I think not.

Of course my life would have turned out differently if I had not been exposed to all this stuff. And it's not just public schools! I went to a Catholic Private school until high school, and the children we're not angels, and I did "learn" allot there! I am happy with who I am now, but I'm thinking that I would have been even more happy with myself now and then, if my parents had tried harder...paid more attention. So I want to change the way my children are raised from the way I was raised, from the way adam was raised, from the way "everyone else" is being raised, I believe a big part of the change is going to be not letting them attend a public school. I'm praying God is on board with that decision{and my husband}...why would they want our children to be exposed to that kind of environment either?