The advantages of living in suburbia

We really prefer living out in the country, the further out the better. We like the rural lifestyle and not having to worry about the kids as much, having chickens and goats, the peace and quiet. But there are some pretty great advantages to living in the suburbs as well, and not just because I live 2 minutes from work and have four grocery stores, a Target, a Petsmart, a Kohls and innumerable other stores minutes away. One of the perks we are really excited about is the Lansing area homeschool support group, CHESS (Christian Home Educators' Support System). There are support groups in most places but this is one of the most organized we have seen. From the “About Us” section:

Christian Home Educators' Support System (CHESS) was founded in the fall of 1993 as a co-operative effort on the part of a few Lansing-area home educating families who realized that by working together and sharing the load, we could all benefit tremendously! We are currently serving over 200 families from St. Johns to Jackson, Portland to Perry, Charlotte to Howell, and everywhere in between. Once your family has become a part of CHESS, you have an immediate "connection" with other like-minded, uniquely-gifted homeschooling families in mid-Michigan.

I like that the group is intentionally and specifically a Christian homeschool group, with a basic statement of faith and ministry partnerships in the area.

I sent in my membership info this morning and the kids and I are excited about the opportunities for cooperation, fellowship, extracurricular activities including sports and fun that this groups facilitates. This is an area where I can take some of the leadership in our homeschooling, since my wife does the bulk of the daily schooling each day.

I really like that after a year in the group, every family is expected to serve in some capacity because there is a tendency in any organization, I would say especially Christian groups, for a small core of people to shoulder all of the burden. By requiring everyone to be involved in some capacity you avoid people being takers and not givers, plus you avoid people monopolizing control. So kudos for that organizational requirement! I will post updates of events and how they go as they come up.