Do homeschooling parents ever admit that life is anything but one blissful moment after another with their children? If they're honest, they will. As much as we would like to proclaim homeschooling's benefits and see our children's lives through "rose-colored glasses," we must also attest to our children's sinful behavior that causes disruption in the home and unproductive homeschooling days. Children easily demonstrate sinful actions of selfishness, greed, jealousy, and other undesirable characteristics that require daily correction and training in righteousness. Like management in the workplace, wise homeschooling parents must allow for down times in academic productivity to address the more important issue of character building in their child....
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Daily Focus - June 2009
"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever" (Psalm 118:1).
Standing in the basement doing laundry, I wondered, "How much of your life do you sacrifice before there's nothing more to give?" I was missing a beautiful summer day outside and feeling frustrated that there was so little time for the things I enjoyed. I dreamed of relaxing in the sun with an ice cold glass of lemonade and a good book or riding my horse into the open pastures near our ranch. Homeschooling seemed to be consuming my entire life, and each day I felt a little more drained. If I wasn't teaching my children, I was cleaning their messes. Would there ever be time again for me?...
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Standing in the basement doing laundry, I wondered, "How much of your life do you sacrifice before there's nothing more to give?" I was missing a beautiful summer day outside and feeling frustrated that there was so little time for the things I enjoyed. I dreamed of relaxing in the sun with an ice cold glass of lemonade and a good book or riding my horse into the open pastures near our ranch. Homeschooling seemed to be consuming my entire life, and each day I felt a little more drained. If I wasn't teaching my children, I was cleaning their messes. Would there ever be time again for me?...
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"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands" (1 Peter 3:1a).
Our homeschooling day had been long and filled with interruptions. My toddlers had been cranky, and phone calls about organizing activities at church had put us behind schedule in our schoolwork. Herding my children from one subject to the next as quickly as possible, I felt like a trail boss blazing through our schoolwork. However, as the sun began to set, I realized we weren't going to finish our lessons for the day. Finding the best stopping point in our studies, I told my children to quickly put away their workbooks. My husband would soon be home from work, and it was time to pull out the "chuck wagon" to feed all my hungry hands....
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Our homeschooling day had been long and filled with interruptions. My toddlers had been cranky, and phone calls about organizing activities at church had put us behind schedule in our schoolwork. Herding my children from one subject to the next as quickly as possible, I felt like a trail boss blazing through our schoolwork. However, as the sun began to set, I realized we weren't going to finish our lessons for the day. Finding the best stopping point in our studies, I told my children to quickly put away their workbooks. My husband would soon be home from work, and it was time to pull out the "chuck wagon" to feed all my hungry hands....
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"For when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10b).
God allowed me the privilege of teaching my children many things in 25 years of homeschooling. However, during those same years, my children also taught me several important lessons. First, I learned to savor the joy of life's moments. Reading a story or having time to talk was far more important than keeping the house perfectly organized and clean. Second, I learned to experience the wonder of God's creation through a child's excited eyes. Everything is fresh and new to a little one, and God desires me to experience each new day in the same way. Perhaps the most important lesson my children taught me was to have an unquestioning faith in God. Even when homeschooling cut the family budget in half, my children's faith challenged me to trust God for every need. Undoubtedly, I was the one who received the better education in our family's homeschool....
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God allowed me the privilege of teaching my children many things in 25 years of homeschooling. However, during those same years, my children also taught me several important lessons. First, I learned to savor the joy of life's moments. Reading a story or having time to talk was far more important than keeping the house perfectly organized and clean. Second, I learned to experience the wonder of God's creation through a child's excited eyes. Everything is fresh and new to a little one, and God desires me to experience each new day in the same way. Perhaps the most important lesson my children taught me was to have an unquestioning faith in God. Even when homeschooling cut the family budget in half, my children's faith challenged me to trust God for every need. Undoubtedly, I was the one who received the better education in our family's homeschool....
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"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12).
Do you find disciplining your homeschooler difficult? I did for several different reasons. First, I hated being the "policeman" and the temporary conflict it caused when teaching my children. Being esteemed as their "hero" with all the answers was much more fun. Second, administering fair justice for the offense wasn't always easy to determine. Many times, what appeared to be misbehavior in one child was actually caused by the deliberate aggravation by another child. Most of all, I found disciplining my children difficult because I knew my own failings to meet God's righteous standards. More often than not, I usually found myself committing a similar offense within a few days of disciplining them for the very same thing....
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Do you find disciplining your homeschooler difficult? I did for several different reasons. First, I hated being the "policeman" and the temporary conflict it caused when teaching my children. Being esteemed as their "hero" with all the answers was much more fun. Second, administering fair justice for the offense wasn't always easy to determine. Many times, what appeared to be misbehavior in one child was actually caused by the deliberate aggravation by another child. Most of all, I found disciplining my children difficult because I knew my own failings to meet God's righteous standards. More often than not, I usually found myself committing a similar offense within a few days of disciplining them for the very same thing....
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Attending local household and farm sales became a favorite activity for my son and me during our homeschooling summer break. We loved searching for new treasures, and my son learned the fine art of bidding on items as they were auctioned. As we arrived at one particular farm sale, however, my spirit was saddened, as we meandered through tables and boxes filled with antiques and old-fashioned keepsakes. An elderly widow who had lived alone for many years had passed away, and all that remained of her life was sitting before us. From homemade potholders and doilies to exquisite crystal and china, each item once treasured by this old woman was now up for sale. The value and memories they held meant nothing to the strangers purchasing them, and each item sold for next to nothing. "How sad," I said to my son. "These things should be selling for much more. They might as well be giving them away!"...
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"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
Summer science was a part of our homeschool curriculum. One particular experiment my children enjoyed was discovering the minute world contained within a one square foot section of our lawn. After plotting and marking their sections, my children would lie on the grass for hours and take note of creatures and insects that would otherwise go unnoticed. Roly-poly bugs, ants, winged insects, beetles, and a host of other bugs, worms, and spiders comprised the intricately designed order of this small universe. Each new discovery brought an excited response of, "Mom, come and see this. Isn't this cool!" Like explorers in an unknown world, my children learned to see what most people miss in God's creation....
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Summer science was a part of our homeschool curriculum. One particular experiment my children enjoyed was discovering the minute world contained within a one square foot section of our lawn. After plotting and marking their sections, my children would lie on the grass for hours and take note of creatures and insects that would otherwise go unnoticed. Roly-poly bugs, ants, winged insects, beetles, and a host of other bugs, worms, and spiders comprised the intricately designed order of this small universe. Each new discovery brought an excited response of, "Mom, come and see this. Isn't this cool!" Like explorers in an unknown world, my children learned to see what most people miss in God's creation....
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"I can swing higher than you," shouted my oldest daughter to the neighbor children who had come over to play.
"No, you can't," they retorted. "We can swing just as high as you!"
As I washed the dishes and looked out the open kitchen window, I could hear their childish competitive banter and knew trouble was looming. Although taking a break from homeschooling during the summer provided more opportunities for my children's friends to visit, it also required more supervision of their activities. I watched as each child began to swing harder and higher. Just as I decided to dry my hands and walk outside to tell them to stop swinging so high, the entire swing set toppled over and crashed to the ground, along with the children. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, but the bumps and bruises taught each of them a valuable lesson in humility....
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"No, you can't," they retorted. "We can swing just as high as you!"
As I washed the dishes and looked out the open kitchen window, I could hear their childish competitive banter and knew trouble was looming. Although taking a break from homeschooling during the summer provided more opportunities for my children's friends to visit, it also required more supervision of their activities. I watched as each child began to swing harder and higher. Just as I decided to dry my hands and walk outside to tell them to stop swinging so high, the entire swing set toppled over and crashed to the ground, along with the children. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, but the bumps and bruises taught each of them a valuable lesson in humility....
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"Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God" (Matthew 22:29).
Do your parents find knowing how to help when you homeschool difficult? Although my parents had raised seven children of their own, they always seemed hesitant to watch my children when I needed a helping hand. At first, I thought my children might be misbehaving during their stay, but my parents assured me that was not the case. However, after declining my request to watch them several times in a row, I finally asked, "Mom, why don't you want the kids to come over?"...
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Do your parents find knowing how to help when you homeschool difficult? Although my parents had raised seven children of their own, they always seemed hesitant to watch my children when I needed a helping hand. At first, I thought my children might be misbehaving during their stay, but my parents assured me that was not the case. However, after declining my request to watch them several times in a row, I finally asked, "Mom, why don't you want the kids to come over?"...
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"My son, hear the instruction of thy father" (Proverbs 1:8a).
Moms have a tendency to think they are the "lone ranger" in homeschooling their children. Although we are often the sole instructor, dads equally contribute to a family's homeschooling success with their quiet and sometimes unnoticed acts of love and support. Father's Day is a wonderful time to recognize fathers for their important part in homeschooling for such things as the following:...
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Moms have a tendency to think they are the "lone ranger" in homeschooling their children. Although we are often the sole instructor, dads equally contribute to a family's homeschooling success with their quiet and sometimes unnoticed acts of love and support. Father's Day is a wonderful time to recognize fathers for their important part in homeschooling for such things as the following:...
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