Full Disclosure

Recently out in the social media world (for me, Facebook) I've posted a number of pictures of different places we've visited this summer (mainly day trips). This is primarily because I don't print photos anymore. Facebook is my photo album, which is probably not a great thing. But it's where I'm at right now. If I can click and my memories are saved in a few seconds, I'm good.

Every time I share photos, especially recently, I get lots of feedback about all of the fun and exciting things we do as a family. "You really get around!" or "You think of so many fun things to do!" people will say. And I've started to feel a little uncomfortable, as if somehow I've set my family up as if we're staring in a little show: "The Whittemores Take New England!"

Another post recently was about Ethan and school. It's true: Ethan's teacher DID call to say what a great job he's been doing. It's also true that I muttered something about "wishing he showed that kind of behavior at home." I included that in the post, because really I was posting about the irony of having the teacher gush over a child who looked nothing like the child we often see at home, particularly first thing in the morning. But I think that point got lost. A number of people were kind enough to say things about how awesome Ethan is and what a great mom I am. And I started to squirm.

I know this has been talked about A LOT lately. And I know people aren't stupid. Most of us are well aware that the world, the life people present on social media, is not the whole story. We paint the best picture of ourselves. We edit and enhance. But despite all of that, I still feel this need for full disclosure...for the story behind the story.

Here's one, for starters.

This is Ethan's first day of soccer. The sun is shining, birds are singing; he's fresh and ready to go. This is Ethan's fourth year playing soccer. And things have gotten better. But they're not always easy. I don't have an After picture of that day. If I did, it would show Ethan flailing around on the ground, crying after the game. I give him credit. He held himself together during the game. And he waited until most people were out of sight. Then he couldn't hold it in any more. It IS frustrating to lose 1-0 to a team after trying really, really hard. And for someone who has trouble regulating emotions, it's even harder. We were the last people to leave the field last week, and this week, too (another tough loss). But this week he pulled himself together a little more quickly. Progress.

This picture of Chloe walking on a trail in Maine does NOT bring back memories of one of our fond family walks in the tranquil, mysterious Maine woods. This "hike" was a joke! We drove miles with Anna crying in the back because she'd accidentally scalded herself with hot water (long story). Once we determined we could, indeed, go on a little hike rather than the ER, we ended up here. Only I was looking for a different place and didn't realize until we'd paid almost $20 to get into some kind of state park. The nature center was closed and the only other thing to do rather than swim in frigid waters was hike this trail. So we did, only to realize within three seconds that the woods were filled with a massive infestation of the blood-thirstiest mosquitos I have EVER encountered. This peaceful nature walk was pure torture. And of course -- we'd forgotten bug spray. Everyone was swatting at themselves, Chloe was developing almost an allergic reaction to all the bites, kids were whining, and by the time we neared the trail's end we were all almost running to ESCAPE the woods.

Speaking of Maine: this is another thing I hear from people a lot. They say how they would love to have a cabin in the woods on a lake and how incredible it must be. They are right. It is incredible. It's lovely. It's also something I've grown up with my entire life and it would not be everyone's cup of tea. Why? You must know: our amazing family cabin is also the oldest one on our lake (100+ years) and has no running water or indoor plumbing. And due to the lay of the land, it is very difficult to ever install plumbing. So, it is what it is. Views like this are absolutely true. So is the fact that we have to boil water to wash dishes. I still love it!


We went on this fun day trip up a mountain recently on a ski lift. We've also been blessed to go to an indoor water park earlier this year and will head to Maine for a weekend soon. These trips are special because Dan is coming with us. Some people don't know that many of the adventures I've taken have been just me and the kids...and sometimes my parents. Dan's work schedule with two jobs including his own business make it difficult to get away. We've not been away for a week's vacation for over a year, all together. We have to catch these times whenever we can.

Sometimes online, on a Sunday after I was scheduled to sing and had a wonderful time at church, I will post messages and thank people and gush about the church services that morning or people will write to me and we all have a wonderful time encouraging each other. There is nothing so wrong about this. I DO feel incredibly blessed to serve with such a great group of people. I love to sing and share my gift with God and others. But for every time I write and gush and thank others and say thanks in return, there are a hundred insecurities I've had to fight that day, that morning, that week. I know I'm not a professional, and my voice is not top-notch. It's not about performance but still the fight goes on to quell the voice that says you were too this or not enough that or will never be able to do this or that.

You can't be honest about insecurity, online. You risk sounding like a downer, or that you're fishing for compliments. But sometimes, for others' sake, we NEED to be.

And this picture -- Anna's first day of homeschooling. Doesn't her hair look cool? She is all smiles and I posted about how this was a first day home treat, and it was. It was also a I'm not sure what I'm doing and I don't want my teen to hate me treat. Three weeks in, she likes homeschooling -- kind of. There are things she misses and there are things I don't know how to change or improve for her. There are friends out there she hasn't found yet and I just keep praying they're found. In the picture, she is smiling, and in my posts, I am speaking of the bright side...but this was a hard, hard summer full of many tears. This has been a time of fighting regrets, praying for wisdom, choosing faith versus fear, and letting go of control.

I know this is how it is for everyone. There is the post; the tweet. There is the story that can't be summed up in a paragraph or captured by a picture. There is the hurt you share with those you love in real life, carefully concealed from this virtual world not unlike a magazine where everything is glossier and shinier and summed up succinctly.

Our lives are messy, and I'm not saying anything we don't already know. But sometimes, that's the side we need to show.

Finding the Best (Not Perfect) Option

The calendar has flipped to September, Halloween and (dare I say it?) Christmas items are stocked on store shelves, and last week we sent two kids off to school...and one to school at home.

Yes. It's almost shocking to admit it, but we are homeschooling Anna this year.

Why do I say shocking? I have nothing against homeschooling. I know many, many homeschooling parents. Many of them are natural born teachers...the type of people who seem infinitely curious and love thinking of projects and crafts and new way to explore subjects. That's not me. I do, however, still love the feeling of cracking open brand new school books. And, I'm willing. That's what we have to work with here.

But I need to back up. Way up. People homeschool for many reasons. The educational choices we make for our kids reflect our values. Sometimes, our fears. Our desires to meet their individual needs.

As a kid, I had an eclectic mix of schooling. My Christian upbringing played key a role in this. I had an on and off mix of Christian and public school education. There were pros and cons to each. I didn't know any homeschoolers back then. Even in Christian circles, homeschooling was kind of "out there;" sort of earthy-crunchy.

Looking back at my education, I've always known there were very real drawbacks and benefits to both public and Christian school. My Christian education was sometimes sorely lacking. Some curriculums were weak; extracurricular activities were nearly nonexistent. And one school's forms of punishment and approach to the Bible may have done more to harm kids' faith than help it. Likewise my public school experience had drawbacks. Classes were taught from a worldview that sometimes conflicted with my faith. There were times the atmosphere was close to scary. Kids were exceedingly cruel. Worst was the feeling I sometimes had that my teachers were lost, hopeless, and unable to help me through some bullying situations.

All of these things swirled in my mind when Anna was little and we had to make a decision about her schooling. Dan had grown up in public schools and didn't feel as strongly about the issue as I did. But after hearing horror stories from a friend who at the time taught at an elementary school in town, I felt fairly strongly -- we would start Anna in Christian school. It helped that we had a school just down the street. And so she began pre-K and continued there through elementary school.

Then Ethan came along, and things were very different. Having an autism diagnosis meant, at least at the beginning, Anna's school was not in the picture. Instead, the moment he turned three and graduated out of the Birth to 3 program, he fell under the auspices of the public school system and the special services he needed that they could provide.

So we started in the public school system, not by choice -- and in the process I discovered a really wonderful group of both teachers and parents. The schools weren't perfect. But we had many more good experiences than bad ones, and problems were always quickly addressed, and for the most part, rectified. Beyond that, one thing I loved about the public school was feeling like I was a part of the town. Anna's school had many out of towners and just wasn't the same. I would go to Ethan's school and see the same people I'd run into at the grocery store or the town green. Since Anna had never been involved in town sports, we'd lived in the area for 5 years, but I felt as if I knew no one. When Ethan started school, that changed.

Watching both of the kids go through school helped me see very clearly the different arguments that are out there in the Christian world and to better understand each side. Yes, our job is to raise our kids in our faith; to protect and nurture them. At the same time, Christians can't live inside a walled fortress. We have to be careful to not develop an "us vs. them" mentality; to think that if we just sanitize our kids from all corruption, everything will be fine. There must be room to be a part of a community, to shine God's light and love in our everyday encounters.

Ethan went on through public school, and Anna went to Christian school until we realized her school was closing for the upper grades and it would be best to start her in public school right at the beginning of middle school when everyone else was new, too. And so we did. And things went okay...for awhile.

I can't violate my 13-year-old's privacy by getting into details, but let's just say that by the end of this year for numbers of reasons we began to see that public school, at least at this time, was not working out well for Anna. And so we delved into our options, including homeschooling, and confronted all of the issues and assumptions that come with it.

In the process of research (and my connections with homeschooling families) I came to understand that the homeschooling world today is a far cry from what it might have been 30 years ago; that the internet is an amazing tool; and that there are so many resources and social opportunities out there for homeschooled kids. I also again realized that it isn't a perfect solution. That there will still be times when we may not be feeling as if Anna's needs are being met. And it is a juggle on my part, with the freelance work I do as well. But we've taken the plunge. So far, so good.

What does this mean for down the road? Will we continue to homeschool Anna? Will we find another private school or at some point return to public? What about Chloe and Ethan? I am not quite sure.

What I'm learning through all of this is something I've always believed, deep down, but have seen played out before my eyes. There is no perfect answer for the best way to help our kids. There's just the BEST option. And that can change -- from child to child, from year to year. We can't let ourselves get stuck in boxes. We also can't let ourselves become distracted by others' opinions and decisions. What works for one child or one family may not for another. We can't be ruled by fear but also can't bury our heads in the sand. We've got to entrust our kids to God but also take on responsibility for having them in the best environment for them in any given year.

We can plan, but we can also leave our options open. Never say "never"...and never say "always." We can learn to live with the truth that we can do everything we can as parents, and our kids will still make their own choices. But that doesn't mean we set them up to fail.

For those of us who like clear-cut paths and grand plans, this can be a little difficult. But this is life. So we jump in -- to this year. And learn to live in THIS moment: knowing that for any of our kids, it may look very different from the year after that one...or the next...or the next.