HA note: The following contributor has asked to remain anonymous.
I’ve thought about writing ever since I stumbled upon this site.
I am going to be short, although I could share my thoughts and reflections for hours. I am a college educated capable mom of 58 who has seen my life, and the life of my children, turned upside down as a result of, at least in part, our years in ATI. My husband and I stumbled upon the pilot project of ATIA (as it was known in the early years) during our attendance at an Advanced IBLP Seminar. At the time, we were both somewhat disillusioned with the church world and the way that there seemed to be no real commitment to “walking the talk” among Christians.
Looking back, I can see where we were unconsciously looking for a “formula” that would help us be successful with our precious 2 kids.
Fast forward 20 some odd years… just within the last 5 years have we become aware of how we caused much harm in the lives of our oldest 2 children, especially. They were given a view of God that was so legalistic and formulaic that the whole concept of a God who loves and forgives became problematic for them. We are still working through the damage caused by those many years in ATI. I cannot speak for other families.
But I know that I, at least, have come to really grieve over what happened to our family as a result of our years in ATI.
Lovingly,
“A Regretful But Healing Mom”
Homeschoolers Anonymous 
Regretful Mom, may your path of healing be blessed with grace and peace. Thank you for sharing here. I also felt the appeal of Bill Gothard, but my husband wisely steered us away from any involvement.
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P. S. for homeschool parents: Karen Campbell has a great web site focusing on what is wrong with homeschool culture and, positively, on building relationships within our families. Here’s a quote from a new book she is soon to publish: ‘I realize how often I have been loath to extend grace to my children and have allowed my own tastes and opinions to be presented to them as a holy standard, when the truth is that God’s Word is the standard we ought to be pointing toward. How often I have even been tempted to put my own spin on Scripture in order to “prove” that my preference is the “right” one. And I have remembered the times when my first thought was “what would other people think about me, especially as a homeschooling mom, if my kid does x, y, or z.” It has caused me to repent of my own sin of loving myself more than I have loved God or my children.’ ~ from The Joy of Relationship Homeschooling, 2014 http://www.thatmom.com/
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It means a lot to me that you, a parent, wrote this. Thank you so much.
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