There are many pros and cons of home schooling, just as there are pros and cons to public and private schools. If you find yourself weighing the differences of which method of school you should do for your children, this list will help.

I have revised my pros and cons lists to reflect my views now that I have 2 years of home-school under my belt as well, and our children have also attended 2 years at a private Christian school and many years of public school. The reason for so many changes in schooling is actually that we are a military family.

Only YOU can decide which is best for your kids.

What I am going to provide you with is a pros and cons list of home schooling versus private or public schools.

***Disclaimer: When you purchase through links on this website, I do collect advertising fees. Clicking does not obligate you to buy. All opinions are my own.***

First, we did try public school.

We were fortunate to belong to an amazing community with a high performing school.  Our neighborhood elementary school in Northern Virginia tested well above the national averages.  While that was great, and my boys were pretty happy at school, no school is perfect.

See, my boys had trouble paying attention to things that they are not interested in, especially in large group settings. I don’t mean they day dreamed a little.  They day dreamed so much that their teachers tried to interject my boys’ names into every few sentences to encourage them to listen.

Now that they are older I think this has actually improved, but back then I was all throwing my hands up and feeling discouraged.

That’s my biggest hang-up with public schools and my boys: Large groups.  

Joshua’s second grade classroom had 28 students and 1 teacher.  The 1st grade class had 26 students and 1 teacher.  Has anyone stopped to realize what we’re asking our teachers to do here???

I attempted teaching public school 1 year, 10 years ago, in a low income area of Texas. That was a class of 19 students, in a combined 3rd/4th grade classroom, and it was a HUGE job.  I was fresh out of college and had little experience with children, so it was too much for me.

Think about it.  26 1st graders–in 1 room–with 1 teacher.  Do you really think that teacher has any time whatsoever to give any individualized instruction?  I doubt it.

So I confess, I thought I could do better myself. The boys and I took on home-schooling for  two years.

First, here’s a disclaimer: I was trying to teach 4 boys on 4 different levels all at one time. The youngest was in diapers, the second-youngest was 3, one was struggling with reading, and the oldest was a behavior issue for me, even though he was very well behaved in public school. There are ways to make your experience easier than all of those 4 rings of circus I was trying to manage at once.

It was painful for me. I was mostly stressed and miserable. The boys grew to like it because 1.) no home work 2.) shorter school days and 3.) so many pajama days.

But for me home schooling four boys was more stress than I could handle.

I was not one of those ‘fun’ teacher types, doing cool experiments and building forts and playing games. I was more like, “Hey, look, I don’t care if you think it’s hard. The book says we have to do it, so please just do it now so we can be done with this already.”

Yeah…..teaching was so not my thing. Good things did come out of it, mostly personal growth for myself: I learned that it’s important to accept help from others. I prayed more.

Also, good things came out of it for my boys. They grew even closer together. My oldest was in need of an attitude adjustment before we started home schooling, but over the past two years he matured in character in manifold more ways than I expected, and I am incredibly proud of him.

But I said that I will never home school again. The stress and unhappiness made me physically ill. Literally, I am now on heart medication.

But some people love it, so don’t take that to mean I’m anti-home schooling. You may be an AMAZING teacher-mom. But if you do go for it, I hope you find some things to delegate. You aren’t supposed to have to be everyone and everything to your family. People need other people.

Also, I think it’s important to mention that some of us are a better fit for public schools, private schools, or home schooling than others. One kid may thrive in one environment, while another thrives in the opposite. We all have to choose what works best for our particular situation.

We all did that whole virtual school thing during covid. Home schooling is a little different because you do get to be in charge, and you will not have teachers emailing you to tell you that your kid did not turn in their video of themselves throwing a ball in the backyard. For us, virtual school was the absolute worst.

So let’s get on with the list!

Public School Pros Vs. Cons

Pros:

1. It frees up time for you to spend with your pre-schoolers during the day.
2. It gives you breathing room and less stress in some ways.
3. The kids get to make friends at school.
4. They must learn how to function in a highly ordered environment.
5. Children must learn responsibility of turning in assignments on someone else’s timeline.
6. The kids learn skills of dealing with people of diverse backgrounds.
7. They learn to eat new foods in the lunch room, and you don’t have to even get involved. (And that’s coming from a mom of a severe nut-allergy kid. I make them all buy a lunch.)
8. The burden of your children’s education does not lie squarely on your shoulders alone.

Cons:

1.  having to trust whatever random teacher your kids are placed with
2. not knowing what they are doing all day and whether they are paying attention at all
3. having to re-teach many things they learned at school when they get home…..because they weren’t listening
4. dealing with them occasionally not bringing home their homework assignment or not turning it in
5. your kids being taught things at school that you don’t actually agree with
6. your kids not learning what success feels like because their attention problems are getting in the way
7. no one-on-one instruction
8. They dislike school.
9. summer not beginning until practically July
10. Sometimes I feel like I don’t see them at all between school, homework, and extracurricular activities.
11. lots of negative outside influences on their attitudes
12. learning lots of trash talk from friends  (Think back.  You remember this from your school days, right???)

PRIVATE SCHOOL (Christian school) Pros and Cons:

Pros:

Same as above, but also:

1. They learn Christian principles and morals that I actually DO agree with. (Be sure to thoroughly vet what your school of choice teaches. Know what denomination it is and what that means.)
2. Their environment is like-minded.
3. They learn Bible verses that will help them for the rest of their life.
4. So important: Smaller class sizes!!

Cons:

Same as for public school, but also:

1. It costs a lot of money.
2. They would have to be “car riders.”
3. If it is a prestigious school, there may be homework and stress overload. Be sure to check on that. Thankfully, the one I’m choosing assigns very little homework, or so they tell me. Here’s hoping!
4. Did I mention it’s expensive?

first week of kindergarten at the Christian private school

When we could afford it, I loved the private school option.

The boys were being well educated, I was sane, and they had an amazingly positive atmosphere to learn in. I loved that! The smaller class sizes meant the world to my boys with attention problems. Daniel used to say his favorite subject was “learning about God,” which you just can’t do in a public school.

Budget constraints are a true issue. Here’s an article on money-saving ideas we used to help pay for private school, to include moving to a smaller house.

HOME SCHOOL Pros and Cons:

Pros:

1. Life would run more on your own time table.
2. You can choose a curriculum that fits the needs of each child.
3. 1:4 teacher/student ration allows for more individualized instruction
4. better for their attention problems
5. more time with your children
6. less outside influence on their attitudes and language (if only I can also control MY mouth)
7. You might enjoy planning their lessons.
8. Fun field trips.  Home school day at the aquarium!
9. Home school co-ops often offer 1 or 2 day/ week of all the arts or P.E.
10. Your kids will probably enjoy it.
    

    Cons:

1. You have to learn to be more structured.
2. They may not learn the same coping skills they’d learn at school for dealing with difficult people and focusing in large groups.
3. a LOT of work for Mom
4. no freedom for Mom whatsoever–ever
5. Will you be able to have patience with them?
6. Wearing so many hats is stressful.
7. You may feel isolated from being home teaching everyday. (I felt extremely isolated.)
8. You will either like it, love it, or hate it. If it makes you want to poke out your own eyeballs, just stop.

OK.  Your turn to chime in!  What have you chosen for your children?  What do you love about it?

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.”     Proverbs 12:15

Of course, in the end, we will choose what we think is best for our particular children, based on lots of research, thoughtful consideration, and prayer, and of course, our budget at the time.

I just started a Facebook page for the blog. Please follow me on Facebook to read more articles like this one.

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Here is a tiny peek into my own messy house:

My coffee table is covered in children’s books, a box of Legos, my Bibles, a box of crayons, a sippy cup, and ALL the little Lego men that I swept out from under the couch this morning.

There’s also a few preschool crafts and the remote control to the t.v.

Then there’s the center piece, all buried in there. It’s supposed to be an ornate pedestal bowl of THREE ornamental balls, but of course someone broke one…..when they were using it as a bowling ball, I believe.

Most of my house is as cluttered as that little table. I won’t even bother lying and saying it’s just because we’ve been busy lately.

Busy lately? Ha! It’s been pretty high tempo since about 2011.

We, like most American parents, live a little overwhelmed, stressed, sleepy, tired, and yes, we’re busy lately.

I rushed home from volunteering in the library this morning (BEST job ever– I love it so much I have trouble making myself leave it). As soon as I pulled in the driveway, the LOWE’s people were here with our new dryer.

Only I was being thrifty and purchased a dented dryer, so I have to send it right back because the drum is rubbing the dent in the side, making quite a loud racket. Problem not solved…

I unloaded the dishes and made myself lunch, but I needed some words of comfort.

Words of encouragement go a great distance when life is an uphill climb.

Kindness I read from a blogger a few years ago came back to me as I sat in my favorite chair, staring at that cluttered up coffee table.

She’s a mom of five boys, but she doesn’t blog anymore. Still what she said is with me though, and her words were so wise…

4Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.     

 Proverbs 14:4

Julie (the blogger) said that this verse reminded her of her life. Her house is full of oxen, and so her stable is never clean, but look at all the glorious benefits of having a house full of children, 5 boys in her case.

Yes, people without……oxen……have tidier spaces. People with more OCD may also be better at it.

People with the tidy mangers even occasionally say hurtful things to us.

In the past four years, several folks have (surely unintentionally) hurt my feelings about my house. They didn’t get it.

Normal, right? No, it gets worse than this. I do have enough pride to not show you those pictures

But what is that to us?

Our life is richer thanks to these oxen. There’s not a parent worth having who would not agree that their children are their greatest blessing.

Sometimes I’m actually embarrassed to tell people about all my children because it feels like bragging, which we try not to do!! This glorious blessing is not something any of us take lightly.

Empty stalls are for retirement. No thanks. I’d rather have my coffee table full of toys and my arms full of hugs. An empty nest will be something to embrace later, and I’m sure by then I will be ready for it.

For today, It’s better to have…..

coloring books in my dining room than empty place settings

Clean school shirts to fold on my couch than tidy rooms with no inhabitants

Video games in front of the t.v. than knick-knacks collecting dust

baseball hats on my hall tree than empty hooks serving no purpose

dried toothpaste in the boys’ sink than a guest bathroom that’s rarely used.

We can only clean so many areas at once, ya know? You do your best.

These little souls, made in the image of God, are put in our care for a season. It is our most precious duty. There is none like it, the charge to guard and bring up your children, both flesh and blood and adopted.

And yes, it’s a messy job, but what a privilege!! What a privilege to have a house cluttered with preschool art and marked with chubby handprints. Be still my heart.

Eventually we will all be older and in a newer, cleaner phase of life. We will think we are still so busy because it will be hard to remember all this that we are doing now.

Maybe we’ll even shout to the neighbor kids to keep off the grass. Oh, I hope that’s never me.

But for today, the manger is full, and from the strength of the oxen comes the abundance of the harvest, and I am thankful. I hope you are too.

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This week I happened upon a super cute post by Janine Huldie titled The 8 Best Things About Having All Girls.

I had to read it! I needed a sneak peek into what that world is like because, mamas, the view over here, in my house of many little men, is a whole lot different!

Janine wrote a great article. You should totally go read it.

Naturally, Janine’s list inspired me to type out my own best things about having all boys, a life I never dreamed of having. Never in a million years did I plan to be a mom of all boys. No, I was not a tom boy. No. I never played a sport, unless you count cheerleading or church league volleyball, or gymnastics…….okay so really it would be more accurate to say I was never into sports.

I don’t fish, touch worms, or laugh at bathroom jokes, and I love everything sparkly and glittery. My toy of choice was Barbie dolls, and I’ve never made a mud pie in my life.

I was never a wuss either. I grew up climbing trees and doing bicycle stunts, and by the way, I killed a snake once.

But oh man, this world of testosterone I’m living in now is a unique ADVENTURE. Here are the 15 BEST things I could think of about having all boys. 

#1. Their clothes are cheap, and you don’t have to buy that much.

It’s so easy. For setting my oldest 2 up for spring/summer, I bought them each a new pair of tennis shoes, gym shorts, a pair of camo shorts, sleeveless tees, one nice shirt a piece, and that was it. I was done. The others have handed down clothes.

#2. All boys want to be Batman.

Not even kidding. They have all gone through the Batman phase. They have all worn the costume. It’s universal, and it is the cutest thing ever.

#3. The Hair

Wet it. Comb it. Done. So easy. Very little room for drama.

#4. Going to the Bathroom Alone

Once they are fully toilet trained, and they have a big brother to escort them, you are done.  Will you ever see me in the bathroom with a little person sidekick? Nope. Am I the one who has to take them to wash their hands at restaurants? Nope. All Daddy. And when Daddy isn’t there, I send them in pairs, with my oldest son. I’m a free woman.

#5. Bug Squashers

They squash the bugs for me. Never have I had to hear someone flipping out because they ran across a bug. They live for getting to squash pests. I’ve seen them kill spiders with their bare hands.

#6. They don’t expect me to play with them much.

Does that sound mean? Don’t worry. I promise I do play with them sometimes, a little. I’ll play board games or occasionally jump on the trampoline, and I love to read to them. But no one asks me to spend a bunch of time at a tea-less tea party or dressing a Barbie doll. I’ll even color, but thankfully, no one expects me to play pretend, which is a relief! They know my interests are a little different than theirs, and they play basketball or super heroes without me.

#7. Boys love their mama.

“I’m riding with Mom!”

“No! I want Mommy do it!”

Mom. Mom. Mom. We are still at the golden age where it’s still all about mom.

#8. The hugs!

I’m sure girls are very affectionate too, but I just adore the way little boys are so physical. That means lots of wrestling with their dad, but lots of hugs for mom.

#9. The laid back atmosphere!

When you are dealing with a house full of dudes, the approach to social functions, free time, vacation, etc., etc. is seriously laid back. There’s not a person in the house that cannot get up and ready in just a few minutes, if necessary.

#10.Their toys are simple.

Hot Wheels. Action figures. Trains. Baseball cards. Skylanders. Done. No need for a billion tiny Shopkins pieces. No need for a $200 doll with a $40 dress.

#11. Hand-me-downs

I have 4 boys, but I actually only have to buy a full wardrobe for 1 of them, and then I get quadruple my money’s worth out of each item they don’t destroy.

#12. Body guards

I do feel extra safe already when I go walking with one of my already-over-5 feet tall and 100 pounds pre-teen boys. Just imagine how much more like a body-guard they will be in just a couple more years! We strut across those parking lots like we own the place.

#13. They’ve made me less prim and proper.

Yeah…. I can say “Everybody get their butts in the car” as loudly as I want because frankly, they love the word butt. It makes them soooo happy.

#14. I get to focus all of my fashion efforts on my OWN wardrobe.

Who has the cutest Lula Roe leggings outfits in this house? Yep. It’s me.  Who has pretty colored hair clips? Again, me. Until the boys get married, I get to be the prettiest girl in this house.

Last but not least…

#15. No crafting requirement

I don’t craft, nor do I ever have to craft again. A friend of mine, who is a girl mom, said that the girl moms make bows and do crafts at play dates. I don’t know if that’s true, but I was horrified at the idea of doing anything other than laughing loudly at playdates.

I hope you got a couple of good chuckles out of this list. Being a boy mom is a treasure. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Whatever your situation is, it has to be THE BEST, because we only get one go at life. Might as well enjoy it.

Are you a boy mom or a both mom? Be sure to check out Janine’s list if you’re a girl mom! I enjoyed her insight.

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My boys, stalking sea lions in Monterey, just like their mom.

Today I was walking around my backyard, feeling thankful for the Nerf bullets in the grass and the bare dirt spots on the lawn because they are signs that my babies still live here.

They grow so fast, but for today they are still here with us, and I was feeling ever so thankful. This poem/prayer fairly burst right out of my heart, so I came inside and jotted it down. I hope you like it.

All of my children are boys, and there are 4 of them, so this is a little unique to that. However, a lot of it I know you may be able to relate to.

Dear God,

Thank you for these boys.

Thank you for Nerf bullets in the grass,

for a living room floor littered with their toys.

Thank you for their sass.

For tiny Lego men in the laundry basket and the noise,

Thank you for the noise.

Thank you for popcorn kernels in the couch,

for little plastic Batman in my bathtub,

and even the moments I beg them not to slouch.

Thank you for the way he runs when I approach with the washcloth to scrub

All that sunbutter off his adorable cheekies and his mouth.

Thank you for their fighting,

and their running, and their bouncing,

Their snacking, video-game playing, yes, even their messy hand-writing.

Thank you for the sounds of laughing, crying, and being rowdy.

Thank you for their tuition bill,

their baseball and basketball games,

The way they hug me, even when they smell.

And of course sometimes call each other names.

Thank you for the way they look after each other.

Thank you for all the dirt and clutter

and all the lessons to teach and walls to scrub clear.

Because what it means is that for now we are all here together.

And love is filling the house, and we are growing good men here.

Thank you for making me their mother.

~April Alan

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Y’all know it was a rough year for me, physically. Thankfully, everything turned out to be mostly okay. I just have a few chronic conditions to manage, but it’s all under control now, and I have a good outlook.

A brilliant thought came to me the other week, as I was putting on my rain boots, Alan’s rain jacket, and heading out to shut the trashcan lid and bring it in from the pouring rain.

“What am I doing??? Why am I trying to do so much???”

“People used to have lots of children, especially wanting BOYS, ON PURPOSE so that they could have lots of workers for their farm! Here I have all these workers, and yet I’m putting on rain boots to go out in THAT??”

I turned to Caleb, who was playing Monopoly with Daniel, “Caleb, why don’t you put on my rain boots and go bring the trash cans in for me? The lid is open, and remember, Dad wanted y’all to take care of that.”

Caleb grinned—I’m not making this up. I was so relieved!– “Okay, Mom! Let me finish this turn with Daniel. Then I’ll head right out there.”

And he did! I was so excited. I stood at the garage door and filmed him going out in that rain, closing up the can, and rolling them back to the house.

Hmmmm….I could get used to this!

I’ve been looking for more ways to harness their power lately. Did you know that both my 2 oldest are 11 and 9 respectively, and they can both beat me at arm wrestling? I challenged them recently after Caleb proclaimed himself the 3rd strongest person in our family.

What!? I may not be much, but I’m stronger than a 3rd grader!

“Well, Caleb, if you are #3, who is #1 and 2??”

“Dad is the strongest. Then Joshua. Then me. Then you…”

“Oh, really, well, I think we should arm wrestle because I am stronger than you think!”

Yeah….no, I’m not actually, as it turned out.

Joshua can even do pull-ups now. We have a pull-up bar, and he practices incessantly. We had to move it out of Alan’s closet just to get Joshua out of our room.

And guess what Alan did the other week? He couldn’t take my messy, disorganized closet anymore, so he cleaned it up for me:

working hard

And the After:

After. That stack of clothes in the floor are the ones that are only 1 size too small. I’m holding out hope. Roll your eyes, but I seem to go up and down a size every season. Plus my hip swells and un-swells with the pain, so this isn’t unrealistic.

And of course, what would I have done this fall without Nonna and Nana helping when Alan was out of town? I am so over “toughing it out.” Stress makes people sick. Get help when you need it is my new motto!

Nana and Daniel

I also never have to carry my own groceries in anymore. We’ve been training them for years. Now I don’t even have to say anything. I just get home and pop the trunk. Sadly, I’m on my own when I shop during school hours.

Even Dan does his part.

Thank you all for being a part of our village. I hope you will get help when you need it too! That’s what we are all here for, to help each other out.

28 “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.”

Ephesians 4:28

10″ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”   Hebrews 6:10

Merry Christmas! Have you signed up for our newsletter yet? It goes out every 2 weeks and has stories that are not on the blog. This week’s is an inspiring story about this Christmas tree:

The post “Get help when you need it” is my new motto. appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

I made them listen to the whole thing anyway. I’m not always as sweet as I look…
I have been pleasantly surprised to discover that the boys are actually enjoying Little House on the Prairie. I was tired today, so I decided it was time for a school movie.
Netflix! I typed in “Little House.” Sad to say, Netflix does not have it. Thankfully, YouTube does, and the pilot was almost exactly like the first three chapters of Little House on the Prairie! The boys LOVED IT. I’m excited to share this series with them.

Meanwhile, Netflix gave me suggestions for shows “like Little House”. Leave it to Beaver. Joshua and I have been laughing hysterically. We’re watching episode 1, and Beaver’s antics are CRACKING us up!! I had no idea that Beaver is so funny. I guess it’s because I’m a boy mom, but this show looked like real life to me. If you’ve never seen it, it’s free on Netflix.

We have had a great week with Alan’s parents visiting. We are always needing to call in reinforcements. I don’t know what it says about us that we LOVE getting help, but there you have it.

Yesterday, I thought it would be nice for the boys to do a small living room presentation for the grands, on a few things they learned this year.

Sounds innocent enough, until you remember that we’re talking four different age groups forced into one room, competing for attention. Caleb kept leaning on or bumping into Joshua, just for fun. Joshua kept inserting “fart” into the timeline song, and John David either pestered the performers or sat in my lap and cried at the top of his lungs.

There was disciplinary action taken in the middle of the show, and when it was all said and done, I feel like this embarrassing show summed up my first year of home schooling.

The boys were, amazingly enough, still able to show off that they had learned an incredible amount this year. I just can’t decide if the price of sanity was worth it or not. Jury is still out.

On days like this, where I feel like all I do is discipline my children, and I wonder if I am a complete and utter failure as a parent. I wonder why God trusted me with four little boys. I spent more time this year focusing on their behavior than I would have ever dreamed.

Occasionally, there are voices of reason.

Today, Caleb was sulking over the fact that I wouldn’t buy him the $20 Spongebob movie. When his buddy Weston came over after school, Caleb shared his woes with his friend. Weston said, “Well, of course she’s not going to pay the money.”

Caleb calmly said, “Yeah, of course. Let me put on my shoes.”

Have I mentioned how thankful I am for Caleb’s friend Weston?

It’s important that our resident Beaver have friends that are positive influences. 😉

Each of my boys has such a different personality. I have my highly moral leader, my sweet but mischievous and adventure-seeking classic American boy, my type A personality, chef, and baseball player, and my very set in his ways, introverted, not so mischievous (so far) toddler.

I wish yall could see Daniel at tee-ball practice. It is pure entertainment. He is SO into it. He has that glove READY. He is insistent in begging for his turn at bat. If they are taking turns at fielding, then he is insistent on securing his turn at fielding. He practices at home. He runs after the ball with gusto. He fights off other kids trying to get the ball, kids on his own team. Baseball is his GAME, and he is so happy to be a part of it.

all about tee-ball!

He wore his whole uniform to practice this week. It’s not required, but it makes him happy. In fact, he’s wearing it again today. He’s in there napping in it right now.

serious business

fielding

He may be the shortest player on the field, but he has the heart. 🙂

These pictures brighten my day, when I’m feeling beaten down from my own parenting failures! I will never be the perfect mom that I want to be, but I can get back up and put forth my best effort.

“Correct thy son and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.”  Proverbs 29:17

“As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”  James 5:11

“When Jack Burns needed to hold his mother’s hand, his fingers could see in the dark.”
― John Irving, Until I Find You

Boys are God’s way of telling you that your house is too neat!
— Author Unknown

But this one’s my favorite and it sums up my LIFE;

My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.
— Mark Twain

Actually, that Mark Twain quote made me cry! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these children. I’m a terribly impatient teacher, but I still think I’m a good mother. I DO enjoy and empathize with them. Sometimes at night, when they are in bed, and they are hungry because they did not eat enough of their supper, they call out, “Mom, I’m hungry!” And I can’t. I just can’t. I sneak them up a piece of cheese or a banana, something with no crumbs, of course. It makes them so happy. I just try to make sure that no one knows, but now there, I’ve said it.

Alan won’t mind. I’ve seen him feeding them at night in the kitchen too. Of course, I look at him and shake my head and say, “Tisk. Tisk. Softie.” But really I’m glad.

We are who we are, and raising children is HARD, but it’s great fun too.

Point Lobos: a boy’s dream

The post “Of all animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.” Plato appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

This is a sideways panoramic photo of The “Candelabra Tree” at Henry Cowell State Redwoods Park. (No, this is not in my neighborhood. We did visit it this week, though!)

A couple of months ago, a new neighbor moved in. They have a boy Caleb’s age, and a girl in kindergarten. We’ll call this little boy New Friend and his sister New Friendette. Creative, I know.

New Friend and Friendette have a glorious treasure of elementary school childhood right in their backyard. A thicket. Actually, it’s a large thicket that runs down our street a piece, so we call it “the woods.” Joshua, Caleb, and their new friends have spent hours over the last few weeks playing in the woods. Their joy has just been overflowing.

My joy level was pretty high the other day, too. I stepped out on my balcony, and I could have sworn that I saw someone move in the woods. I stood very still for a long time, just thinking and praying. I love looking that way, because beyond the woods, the elevation slopes down, so there’s a small glimpse of ocean.

As I stood there, perfectly still, a “lots of points” buck rose up out of the bushes in the woods. Then his whole herd rose up around him, and I just stood there in awe. I HAD seen something move!!  It was the deer, ducking out of sight, at my sudden entrance onto their scene. They just stood there, munching on leaves, or whatever they eat, probably poison oak or something.

I can’t tell you how that uplifted my spirits that day!

And then Wednesday came. On Wednesday, Joshua and Caleb stayed in those woods, building, imagining, and socializing for two hours, which I hope they will look back on fondly some day.

On Thursday morning, Joshua woke up with a red rash on his face and itchy arms. Thankfully, he was not having breathing difficulty at all, so we didn’t have to rush off to the Emergency Room. We weren’t sure if he had poison oak or a mild reaction to nut exposure Wednesday night. We fed him lots of Benadryl, and we kept a close eye on him.

Friday morning he woke up broken out on both sides of his face. 🙁 I started researching poison oak a whole lot more.

Did you know it takes 3 weeks to get over poison oak exposure?

Did you know that it may not show up until up to 72 hours after your exposure?

Did you know that you don’t need to seek medical help unless the poison oak is in your eyes, private areas, or covers more than 1/3 of your body?

I found a bottle of Prednisone with about 3 teaspoons in it, left over from his great cashew reaction of 2014. I gave him a dose of that on Friday.  That took care of the left side of his face pretty quickly.

Unfortunately, by Saturday, Joshua had poison oak on the corner of his eye, all over his right cheek, forehead, and chin, and little red dots popping up all over his body. Off to the ER he went. He now has a good, two weeks’ supply of Prednisone. He still looks pretty rough.

I feel sooooo badly for him. He’s handled it really well, though.

Did you know that unless the oil from the actual plant is still on your skin, a person with poison oak is not contagious? I did my research on this.  However, the sight of Joshua would probably scare most folks, so he will be staying home with Nonna tomorrow.

By the way, we have had some great field trips/adventures this week to the Redwood Forrest and the Monterey Aquarium. That aquarium has found a new fan in me! Alan and DaddyO got to go kayaking too!!  I can’t wait to get all the photos uploaded to share on my next post!

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