I finished home ed today....

[musicposy]

...eight years after I took my younger daughter out of school at the start of Year 4, she has just taken her final GCSE. Mumsnet was instrumental in my decision to take her out of school - encouraging me, supporting me. Without this board I would have been lost, so this is a kind of thank you. :-)

It feels very strange - home ed has been a part of my life for so long now and it really does become a part of your psyche, a way of living and thinking.
I'm sure I will still identify as a home educator - and my elder daughter, who finished home ed 3 years ago still identifies very much as home educated - in a good way!

In September DD2 has a place at a local school sixth form (entirely her choice) to do A levels. She's an August birthday and was a poor fit for infant school and way too young for her year group. She always said she would never go back into school, and suddenly she is. Home education has turned her into a confident, sociable, mature and savvy young woman and I look back and cannot imagine what we actually did in those 8 years to get to this point!

Enjoy every moment you have as a home educator because, honestly, the time flies. I think you just enjoy so much with them, the passing years go unnoticed somehow.

Now I just need to work out what I'm going to do with all that free time!

What a lovely post; congratulations on everything you have achieved. How wonderful that your daughters have grown up so confident and independent, and that you have shared so much with them over the years.

Congratulations!!! You must be very proud of both of them.

I hope your daughter has a great time next year. Come back and let us know how she's getting on.

Wow, congratulations. You should be very proud of your daughters - and yourself!

Awesome! Well done you we are only just beginning our journey but hope we can make a success of it too

So nice to hear your story, thank you for sharing it!!!

We're just at the beginning so it's nice to know it has worked out so well for you. I am finding the information on here very helpful too.

Congratulations and thanks so much for all your helpful posts over the years, it's been lovely reading about your daughters. It must be weird stopping home edding, but hope you won't abandon the board - which really benefits from all your valuable experience. Good luck in whatever you decide to do with your extra time and to your daughter.

Congratulations musicposy, and well done on helping your girls to achieve what they have.

I am in a similar position. Ds has taken his last exams this summer too, and is moving on to college in September. Actually he's moving on to two colleges and a work placement (we've worked out a very complicated package!) but it's just ...odd to be Not Home Educating Any More . It's been seven years for us, so almost as long as you, and I'm sad that it's over.

I'm making plans for September too - new opportunities for both of us . Good luck!

Congratulations musicposy and streakybacon. And well done to your children!

We're just two years into our journey, and it's always inspiring to hear of others who've done what both of you have.

Congratulations to you both and well done your dc.
It will be strange for a while I'm sure.

We too are completing last bits of KS2 in a fashion as dd is starting school in September.
I'll still lurk and join in the odd argument about how H.ed parents aren't ruining their dc life

I found Mnet researching H.ed and have been here ever since.
It too was instrumental in our decision.
Thanks to all those who have offered support, guidance and encouragement along the way.

Good luck to all your dc

It's' he end of an era for quite a few of us morethan. Onward to next steps!

I hope those of you finishing will stick around? I'm relatively new to it just finishing Reception year though we made the decision to HE when DS was six weeks old and I know I find it so comforting knowing I'm not alone.

I expect so. It's a hard habit to break . Good luck with your HE Scout - years of fun ahead for you .