I really believe that homeschool fathers are in a difficult position. We, as their wives and the mothers of their children, have to make purposeful efforts to make sure we do not take our husbands and our children’s fathers for granted.
In this week’s The Homeschool Minute, Todd Wilson, Familyman Ministries (http://www.familymanweb.com/) wrote the following:
As I talk to dads about their teenagers who are giving them fits, their wives who don't seem to think like them, and the deceptively deadly pull of success that beckons to them everyday, I see tiredness in their eyes and hear emotion in their voices.
I listen to them talk and nod my head in understanding until they finish. Then in a gentle but firm voice I say, "Man, I know exactly how you feel, but . . . you 'da dad. You may feel like giving up, but your family is counting on you. You can't give up on them. Get back in there, because although they may say harsh things . . . they still need you."
They sigh, stiffen their chin in determination, and nod in agreement. "You're right, Todd," they say. "Thanks for the reminder."
… [Your husband] gets pummeled, whomped on, yelled at, and spit on but . . . he's just too committed (or too stupid) to give up. He loves you, your family, and his role as dad (even though sometimes he doesn't act like it).
Todd expressed what dads have to go through very realistically. They definitely have a harder path to walk, the “stronger vessel,” I believe. It is tough, but they have been given the inner strength to lead their families, to make sure their family has all their material needs met (food, shelter, clothing, etc.). Some dads are active in their homeschools, while others aren't; some are the bread-winners while others are the teachers at home; regardless, they still are the head of the household and are responsible before God to make sure their families are being cared for.
I hope that you can make this “Greeting-Card Day” special so they know that you do understand and sympathize the road they travel so as to help us continue to home educate your… their children.
Donna Conner lives in Fort Worth, TX with her husband, Glenn, their son, Mike, Donna's mother, Charlotte, and their dog, Lucia. Donna and Glenn have been homeschooling their son since the beginning of his education. Mike completed his homeschooling in the fall of 2008. Donna is an artist and has always enjoyed writing. She wrote Homeschooling Only One in 2003, after discovering that there were many other families homeschooling only one child. Her website is devoted to those with only one student in their homeschool, with listings of online resources. You can visit her website at http://donnac.com and read her blog at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DonnaC
copyright © 2009 Donna Conner ~~ All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of author, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles where the title and author are listed.
