To school or not to school

Today, I enrolled my 7 year old into 1st grade at the local, public elementary school. Done with somewhat of a heavy heart...

Last year, my husband homeschooled Tristan and taught him to read. I, being the sole breadwinner of the family, focused on getting him out to see friends on the weekends. I understand the argument of not putting my children in public school, but at the same time, when there is very little time to dedicate to homeschooling, I don't feel I have many choices. My husband is in the process of getting a distillery business going -- i.e. he's not making money yet, but spends a lot of time on it. Meanwhile, I'm still paying all the bills.

I guess what it comes down to is that we have different visions of what homeschooling looks like. I want more structure and more, regular social interaction, like meeting with a group once or twice a week. That never happened last year, until I stepped in during the Spring and insisted that we enroll him in a local (albeit Christian) Montessori school. (My husband is anti-Christian, so that was a mighty feat unto itself.) During the previous 7 months, there was not much in the way of social interaction, which my husband argues is not necessary, that it's a myth that children need socialization. But what if our child is SUPER social, and he is, and he LOVES being around kids? What then? And, when his father has a very strong personality and can be overbearing at times, what then? I've flat out told my husband I don't want Tristan with him 100% of the time, that I want to be involved more than I can be, so there's a balance. And, I know I would be more proactive about getting together with other homeschoolers and initiating field trips, etc. But I don't have that time right now, with having to make all the money. Somehow, my husband doesn't see this part of it, and we end up being on two separate pages of the same book.

Maybe I'm not being creative enough about this... But for the time being, I just don't see public school as the most heinous thing I can do to my child. Not to mention that Tristan is SUPER excited about "going to school". My thought is to at least try it and see how he does with it. Education is an organic process, anyway, and my aim is to flow with what my son's needs are. If that means pulling him out 2 months from now or whenever and homeschool, or go to a private school (when we can afford it), then that's what I'll do.

If any of you have any stories or thoughts to share, please indulge me! I would like to get more insights about this.

With Blessings,
Jenna