Dolores never imagined she would have to take custody of her 1-month-old grandson, Rodrigo. After receiving guidance from the legal team at HSLDA, she is now homeschooling him to provide him peace of mind and an education that satisfies his learning needs.

Their story is marked by deep sorrow, but they have found hope since they began their homeschooling journey in 2023. Dolores describes it as a miracle—"a gift from God." (Names have been changed to protect the family’s privacy.)

A difficult beginning

Rodrigo was born in 2013 into a chaotic and unstable environment in Los Angeles. His parents—Dolores’s daughter and her partner—struggled with drug addiction and were living in an abandoned house when he was born.

“My daughter would call me saying the baby was crying a lot,” Dolores said. “I thought he was going to die.” Desperate and filled with heartbreak, she knew she had no choice but to report the situation to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

A short time later, Rodrigo’s parents were found unfit to take care of the baby, and a DCFS court granted Dolores custody. “He was a month old when they handed him to me, covered in bruises,” she said.

Although Rodrigo was now in a safer home, life remained turbulent. Coping with her daughter’s ongoing destructive behavior caused Dolores tremendous grief and anxiety. Meanwhile, Rodrigo was undergoing high stress because of interactions with his parents during their scheduled visits.

Struggles in school

Dolores enrolled Rodrigo in a therapeutic PreK program, but his behavior led to frequent complaints from teachers. At the same time, Dolores suffered from a spinal hernia, making it difficult to walk and take him to school.

“He was not doing well emotionally because of his struggles at school,” Dolores said. “I was also physically exhausted and feeling very sad and anxious.”

She sought help from a legal nonprofit advocating for children’s rights. There, a professional diagnosed Rodrigo with ADHD and post-traumatic stress disorder. This explained much of Rodrigo’s behavior at school. But Dolores still did not know how to solve the problem, and the school did not seem keen on helping her. He was performing well below grade level.

Concerns about school safety made things worse and Dolores worried the school’s policies contradicted her family’s values.

A turning point: Discovering homeschooling

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Rodrigo into online learning in 2020. While learning from home helped Rodrigo’s mental well-being, school officials pressured them to keep up with the school’s curriculum. Around the same time, Dolores’s daughter died of an overdose.

“The stress was making me physically sick,” Dolores said.

When schools reopened, she was determined not to send Rodrigo back. “I loved the idea of homeschooling, but I was afraid I would go to prison if I tried it,” she said.

As she searched for alternatives online, she came across HSLDA and called to ask for information. She became a member and, within three days, had legally withdrawn Rodrigo from school.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I had been so depressed and anxious, but suddenly I felt like I was living a dream.”

Healing at home

Dolores now sees a remarkable transformation in Rodrigo. “He is not as anxious or restless anymore,” she said. Her health has also improved.

Without the pressure of traditional schooling, Rodrigo now learns at his own pace, and he feels more confident than ever. He is making a lot of progress and is well on his way to catching up with other students his age.

Dolores teaches him math, social sciences, physical education, English, and religion, and he has developed a love for geography and history. They have even started learning Hebrew together.

To support his learning, Dolores uses a color-coded system to organize subjects. For his hyperactivity, she prioritizes physical education—especially soccer, his favorite sport.

And she’s able to use his love of sports to teach him some of these subjects in a fun way. “During the last FIFA World Cup, I taught him about different countries and flags by asking which countries the players were from,” she said.

Dolores is grateful for the opportunity to homeschool because it has provided them with time and space to recover from profound pain. “We are still healing, but our relationship has grown stronger.”

If you know someone who is reluctantly  considering homeschooling, send them our way!