Hi, Sweet Moms!

I have spent the last several weeks speaking at conferences. I constantly meet moms who are trying to homeschool the best way and be sure that their children get it "all". How blessed your children are to have you as their moms. However, I want to encourage each of you to relax. Homes have been the place where genius has been birthed, leaders have been made for thousands of years. It was because of the faithful mothers who have trained their children in character, given them chores to do, had discussions over the dinner meal, and read the Bible to their children. I feel so strongly that parents are so intent on getting the "best" experience in education, while not understanding that the most important aspect in a child's education is the mentoring and directing of the parents over the personality, influences, peer relationships, and character development.

So many moms have asked me, "Do you know about this or that two day a week school and how it works and if it will help my child educationally?" I have lived through three of my children graduating and I have seen amazing results in their lives even though we didn't have perfect schol days or have consistent schedules. (Seventeen moves, six times internationally, car accidents, illnesses, etc.) Yet, my children have scored at the top on their SAT's, received scholarships or pursued other areas in the arts and ministry where they were able to excell. What is the most important to me, though, is that, by God's grace, our children still love us and listen to us and love the Lord and are seeking Him.

I have been to several national and international leadership conferences in the past year and am sick to find out the statistics of the youth culture---79% of children who grew up in Christian homes leave their Christian faith when they go to college. The appalling statistics of youth who are still virgins by the age of 17 is beyond comprehension. These were just statistics to me until they started turning up in my basement--our kids rec room--friends of my children who had grown up in church and some in homeschool groups who were in tears, confessing to my boys that they were sleeping with their Christian girlfriends and didn't know how to stop and feeling guilty. With the rampant sexuality on tv and on the web and the immoral standards of movies, and the leisure time that children have with other children who are not monitored in their homes--and in your neighborhood, I must say---puts pressure on your children to want to conform and places temptation in their pathway. So the question of schools or not depends on what peers they will become heart connected to--what morals the people in the school have, how emotionally attatched they become to those in the school that could lead their heart astray.

In other words, focussing on educational classes primarily is, as I have said in my conferences, "straightening the picture on a wall of a house that is burning down."

Your goal in education is reaching their heart, filling their emotional cup, teaching them moral foundations, capturing their vision for life for the kingdom of God, teaching them what it looks like to walk through difficult times while holding tight to the hand of God. May God grant you understanding and faith to follow these paths and to raise up a strong generation for Him.

I will be adding more to my blog soon, but have been busy with my own children, seeking to build them into Godly leaders! (Besides moving to a new home and speaking in three conferences and finishing the edit on my book!) My precious children seem to need me as much now at 22, 20, 17 and 11 as they ever have, but I love seeing them growing and I love being the one to help inform their hearts in this time of adult making!

Blessings to each of you today as you plan your year.

Sally

How fun to see people reading my blog and then commenting. Thanks for all who have commented. Clay told me I would love this format, but it took a while to get beyond all the other piles that I am working on. I just finished a piece of homemade bread with peanut butter, bananas and honey drizzled on it with Joy and didn't feel like tackling real work right now, so I thought I would come say a few words and then go tackle real work.

Just a smattering of quick thoughts:

I do tend to prattle on so my comments will be long. Thanks for your patience in making it through.

We watched the movie "The Newsies" this weekend with the kids. It is a favorite of ours--a musical, but great story about the children who sold newspapers at the turn of the century. These kids successfully pulled off a strike against the newspaper mogels of the time and plays out in an interesting way. Not for young elememtary children as it is a little above their heads and a musical at that. I loved seeing these great boys dancing and singing---fun and a movie about character.

This is the time to look into some junior docent positions for your older elementary and up children. Joy is going to apply as a junior docent at a local historical home called Rock Ledge Ranch. The kids dress up in authentic costumes and act out the part of a child during their historical period. It is well supervised and lots of good experience. I was an usher at an open air opera house for a summer when I was in junior high or high school. Any other interesting options for summer activities that will be coming very soon?

Thanks to all you friends who let me hear from you. I will look forward to lots of future input from like-minded souls out there in cyberspace.

Have a good day.

Sally

You probably thought I was going to be a one-post wonder, but it just took me a very busy fall and winter to get here. And actually "here" right now is more of a "there" since I'm on my way to Australia and New Zealand with my precious daughters Sarah (21) and Joy (10) for two weeks of ministry. I wish that it was going to be more of a "fun" time for their sakes, but I'm scheduled to speak 26 times in 16 days in five different cities (only three days "off" during the blitz). I'm speaking about homeschooling and motherhood to groups, churches, conferences, teas, and whatever else gets squeezed into the schedule (that seems to have developed a life of its own!). Pray that God will use my words to accomplish His work in that part of the world.

All that aside, though, I have wanted to start posting on this blog for such a long time now, so I'm going to give it a shot even in the midst of this trip. To all those who have come by since my first post back in September (!!!) and commented, thank you so much for your patience. I look forward to sharing some of  my "wholehearted homeschooling" experiences with you. I hope we can be encouraged together.

For anyone who happens to stop by, I just want you to know two things for now: 1) I'm glad you did, and 2)  I'll write some more...sometime. We are swamped in projects at Whole Heart, and this blog is on the projects list, so check back...sometime. I look forward to discussing wholehearted learning and the joy of books and reading with you. If you don't know about Whole Heart Ministries, visit us at Whole Heart Online. Wholehearted blessings to you in your journey of home education and Christian parenting.