We all get the question, year after year, "Why do you homeschool?" It can come from well-meaning family members or from people who simply don't know any better. Sometimes we feel that we can't keep up and we should send our children to school. That is when it is best to remember why we homeschool.

We asked our readers to tell us why they made the choice to homeschool and used their responses to develop our own list of the "Top 10 Reasons We Homeschool." Some are funny, some are poignant, yet all are true.

10. Childhood is short, and it happens only once. Be present for your children as much as you're able.

9. I love it, even when I am covered in baby goo, the toddler is crying, the older children are frustrated over a new concept, the phone keeps ringing, and someone comes to my door with me still in my pajamas. I love seeing the light on their faces over something new they finally "get," and I love knowing exactly where they are at and what they are learning.

8. If you send your children to school, you will be forfeiting the best hours of the day. The only time you will have to cultivate your relationship with them will be in the evening, when all of you are tired and they are stressed out over homework.

7. We enjoy having a good laugh together as we linger over another chapter of a great book.

6. A proactive lifestyle for my children. My children learn that education is not something they wait for someone else to impose upon them or deliver to them.

5. I love knowing they are not left to fall between the cracks.

4. We are light to this dark world, and giving them a Biblical worldview is essential.

3. Attending school would drastically reduce the time your children would have available for pursuing their passions, ministering in the community, and being with you.

2. Seeing your homeschooled daughter homeschooling her children makes it worth everything!

And the number 1 reason we homeschool, mentioned time and time again by our readers, is: