As a new mother living in Germany, I was fortunate to be able to have a nanny to care for my daughter while I was at work. Between my efforts at night and the nanny during the day, I saw the benefit this one-on-one attention had for my daughter.

When I returned to the States, I wanted to ensure that my daughter continued to grow and flourish and I was committed to doing whatever I could to meet that goal. We were fortunate to be able to live on one income which allowed me to focus on our daughter’s care and education.

I knew I wanted to take an active role in her development and my research lead me to homeschooling. At the time I was unsure and unaware of how homeschooling worked but I was very aware of the associated stigma. I quickly learned of all the benefits and that the issues were mitigated with additional effort.

This journey led us to a place where my daughter finished high school at 14 and enrolled in state-funded community college at 15.

She is not only intelligent but also outgoing, charismatic, and sociable – what more could you ask from a teenager!