I have asked this question often and contemplated many similar
ones like: What are the benefits of homeschooling? What are the
drawbacks? What if I am not able to teach my children everything they are
supposed to learn? What if I don't have the time or the
patience? What about socialization? What if my kids turn out weird?
What if my family and friends think we are weird?
Before I begin to
answer these questions, I just want to say that the purpose of this post is to
share my personal experience as a homeschooling parent for others who are curious, considering
homeschooling, or are in need of some encouragement in their homeschooling
journey. Homeschooling is not for everyone and all parents have the freedom to decide how to educate their children.
So, why did we
decide to homeschool our children?
Well, first, I
must confess that we had some "trial runs" before I fully committed
to and embraced our decision to homeschool our children. I lacked faith
in myself to accomplish the task at hand. My heart longed to be with my
children and be their primary educator, but I did not have the confidence,
support, or patience I needed to stick with it. After the first year of
homeschooling my oldest daughter through Kindergarten, I gave up. I also
had a one year old and a newborn baby that year so needless to say, I was a bit
overwhelmed and something had to give. It did not take long, however, to
return to homeschooling. My oldest was home for the second grade and we
had a much better experience the second time around, but I applied to this
great charter school in our town just
in case I felt like I
couldn't hack it at home again and then my daughter actually got into the very
hard to get into great charter school and since she got in, her siblings would
automatically get in...and guess what happened? I gave up on
homeschooling...again.
Now, I have to
press the pause button for a moment on this homeschooling history lesson to
share that I am a believer in God and a follower of Christ. I believe
that God is in control of everything and although I went back and forth on our
decision to homeschool and I gave up a couple of times, God did not give up on
me. He gently led me and called me back to what was the right decision
for our family.
In 2015, I finally
accepted the calling to homeschool. My oldest daughter was entering
middle school, my middle daughter was entering second grade, and my youngest
daughter was entering Kindergarten. I realized that my previous mistake
was that I was relying on myself for confidence, patience, and perseverance
instead of God. I had forgotten that I could do all things through Christ who
gives me strength and that he would equip me with all of the things I needed to
teach and train up my children; to raise my arrows for Christ!
So, why did we
decide to homeschool our children?
1. We prayed
(a lot) and learned from God's Word that as followers of Christ, we are to keep
God's commandments and impress them upon our children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7),
train our children up and start them off in the way they should go (Proverbs
22:6), go and make disciples teaching them to obey everything the Lord has
commanded (Matthew 28:19-20), and recognize that our children are a heritage
from the Lord and a gift from him; like arrows in the hand of a warrior (Psalm
127:3-5).
Children are a
blessing and they grow up so fast! As parents, we want to spend as much
time with our girls as possible to teach, train, and disciple them to know
God's Word and his character.
2. We want
our children to have a Christian education so they will have the opportunity to
observe and interpret all things through a biblical lens. The Bible is
our main "textbook" for learning in our homeschool since it contains
all of our instructions for life.
3. We want
to be the primary influence in our children's lives. Children will
develop attitudes and a belief system based on their primary influences which
may be peers, social media, television, environment, teachers, and the list
goes on. As parents, we desire to be the primary influence for our kids
so we can point them toward Christ-likeness and encourage them toward a
Christian worldview.
4. Finally,
we wanted to simplify our schedule. We were plagued with busyness and it
pulled our family in too many different directions. Homeschooling brings
our family together.
But, what about
socialization?
This seems to be
the number one concern and question that comes up regarding homeschooling, but
it is the easiest one for me to answer. We engage in real life
socialization every day. My children interact with each other and learn
how to navigate family relationships. We go to the grocery store, the gas
station, the post office, the library, restaurants, parks, etc., and the girls
learn how to speak to adults and have appropriate conversations and behavior in
a variety of different places. We also meet up with other homeschooling
families, attend church, and have neighborhood friends. Homeschooling does not
eliminate socialization, but provides different avenues for exploring these
skills.
And, what if my
family and friends think that we are weird?
Well, this one
used to be really tough for me because I am a people pleaser, but I have
learned that it is more important to follow the Lord, rather than the crowd.
Not everyone will agree with our decisions and that is okay! I have
found that it helps me to have support and encouragement from other
homeschooling parents. Besides, if we are considered weird for
homeschooling, then maybe we are and maybe that is not such a bad thing!
If any of this
strikes a chord with you, I welcome any comments or questions and it may be
that homeschooling is the right choice for your family too!
