To homeschool or not to homeschool, that is the question

So, Charlie came home after school on Monday and dropped a bombshell in the midst of my only recently well-ordered life,

Charlie:  "Mom, I've been thinking about this for a while and I've made up  my mind."

Me:  "What are you talking about, Charlie?  Made up your mind about what?"

Charlie:  "I'm SURE I want to homeschool next year."

Silence.

More silence.

Awkward silence.

Charlie:  "Mom?"

Me:  "Ummmm..."

Charlie:  "Mom?"

A little more silence.

Me:  "Where is this coming from?  You've been so happy in school!  What's going on?"

So then for the next 45 minutes I listen to him pour his heart out about what's going on at school.  What's REALLY going on at school.

Man, being a kid is tough.

At the end of the conversation, I took him in my arms (not so easy to do these days) and told him I loved him and asked him to be patient because I simply couldn't give him an immediate answer to this.  He was frustrated.  In his mind, it's simple.  In mine, not so much.

I've been homeschooling at least one kid for all but one of the last nine years.  Morgan's become a very independent learner and will be going off to the big high school next year.  Jackson will be in sixth grade next year and we have planned to bring him home for middle school.  I thought for sure Charlie would want to stay in school and take part in all that the system has to offer.  I've kind of reveled in that thought because it meant my day-to-day life would be that much easier.

He is officially ROCKING THE BOAT.

Pray for me, people.