We are not a perfect family. We are not perfect parents. AND we do not have perfect children. BUT we DO have a perfect Saviour! The Lord Jesus Christ IS perfect ~ and He does ALL things well. How graciously He leads us along. How patient He is with us. We are constantly in a state of change (hopefully for the better) and He NEVER needs improvements ~ HE is perfect! What a wonderful thing to REST in His all-sufficiency...we certainly need HIM each step of this journey!
AND it is because HE has redeemed our lives from destruction
that we desire to raise our children for HIM ~ only HIM.
Where did our journey to homeschool begin?
We began (prior to having children) in the "public-school-is-best" camp.
That was how both Howie and I were educated ~
consequently we assumed our children would be educated in the same way.
No question!
No worries!
No further thought was given to the matter.
When our first baby came along, we began to question, to worry and to think more on the subject. We had five years before it would become an issue ~ which, at the time, seemed like an eternity! Meanwhile, friends of ours began homeschooling their children.
We knew some on this path already, but it didn't grip our conscience.
We thought they were all CRAZY!
AND we thought that God would NEVER call us to do such a thing! :)
When the time came for Kindergarten, we enrolled our fistborn in the little local Christian school.
This, we thought, was the very best option for our family.
In the background, my heart was pulled in the direction of home education. Quietly and steadily I was being drawn, but Howie was not. He was in no way leaning toward homeschool.
It was not an option.
Babies continued to be welcomed into our home. At the rate of about one every two or two and a half years. I was always either nursing or expecting ~ demands on Mum were high. Year after year our children went to the little Christian school. Year after year I was relieved, but NOT settled. My heart strings were continually being pulled. I was being prepared. AND along the way and through the years Howie was being changed.
The wisdom of it all was dawning on him.
Austin was 11 and we realized how quickly those 11 years had flown by.
How much more quickly would the next 11 pass?
He would be 22!
OH. MY. HEART.
Would he be ready? Would we have taught him all that we desired to? Would we have instilled within him the REAL REASON for life and living? The time was flying by and we wanted to capture some of those teachable moments that would soon be behind us!
One of the things that frustrated me the most as a Stay at Home Mum with kids attending classes at a physical school building away from me was the mountain of chores the children left in their wake. They would get up, we would have devotions and breakfast and RUSH out the door.
A HUGE mess was left behind.
I also was committed to bringing the children home for lunch. It was very important to me as long as it was feasible. So I cleaned up and prepared food for the lunch run ~ snatched up the baby and the toddler and rushed out to retrieve first and second born to come home and eat together. Off to school again and rush home to another MESS. Get toddler and baby to nap and up for pick up and bring oldest two home for a couple hours of play, supper, devotions and bed only to wake up and do it all over again. The weeks and months and YEARS melded into one and it felt as though we were on a never slowing TREADMILL.
Do I believe that ALL
should home-educate?
NO.
Do I think you are a
bad parent if you don't?
NO.
Do I see the
"other side"?
YES.
Is it a personal
choice and conviction?
YES.
Are there "seasons" that the LORD leads
us through in our journey?
YES.
This is just our story.
Yours may, or may not, be different.
We are all still "in progress".
More to come (Lord-willing) on the "how" of our homeschool
and a few other thoughts on home education.
May the LORD guide us all in this journey of parenting ~
for HIS glory!
For the next post in this series ~
Click Here.
Many Blessings,
Camille
AND it is because HE has redeemed our lives from destruction
that we desire to raise our children for HIM ~ only HIM.
Where did our journey to homeschool begin?
We began (prior to having children) in the "public-school-is-best" camp.
That was how both Howie and I were educated ~
consequently we assumed our children would be educated in the same way.
No question!
No worries!
No further thought was given to the matter.
When our first baby came along, we began to question, to worry and to think more on the subject. We had five years before it would become an issue ~ which, at the time, seemed like an eternity! Meanwhile, friends of ours began homeschooling their children.
We knew some on this path already, but it didn't grip our conscience.
We thought they were all CRAZY!
AND we thought that God would NEVER call us to do such a thing! :)
When the time came for Kindergarten, we enrolled our fistborn in the little local Christian school.
This, we thought, was the very best option for our family.
In the background, my heart was pulled in the direction of home education. Quietly and steadily I was being drawn, but Howie was not. He was in no way leaning toward homeschool.
It was not an option.
Babies continued to be welcomed into our home. At the rate of about one every two or two and a half years. I was always either nursing or expecting ~ demands on Mum were high. Year after year our children went to the little Christian school. Year after year I was relieved, but NOT settled. My heart strings were continually being pulled. I was being prepared. AND along the way and through the years Howie was being changed.
The wisdom of it all was dawning on him.
Austin was 11 and we realized how quickly those 11 years had flown by.
How much more quickly would the next 11 pass?
He would be 22!
OH. MY. HEART.
Would he be ready? Would we have taught him all that we desired to? Would we have instilled within him the REAL REASON for life and living? The time was flying by and we wanted to capture some of those teachable moments that would soon be behind us!
One of the things that frustrated me the most as a Stay at Home Mum with kids attending classes at a physical school building away from me was the mountain of chores the children left in their wake. They would get up, we would have devotions and breakfast and RUSH out the door.
A HUGE mess was left behind.
I also was committed to bringing the children home for lunch. It was very important to me as long as it was feasible. So I cleaned up and prepared food for the lunch run ~ snatched up the baby and the toddler and rushed out to retrieve first and second born to come home and eat together. Off to school again and rush home to another MESS. Get toddler and baby to nap and up for pick up and bring oldest two home for a couple hours of play, supper, devotions and bed only to wake up and do it all over again. The weeks and months and YEARS melded into one and it felt as though we were on a never slowing TREADMILL.
Do I believe that ALL
should home-educate?
NO.
Do I think you are a
bad parent if you don't?
NO.
Do I see the
"other side"?
YES.
Is it a personal
choice and conviction?
YES.
Are there "seasons" that the LORD leads
us through in our journey?
YES.
This is just our story.
Yours may, or may not, be different.
We are all still "in progress".
More to come (Lord-willing) on the "how" of our homeschool
and a few other thoughts on home education.
May the LORD guide us all in this journey of parenting ~
for HIS glory!
For the next post in this series ~
Click Here.
Many Blessings,
Camille
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