Why I Started Homeschooling Part 4: In the beginning God created the desire for our family to homeschool.  Mommy's thoughts were formless and void, and darkness was over her heart... and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of her mind.  The God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness...

Now the heart is more crafy and deceitful than she had thought.  And her mind whispered to her, "Indeed, are you doing enough?"  And she began to doubt, she began to compare.  The kids were getting older and it was time to "get serious with academics."  She took things into her own hands, began providing for herself and hid herself from the presence of God among the walls of her homeschool, under the tree in her garden.

And the Lord God called to her and said "Where are you?"

Why I Started Homeschooling Part 3.. Sometime after the first year, maybe the first weeks of homeschooling, a quiet little voice, almost inaudible began to creep into my thoughts.... You've all heard this voice before... the one that whispers (or perhaps accuses) "You should be doing more." 

"You should be teaching her how to read long vowel words by now."

"You should be much farther along in history... you're 4 months behind on the first cycle!"

"You should be doing more hands-on activites!"

"You should be doing those science experiments!"

"You should be planning out their physical education better!"

"You should be going on more field trips!"

"You should be more organized at home!"

"You should be incorporating more music and art lessons!"

The voice goes on and on..... it is relentless.  And how did we even start listening to this unwelcome voice, when our goal in the beginning was simply to "spend more time with our children"?

Well, if the shoulds had truly MARCHED in, we would have surely noticed and escorted them right outside again.  But they were more subtle.  They floated in through the windows when we weren't watching and slowly increased their number, pretending to be welcome guests.  Until we realized their damaging nature.

It's not that field trips or learning art is bad in and of itself... it's the heart attitude I'm addressing, the one that beats ourselves up.

So fast forward three years later... to the present.  Here's a conversation you might hear if you were a fly on our homeschool wall:

"Dear, did you finish your Latin yet?  I see that you skipped a bunch of math problems on this page... oh.. it's already 3 o'clock... I've got to call Sue before she leaves her house... dear, why didn't you ask me for help on this if you didn't understand?"

"Well, mom, I don't know..."

"How about piano, did you play piano yet today?"

At the end of the day.... "Momee, will you pleease play with me.. you didn't spend a lot of time with me today."

Mom to herself, "What, no time?  I was here with you all day today.  I spend everyday with you..... we homeschool...what do you mean?"

What happened to "spending more time with the kids"?  What happened to the happy picture on the green couch?

One thing we homeschoolers love to do is offer advice!  And ask for advice on curriculum... I found a great place where I can make reviews of all my favorite homeschooling curriculum, websites, support groups in my area, games and kits, other resources. There's a special category set aside just for homeschoolers to give stars, list pros and cons, fill in buying information and contact info... it's quite impressive.  Check it out here at miaplaza homeschooling plaza. You will have your own personal database of recommendations and also be able to search for recommendations, by product or person!

Blessings,

Jeanny

Four years ago on Valentine’s Day morning, I was racing by ambulance to the nearest emergency room, after a sleepless night of dizziness and excruciating pain.  My children were only 4 and 1 and my husband of 5 years probably was having the biggest scare of his life.  None of us knew what was wrong; only that something was very wrong.  

Six hours later, I found myself semi-comatose, lying in a post-op recovery room, riding out the severe drug allergy from the anti-nausea medication.  I distinctly remember having belabored breathing and the sensation of drowning. The recovery was long and drawn out, and resulted in my staying in bed at home for nearly a month, unable to accomplish household chores, much less walk unassisted.  The nurses later told me I was very fortunate to have arrived at the hospital that morning; my condition was on the verge of becoming life-threatening.

Needless to say, when a young mother has this kind of harrowing life experience before age 30, her outlook on life is changed forever.  I, who rarely thought about my own mortality or my purpose became aware of life’s unpredictability.  Who was to say I had another 50 years, 25 years or even 2 years to live? I was now aware that my each day was a complete gift from my Maker and I wanted to live it deliberately.  Specifically, I didn’t want to take my time spent with my family for granted.  Realizing my daughter was to begin full-day Kindergarten in a just a few months prompted me to ask for the first time, “Is this really what I wanted for my family?”

And so… a mom who was fiercely opposed to homeschooling (“Those crazies are gonna ruin their kids!”) did a 180 and began her journey on a different path… not unlike Saul’s conversion while traveling on the road to Damascus.  Later that year, on a sunny September morning, instead of packing a lunch box, taking pictures, and waving a bittersweet goodbye, this mom invited her daughter to sit with her on the fuzzy green couch, armed with a sackful of good books, and opened to the first pages of My Father’s Dragon.