(This is part of a discussion I am having on my other blog.  I would love to hear your opinions here.  Boy I can't wait until the movers are done. )

The discussion on Homeschool: Preferences and Convictions Part One, Part Two, and Part Three really has me thinking. Do we as parents really want our children to share our convictions? Homeschooling is just one of my convictions. Abortion and fidelity in marriage are two more. I would never want my son or daughter to consider abortion or adultery as an option when they are parents.

My conviction on homeschooling is just as strong. I would no more want my children to send their children to a public school than I would want my son to cheat on his wife.

And if we don't mind if they don't homeschool can we really call it a conviction? Or are there degrees of conviction? (I am not writing to be contentious but merely to help me understand myself and the direction of homeschooling. )

Keep in mind I am not asking if they WILL share them. That is their choice. But I believe it is part of my job as a parent to impart my convictions to them and hopefully to shape future generations.

Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite sermons that I think illustrates what I am getting at.

Pastor: "How many here today are living in a bigger house then the one they grew up in?"

(Most hands went up.)

Pastor: "How many have atleast as many children as the family they grew up in?"

(About 6 families raised their hands.)

This was a congregation with over well 1000 in attendance that morning. So even taking into account non-marrieds and infertility issues the illustration was clear. We as a society (and more importantly as Christians) have changed what we place a high value in.

I realize that the homeschool movement is growing right now. But are we in jeapordy of losing the future generations of homeschoolers because they do not value homeschooling in the same way we do? It is hard to imagine it now but then there are alot of things happening today that were also hard to imagine at one time as well.