Many people have told me, "It's nice that you homeschool your granddaughters, but I wouldn't know how to homeschool my children." Think again! I'm not sure anyone "knows how" when they begin homeschooling, any more than a first time parent "knows how" to be a good parent until they have some experience. But any good parent (or grandparent, for that matter) who has a high school diploma or GED, in West Virginia, should be "qualified" to home-school! It's actually built into human nature.

Parents begin "homeschooling" their children as soon as they are born. Babies learn quickly who feeds them and who changes their diapers. Babies and young children learn by example - what they see and hear is their world. If crying gets them food and a change of clothes, they learn to cry when they are hungry or wet. Soon, most new mothers recognize the difference between a cry that means, "I'm hungry" and one that means, "I need help right now" or "I'm uncomfortable."

Unlike animals, human children take many years to mature into adulthood. This means parents have many years to teach them. There is no secret formula for "instant adulthood" and wise parents don't push their fledglings out of the nest before they are ready to go. Whether or not a child is homeschooled, one of the primary functions of a parent is teaching.

Modern technology has made teaching and learning easier for everyone. Our libraries contain amazing amounts of information and are now all linked to other libraries, so information can be shared between them. The internet offers more than anyone could read in a lifetime. With message boards on any subject imaginable and email, you can look for help and share information.

Did George Washington and Abraham Lincoln's parents "know how to homeschool"? They managed to educate great men without having the luxury of interconnected libraries and the internet. What about Thomas Edison's mother? The school sent him home as "incorrigible and unteachable" when he was 8 years old.

Grandparents and other relatives can be important teachers, too. I learned many things from my relatives that I never learned in public school. My aunt Glady told me, "No matter what you want to do in life, learn how to type. It will be a skill you can use to make a living, if all else fails." Little did she know how important that skill has been to me. She did live long enough to know that although I chose to study art, I made a lot more money typing. Was that "home-schooling"? Yes, it surely was! Because of her advice, I joined a typing club in 9th grade and learned to type in 10 lessons. That skill helped put me through college. I actually find typing to be very relaxing, so maybe it has kept me healthy, as well!

If you seriously want to home-school your children, give it a try. I highly recommend it.