LoriMarie,
I understand your dilemma totally. I have a 2nd grader and he has never been to public school. (except preschool and he loved it.) He is an only child and he needs to be around other children of his age from time to time, but he gets that several times per week just by learning school things, by going to the same classes/co-ops as the other HS kids go to. I HEARD A FATHER TELL ME ONCE...'I WOULD HAVE RATHER HAD MY CHILD AT HOME WHILE LEARNING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR ALL OF THOSE YEARS THAN TO HAVE TO HELP HIM TO 'UNLEARN' ALL THE UNGODLY THINGS THAT HE LEARNED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS...' (his 20 yr old son was in jail at the time he said this.) This dad wanted his son to value the things of God more than to value the things of his friends (peer pressure), yet the kid could never do it; and he still cant shake off that peer pressure (into drugs, and still has a strained relationship w/ God.) The point being is that our children will have to face peer pressure FOR GOD at some point in their lives, either now or later.)
I have chosen to allow my child to experience 'feeling different' right now, while he is young (b/c he IS different and HE needs to accept this at an early age), plus, this gives him time to develop a strong understanding that he doesn't have to 'fit in' and be accepted of others as long as he knows that he is being pleasing to God and that God loves him and wants him to be obedient to HIM rather than to his buddies. This takes time to teach and to settle into his mind and so far, he has very little problems accepting this reality and he really doesn't suffer from having peer pressure as much as the other children of his age do; (yes, he does get bored just as other kids do though.)
It's better for me to concentrate on teaching my child these BIBLE TRUTHS right now that GOD has given us to leatn, more than to let his time be spent learning the things that the
WORLD says that he must learn; which alot of times are just fillers and things that will not enhance the unique abilities that God gave each individual child that needs to be developed.. (Yes, he does do his required (by the State) subjects, but the state is not that much of an influence in our lives as it is in public schooled kids, the christian kids' lives, or in the private schools kids' lives.) TO ME IT IS BETTER TO KEEP HIM FROM BEING 'CLOSE' FRIENDS WITH THE CHRISTIANS AND THE WORLDLY KIDS THAN TO CONTINUALLY ALLOW HIM TO THINK THAT THEIR LIFESTYLE IS GODLY; thus, I just let him be aquaintannces at best; keeping his closest friends for all those few whom believe as we do spiritually- which at this time it is a young couple and a baby and mom and dad; but, God provides the people that my son needs to socialize with as well as when my son needs so socialize, even it they arent' always kids of his age. (This is rea life to Daniel; to have a deep and meaningful relationship with anyone of any age whom share the same biblical outlook; which if we are honest, even we adults can count on one hand those truly close friendships).) I think you would be better off in a non religious HS group this way they don't push their religious standards with the schooling opportunities (which is all that you would be looking for from them.)
You have more than one child LoriMarie and so they are good company and good socialization for each other; they believe the same. It is a sacrifice to live this way, but I don't have to spend so much time dispelling all of the untruths to him on a daily basis as I would if he were around the public schooled kids or christian HS'ed kids, thus, my child has a strong understanding of people at such a young age. (I am saying nothing about the public school teachers here; as they have their places and are not out to brainwash the kids, most of them are just ignorant of these higher Biblical truths.) I look at life like this: there used to not be any public or private schools at one point in our history and the parents were the teachers of everything. The children had better morals b/c of this too; parents got to teach God and got to spend alot of bonding time w/ their kids b/f they moved out of the house onto their own; and those kids seemed to be better equipted for living in the real world; they weren' t as disolusioned about the real world.
(All I know is that is it probably better to UNSCHOOL children whom are so different since the majority of homeschoolers are christians and since there are no real Godly examples for us to follow in this world.) If you set up the public school in your home, you might as well just put them in public school, b/c to me, Gods' agenda and schedule is far dif than that of a public school agenda/time frame/calendar. But, go with the HS'ers for now till you can meet some 'unschoolers' (see online.)
It is not easy to HS, but, like ANYTHING, you will learn patience. (See the national group of beginnig HSers called SMOOTHING THE WAY.COM, this will help you to make the transition, no matter what grade yours are in right now.) Then you can get aquainted with all of the dif. HS groups and they tend to have Co-Ops that each parent comes together and shares in the class/subject. (God gives us the exact skills and or the leads that we will need to attain the training in a certain subject that each child needs to fulfill the knowledge that HE wants them to know in order to become who HE plans for them to become.) (You'll save alot of $ this way too.)
Just remember,
-"WE HAVE NEED OF NO MAN TO TEACH US, BUT GODS' SPIRIT ONLY TO TEACH US". (Thus, just take the daily and minutely leading of what the HOLY SPIRIT is teaching you; not the worlds' standards of 'education'.)
-(this is our children's 'trials by fire' in this life...they can handle it, God won't give them more than they can bare; as I would rather they learn about trials now than later.)
-no HS parent is perfect; no public school parent is perfect.
I'm sorry if I said too much
I hope this helpes thogh.