Well, hello!
My life in the mother-hood, sometimes lonely feeling, but hardly bored. I have four of my own children and two adult step-sons, I homeschool my 10 and 7 year old, and do my best to educate my two and four year old and their roaming attention spans, I have also homeschooled at some level both of my step-sons, one of them 7 classes in a semester prior to his senior year so he could catch up, and the other took an online charter school language class one summer to earn a credit he failed to complete previously.
Yes, people have told me that I must be crazy, or masochistic, to choose to keep my children at home, and No, I don't care what they think. Yes, there are days I want to run away and never come back, bu don't all stay at home moms and possibly working moms have those feelings? Yes, it is hard, and yes, my kids know exactly how to get under my skin...But, I am their mother, and I have 18 years of their 80+ that I can't influence and impact them, why, why would I allow strangers to have those influences on my children? Some people can't homeschool because of finances and other reasons, and need to rely on the public school system, I myself am the product of the public school system, I am not damaged goods (or at least I don't think I am), and my two older (younger) children started out attending a private Christian school, and loved it, they did well there...if your children are in public, private, or charter school, I am not coming down on you, as parents we do what is best for our children, and choosing to homeschool my children was what my husband and I felt was best for them and our family.
Now, those of you that don't homeschool are know asking a barrage of questions, like "What about "Social Interaction"?" And "If your children were going to a Christian School, why did you start homeschooling?" Oh, and of course "Do you get any "me" time?"...plus many others...I would like to address these questions, starting with the last one first.
"Do you get any "me" time?" : No, I don't, but none of this is about me anyway. I don't homeschool my children for my benefit, and I'll have over 50 years of "me time" when they are all moved out of the house. To tell you the truth, the term "me time" kind of sounds selfish to me, there is always time to spend alone with God, and always time to help other people, the only time I should be focused on "me" is if I am trying to examine and improve particular areas of my life, so that I can be more efficient in serving the Lord.
"What about 'Social Interaction'?" Well, how often do any of us spend our days with 30 people our same age? My kids are very social, they talk to and witness to people where ever they go and are very comfortable talking to people of all ages, we attend church at least twice a week, my son is currently in boxing and my daughter will be taking band at a local middle school next year...This doesn't include homeschool p.e. classes, Good News Clubs, playing with other children at the park and swimming pool...During the summer are you concerned your kids aren't getting social interaction...My kids get that year round, they have friends that are homeschooled, so we can go to the early movies and be the only ones there... There have been times my daughter and her best friend had the entire skating rink to themselves! But my kids don't have a problem socializing or making friends.
"Why did we start homeschooling"? Good question. Well, my husband and I owned our own business, so I was working, before the kids were in school, they would come hang out at the office with me, they had a play room with toys, books and puzzles, even a couch to take naps on. The second semester of the last year my kids were in school, I started feeling the call from the Lord, and I was very confused, I was working long hours, bringing my work home and working after the kids went to bed, because I couldn't keep up, I was drowning...how in the world could I homeschool? Well, God began closing doors when it came to our business, as the doors slowly began to close, and it looked like we were rapidly approaching the end (but the work load hadn't began to slow down at the point) My husband I grew increasingly concerned with our daughter's teacher, she wouldn't adhere to my request of not putting the right answers on a problem my daughter missed, I wanted her to be able to correct and learn from her mistakes, there was more than that, but I digress...there was also doctrinal issues being impressed upon my evangelistic child, that would have her coming home in tears. My child, who accepted Christ before the age of four, was so excited to be baptized by our old pastor who happen to live close to where her brother was graduating from high school, (600 miles away)...her teacher said to my daughter, she was happy she made that choice (to be baptized) now she wouldn't go to hell. My poor daughter was scared that if she were to die before we made it to Idaho for her brother's graduation and her baptism, that she would go to hell. Once I explained her teacher was full of it, she calmed down, but she was hurt that her teacher would say such a thing. This woman taught 1st and 2nd grade, and would be my son's teacher the next year, and I reminded my husband about the Lord prompting me to homeschool, and there was no way she was going to teach any of my children ever again. By June, our business was done. I no longer was working, and started homeschooling the first of September. Bottom line, even at a Christian school your children are being influenced by other people, sometimes good, sometimes not so good. I choose to educate at home so I can influence my children, and I can make sure they are learning at their best potential, and held to the highest standard possible. I tell them they need to be excellent, excellent is not perfection, it is always doing your very best in everything you do.
Well, there you go, a little peek into my life. We all do what is best for our children and our families, this blog isn't about judging other people for choosing differently for their family, this is a peak at the life the Lord had chosen for my family. I don't know how yet, but I do plan on doing a bit more on the food allergy front...please bear with me while I figure out how to make an interactive type page for all you food allergy combatants out there!
God bless you and your journey through life in the motherhood!
Originally posted on my original Life in the Motherhood Blog on June 2nd, 2011
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