Ladies in Training

Letting My Children Experience Life

I can honestly say that I was not the perfect candidate for homeschooling.  Oh, I love children and my whole adult life has been devoted to working with children in one aspect or another.  But when my first child was born and started crawling around, then walking, I rarely let this child get dirty.  And going outside to play in the dirt was a really big stretch for me.  I think most of my friends laughed at me because of this. One could say that I was a bit of a control freak.  But God knew this about me.  He knew how difficult it was going to be for me to let my kids experience life, and get dirty or make a mess in the process.  He also knew that homeschooling would be the perfect avenue to create in me the kind of mother he wanted me to be.  These last three years have been a struggle for me because of these hangups I have, but I am finally starting to see Him working in my life and truly changing me.  I will illustrate my point.  This is how a conversation might go at home during the day:

child: Mom, can I play with this?

mom: No you will get it dirty or break it.

child: Mom, can we go outside?

mom: No it's too wet outside and you'll get your shoes all muddy.

child: Mom, can I help you cook?

mom: No, I need to get dinner ready before daddy comes home.

child:  Mom, can we have a bucket of water in our room to clean our play dishes in?

mom: NO, you will make a big mess and I don't want water everywhere.

You get the point.  Now a conversation in our home sounds more like this:

child: Mom, can I play with this?

mom: Yes, but be careful and put it back when you are done.

child: Mom, can we go outside?

mom: Yes, get rainboots on and leave them in the garage when you are done.

child: Mom, can I help mash the potatoes?

mom: Sure, I'll get the milk and butter ready.

child: Mom, can we have a bucket of water to wash our play dishes?

mom: Not in your room but you can do it in the bathroom and if you spill just wipe it up with a towel.

Can you see the transformation?  This is honest to goodness what has happened in our home.  This would not have happened if I were not at home with the kids all day, or if the kids were at school all day.  This is God sanctifying me through obediently doing the job He called me to do.  Seeing this has really confirmed in me that I LOVE homeschooling.  I love the experience of growing closer to my Lord and I get the benefit of growing closer to my children in the process.  Now three children later, on a warm summer day, it is not uncommon to see third child laying naked in the sandbox loving every minute of it.  And mom can watch in the distance experiencing joy by the look on daughter's face.

Random Blog Winner: Homeschooling 4 Jesus 

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