The Big Debate

Every day I wake up and wonder...should I take Riley out of school now, or wait until he finishes his fourth grade year? I'm not too worried about Regan, I know she has plenty of time to catch up whatever area she may be lacking in. But Riley, I feel like the past three years have been like playing Chutes and Ladders, and losing. We just keep sliding back farther and farther.

I'm not a quitter. I don't let my kids quit either. I'm not sure where I got this from, because my parents were both of the opinion that we should quit anything, anytime, as it usually meant less money and less driving for them. My kids have had to stick it out for a lot of things. Mostly Regan, she wants to try something just once, and then she's done. Like soccer, and I hauled her butt to every game and every practice for a couple of months, kicking and screaming all the way. You sign up for something, you follow it through, no matter how much you hate it. You made a commitment to the team, and the coach, now get out there!

And most recently Riley. He signed up for Agents in Action at church, where kids could help out in different areas around the church. I told him SO many times the area I thought he would like the most, but it was one of those things, he made the decision (to help in the children's church with kids around 3-4 years old) and I knew he would be over it in a matter of weeks, and sure enough, every time he's supposed to serve, he wants to go with his friends who are helping in the store. Sorry kid, you made your bed, now lie in it! I'm hoping they will learn to stick to things, your word is important, if you say you'll do something, you do it, no matter how badly you want to quit or give up.

So, the thought of just giving up on 4th grade, I can't reconcile myself with it, but every day I feel like I'm sending him off to 7 hours of wasted life. Throw in some bad friends, a few trips to the principal's office, a couple days of ISS, what is he really going to miss by not going the last 2 months of school? Especially now that I've made up my mind to home school, I'm anxious to get on with it. The times that he's here with me, doing his homework, and we sit down together and work on it, I see the smart kid he used to be, shining through. Not that he isn't smart anymore, he is, so scary smart, but I feel like where he's at now has stifled him so much that it takes time, and attention, personal attention to get that smart boy out again.

That's my internal debate. I still don't know what to do. I know when I have both of them home at the same time, life will not be peachy keen. I have the only siblings on the planet that like to fight with each other. It will be interesting to say the least. But, I just wonder if 2 months of dedicated one on one time will help him out, or if just going through the motions, and letting him finish 4th grade, TAKS and all, will help communicate the message that we are NOT quitters! And which is more important in the long run?