You guys are great - I have been wrestling with the homeschool thing for awhile. First with my stepson, but I had no support. My family and friends are very pro public school, my husband could not be bothered, and his exwife was horrid. The child had emotional and behavioral problems, but he wasn't the worst kid in school, so the school system let it go, and the family would not acknowledge. Now I am a single parent to a child with several challenges. He has health issues that would mean lots of absences for illnesses. He redefines "spirited". I know he has sid, and the pediatrician is talking asperger or pdd. He has severe seperation anxiety and an attachment disfunction. Currently I am struggling through each day with him and I cannot determine if the problem is emotional, physical, behavioral, or neuroligical. The bottom line is my son is unhappy, very unhappy. He just started back on prevacid for his reflux (crazy dr would not refill script to see how he would manage off it, and hey we had 4 weeks before he started crying everyday in pain, spewing everytime he tries to eat, and having wet burping hiccups... oh yeah and the waking up spewing, so the pulminoligist hooked us up w/ prevacid). But he is still having reactive airway problems (we even added oral predisone and daily albuterol to all the allergy/asthma meds). Then we have the biological factor of antisocial disorder, bipolar, (both diagnosed) and several other undiagnosed issues from dad, who also disappeared with the cosleeping, breastfeeding child when he was 22 months old for 13 days - and the beginning of the seperation/attachment issues. Then dad ran off with girlfriends (yes, plural) until live in went back to her husband, and now he has come back for visitation. Now I have to take a screaming child against his will for visitation to be ignored by his father, which makes him very angry at me coupled with being terrified that his father will take him again (he remembers the abuse in the marriage and the seperation). I think he is depressed now. His attachment counselor says that he is "neurilogically special". He has a language problem and is in speech therapy, and has borderline cognitive issues. He is very aggressive and has boundary issues. Finally, we live in my parents attic, due to safety and divorce issues. Anyway to the point - I tried preschool since he had friends going and it was a major bust (he got really sick, the seperation issues went to a whole new level (which I didn't know was possible), he became very physically abusive to me for leaving him, and his anxiety went through the roof.) My friends are pushing me to send him anyway, that he will just get over it, but they also "ferberized" their kids. I want to be there for him and support him. I have anxiety issues, ptsd, and I am going through a nasty divorce. I find myself struggling to find a rhythum, routine, or some sort of structure. I love the idea of unschooling, but I am afraid that we might both get lost, if you know what I mean? I am trying "Before Five in a Row" now, since he loves reading and I thought it would be helpful to have things laid out some. I have noticed that I am finding more "teachable moments", but it is definately a work in progress. I am reading up on the feingold program mentioned in another thread. I am also looking into montessori programs for myself (to become a teacher) and for him. I have been to a lot of websites and am trying to connect with the local homeschool group. I really appreciate all the suggustions (ordered the catalogs and reserved the books at the library) and the connection/support that I am not alone in my struggle/quest. Sorry to be so long winded - it's just this thread was so relevant in my life at this time. Thanks again.