What is more important: Stay at home mom or Catholic school?

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I have gone to both public and Catholic schools, as have many of my siblings. My mom had to go back to work even after we had all transferred to public schools (largely because the Catholic school was lacking on both spiritual and educational fronts as well as finances) and the negative effects of her part time job are still lasting.

There are good kids and Catholic kids and teachers at public schools. There are bad kids and kids that aren’t Catholic (or are raised in name only) at Catholic schools. But I think that if you have the ability to raise your children from home when they’re small and be home for them when they come home after school or lunch as they grow, it does worlds of good.

Homeschooling would not have been a good option for any of us for many, many reasons, but public schools have been excellent as far as extracurricular and educational opportunities go, and it’s good for the finances.

I know there’s talk of new political agendas being pushed in public schools, but you don’t have to keep your kids in class the days that comes up. And it’s a lot better than the inappropriate things I was told in my Catholic school over the years.
 
If I may ask, is there a specific reason why you won’t do public school?
 
Well, My husband and I from earlier on just decided that we did not want to give our children over to the government. Also The public school education is not up to our standards. In Are local public school here have stop teaching cursive writing and currently are talking about doing away with grades all together. So That is why it is just not an option.
 
Well, good luck. There are plenty of Catholic options out there. I know that this was discussed on another thread. Make sure you have everything lined up before pulling the kiddies out of class. And plan for “field trips” that your school probably wouldn’t have gone on. Local sites, museums and all that sort of stuff. I’m sure there are plenty of educational stuff in your area to take them to. And many ways to work them into lessons. Like, write a report about what was seen and that sort of stuff. 👍
 
Can your husband work a second job? I had to work two jobs to put my kids through Private school
 
Keep in mind they will be getting ready for college prep soon- do you feel prepared to handle that?

Have you inquired about the cost, and seen if you qualify for a sliding scale, etc?

Many ladies I know work at the school/a daycare/etc which keeps the same hours as the local schools. They have minimal conflicts between holidays that way (unless they are a teacher and constantly going to CE classes on days off!).
 
I don’t know if this is true, but I"ve often wondered about how moms working to afford tuition affects their openness to life. Maybe I"m projecting, but I think if I had to worry about
job security, advancement and paying for more daycare and tuition for additional babies, I would be relunctant to have more babies.

We have had some lean times when I have re-evaluated our decision for me not to work, but I’m happy that we have done it. I’m sure I wouldn’t have all of my beautiful eight children if I had worked.

And, I’m grateful that we’ve been able to homeschool all these years. I"ve had my homeschool mom struggles, but seeing the fruit of our family life, it’ was the best parenting decision we’ve ever made.

Our two college age kids have had no problem with qualifying for financial aid. Our income is fine, but I think our family size has been a significant factor in making Pell grants available for us. Our friends with larger incomes have had their kids receive Academic scholarships. We didn’t pursue the academic scholarships because of the Pell Grant.
 
Here are my two cents: (These are OUR experiences only. I can only tell you what WE went through)

I started homeschooling my oldest daughter from K to 1st grade. Then we sent her to Catholic school for 2nd and 3rd grade. We wanted her to be “socialized” yet she came home learning more secular ideas than religion or any other subject for that matter amongst her friends on the bus or during recess. Her eyes were “opened” to disgusting music and mainstream liberal media that we pulled her out. She learned and retained “more” from her friends than during her school lessons in the class!

I quit working and resumed homeschooling her starting in 4th grade and my three other children. To this day, she still remembers all the things her friends in school used to talk about. It’s very scary. I truly regret exposing her to so much nonsense in those two years of Catholic school.

Don’t get me wrong, I truly feel Catholic schooling is much more healthful to the soul than public school is. I don’t want my children learning sexual education and immoral values such as acceptance of unnatural alternative lifestyles, etc. Public schools do not even allow our children to pray before lunch.

However, that said, the BEST education to protect the souls of your children is from YOU, the parent, in homeschool. With the grace you received when you got married, God gave you the tools to educate YOUR children in the faith.

Please don’t second guess your abilities as a homeschooling parent. God will give you all the necessary tools to homeschool. I thought I couldn’t properly instruct my children and I thought I was “shortchanging” them if I didn’t send them to school. However, I’m living proof that God will provide all that is necessary.

As a family, we are so much closer, our faith has also increased as we learn things about our faith that we didn’t know before, we’re also able to attend more frequently Mass and Adoration, as well as socialize with other homeschooling families on a regular basis. God has truly blessed us.

We may not be “well-to-do” financially as my husband is the sole provider, but me being home is so much more rewarding to our whole family. We would not have it any other way. 😉

There are a number of wonderful Catholic homeschooling programs to choose from. Among them are Seton Home Study School, or Our Lady of Victory School, Catholic Heritage Curricula, just to name a few. They provide you with all the lessons, curriculum, and tests needed.

As always continue to pray, pray, pray. God will lead the way! We will be praying for you. 👍

Take care and God bless!

+JMJ+
 
jmj777 said:
Here are my two cents: (These are OUR experiences only. I can only tell you what WE went through)

I started homeschooling my oldest daughter from K to 1st grade. Then we sent her to Catholic school for 2nd and 3rd grade. We wanted her to be “socialized” yet she came home learning more secular ideas than religion or any other subject for that matter. Her eyes were “opened” to disgusting music and mainstream liberal media that we pulled her out.

I quit working and resumed homeschooling her starting in 4th grade and my three other children. To this day, she still remembers all the things her friends in school used to talk about. It’s very scary. I truly regret exposing her to so much nonsense in those two years of Catholic school.

Don’t get me wrong, I truly feel Catholic schooling is much more healthful to the soul than public school is. I don’t want my children learning sexual education and immoral values such as acceptance of unnatural alternative lifestyles, etc. Public schools do not even allow our children to pray before lunch.

However, that said, the BEST education to protect the souls of your children is from YOU, the parent, in homeschool. With the grace you received when you got married, God gave you the tools to educate YOUR children in the faith.

Please don’t second guess your abilities as a homeschooling parent. God will give you all the necessary tools to homeschool. I thought I couldn’t properly instruct my children and I thought I was “shortchanging” them if I didn’t send them to school. However, I’m living proof that God will provide all that is necessary.

As a family, we are so much closer, our faith has also increased as we learn things about our faith that we didn’t know before, we’re also able to attend more frequently Mass and Adoration, as well as socialize with other homeschooling families on a regular basis. God has truly blessed us.

There are a number of wonderful Catholic homeschooling programs to choose from. Among them are Seton Home Study School, or Our Lady of Victory School, Catholic Heritage Curricula, just to name a few. They provide you with all the lessons, curriculum, and tests needed.

As always continue to pray, pray, pray. God will lead the way! We will be praying for you. 👍

Take care and God bless!

+JMJ+
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What did your kids learn at the Catholic school that was so appalling? I do not think kids coming home in 2nd and 3rd grade with awful information is the “norm” for Catholic schools. It certainly isn’t with ours! Sure, kids pick up annoying phrases and songs, and not every classmate is your idea of a perfect friend, but you make it sound like your kids were coming home with a spelling list full of cuss words, doing fund raisers for Planned Parenthood, and putting on a Snoop-Dogg themed Christmas program.

And while some women are cut out for homeschooling their kids, others are not, despite having a sacramental marriage. Our faith does not teach that homeschooling is the prefered way to educate our children. In fact, we are encouraged to support and utilize our parish schools when possible.

Let’s not unnecessarily disparage our parish schools. They are staging an uphill battle and we should support them if we can.
 
There have been so many wonderfully supportive and informative posts about homeschooling, there isn’t much to add…except to find a Catholic homeschool group or co-op in your area. I would do this NOW before the kids are out of school so in case there is more than one, you will have time to check them out and see if any would be a good fit for your family.

Praying for you!
 
jmj777 said:
Here are my two cents: (These are OUR experiences only. I can only tell you what WE went through)

I started homeschooling my oldest daughter from K to 1st grade. Then we sent her to Catholic school for 2nd and 3rd grade. We wanted her to be “socialized” yet she came home learning more secular ideas than religion or any other subject for that matter amongst her friends on the bus or during recess. Her eyes were “opened” to disgusting music and mainstream liberal media that we pulled her out. She learned and retained “more” from her friends than during her school lessons in the class!

what secular disgusting music? My kids went to Catholic School and I don’t recall my then second grader singing such music.

I quit working and resumed homeschooling her starting in 4th grade and my three other children. To this day, she still remembers all the things her friends in school used to talk about.** It’s very scary. ** I truly regret exposing her to so much nonsense in those two years of Catholic school.

Why is that scary? Are you going to keep your children in a fish bowll all their lives? Even the Duggars travel the world and learn about other cultures and still have their faith close to their heart.🤷

Don’t get me wrong, I truly feel Catholic schooling is much more healthful to the soul than public school is. I don’t want my children learning sexual education and immoral values such as acceptance of unnatural alternative lifestyles, etc. ** Public schools do not even allow our children to pray before lunch.**

It is ALLOWED to pray before lunch. At my kids public school, there was a prayer group that gathered before school and kids (yes high school public school kids) prayed at their tables before lunch. Big broad brush there…if your faith remains strong, what is there to fear?

However, that said, the BEST education to protect the souls of your children is from YOU, the parent, in homeschool. With the grace you received when you got married, God gave you the tools to educate YOUR children in the faith.

Please don’t second guess your abilities as a homeschooling parent. God will give you all the necessary tools to homeschool. I thought I couldn’t properly instruct my children and I thought I was “shortchanging” them if I didn’t send them to school. However, I’m living proof that God will provide all that is necessary.

As a family, we are so much closer, our faith has also increased as we learn things about our faith that we didn’t know before, we’re also able to attend more frequently Mass and Adoration, as well as socialize with other homeschooling families on a regular basis. God has truly blessed us.

We may not be “well-to-do” financially as my husband is the sole provider, but me being home is so much more rewarding to our whole family. We would not have it any other way. 😉

There are a number of wonderful Catholic homeschooling programs to choose from. Among them are Seton Home Study School, or Our Lady of Victory School, Catholic Heritage Curricula, just to name a few. They provide you with all the lessons, curriculum, and tests needed.

As always continue to pray, pray, pray. God will lead the way! We will be praying for you. 👍

Take care and God bless!

+JMJ+
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Children will leave home one day…keep that in mind,
 
Julianna said:
Children will leave home one day…keep that in mind,
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Yes, all kids will leave home some day. But in the mean time, we are responsible for their education. We are responsible for their well being in all areas. Let’s make sure they are learning the tools needed to be men and women of faith.
 
Christy_Beth said:
Yes, all kids will leave home some day. But in the mean time, we are responsible for their education. We are responsible for their well being in all areas. Let’s make sure they are learning the tools needed to be men and women of faith.
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Yes, it’s true. But homeschooling is not the cure all. People are individuals…with their own thought processes. My children have grown up in the real world, their faith and beliefs constantly put to the test, as those of their Protestant peers who prayed at lunch. My husband and I did not want our children to be the gold fish in the fish bowl and at 18 dumped into the Atlantic ocean. We monitored our children as they swam in the ocean, guided them in our benevolent dictatorship while under the age of 18. I recall my husband flinging a CD out window of my daughters stereo because of the lyrics he was hearing. It was a great teaching opportunity for my then 16 yr old. Her father sat with her and told her how a real man treats a woman, not how Eminem treated his wife in a song. She then realized that violence against women is wrong on all fronts. This taught her to become familiar and pick up on cues of the men she dates.

My children are not perfect, and neither is anyone else. The received the “foundation” education in Catholic School, they have had opportunities to experience the culture and faith of their peers. My son, being very Sheldon-like, it on the fence of a prescribed religion.

If a mom wants to stay at home and homeschool, great, if you have the resources and finances to do so. Catholic school, the same. If the Catholic School has a before and afterschool program (most do), great. (the school where I worked did). It has to be a family decision and one is not a cure all, all have to monitored.
 
No need to take offense at my post. As I stated in my very first line “These are OUR experiences only. I can only tell you what WE went through.” I’m not arguing with those who send their kids to Catholic or public schools. I was explaining what WE went through.

Regarding the music: I am NOT ok with my daughter listening to Katy Perry’s “Kissed a Girl**” at age 7 while on the bus listening to other children’s iPods. I don’t see how exposure to this would be beneficial in ANY way to preparing her for the world at such a young age. Just like in battle - you arm and train the soldier PRIOR to the war, NOT during the war. Same with our children’s faith formation.

ALL parents are entitled to raise their children how THEY see fit. I have a God-given right to decide what my children are exposed to; however conservative that may be, regardless of how OTHER parents choose to school.

I still hold that homeschool is the BEST education we can give our children. That is not an argument, that is what is right in OUR family. There’s no need to take offense to anything I wrote, as they are OUR experiences.

May peace be with you.

+JMJ+
 
well, the question is not Catholic school or homeschool: it’s Catholic school/working mom versus sahm/homeschool.

If it were sahm/public school versus working mom/good Catholic school–I think I’d be more inclined to vote for working mom.

To me, Catholic school is that important (I, myself, was public schooled, to my dismay).

It would have to be an authentic Catholic school.

However, a Catholic homeschool is a Catholic education as much as a Catholic school, so thank God, we have that option.

🙂
 
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