Last night at church I asked for prayer for the attendance for our homeschool conference.
Then Pastor John spoke about marriage. I thought he was really tough on the men, but then he got to the women. He really pulled no punches, and flat out said that women should be devoting their time, energy and talents to home and family. He spoke about how children need nurture from their parents and not from a day care.
So when I went up to pray about the attendance, I had just asked the Holy Spirit to help me to pray what He wanted me to pray... and I just started crying as I was praying about this conference.
Here's the background.
My oldest son, who is 14, was cared for by daycare from the time he was 2 weeks old through Kindergarten. We did not become Christians until he was 4 years old, and I was a terrible mother.
After we became Christians the first "Christian thing" I ever went to was a homeschooling conference taught by my pastor's wife, Audrey Broggi.
There was no way for me to come home from work at that point. We were up to our eyeballs in debt, my job brought in half of the income and really... didn't everyone "have" to work to make it now?
But I was enamored by the idea of home education. People who got to do that were so lucky!
Well, about a year passed and I was pregnant. We were so excited. I still "knew" that I couldn't quit my job. I put the baby on the daycare waiting list.
My heart was broken after the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat at 12 weeks. When I woke up after surgery I looked up at Chris and said, "I think God wants me to come home from work."
Now don't misunderstand me. I don't think that God caused me to lose the baby. I just think that my heart was ready for truth when I realized the preciousness of children. I was ready to do whatever it took to be the mom God wanted me to be.
Chris and I decided I would come home after Zach's Kindergarten year and that I would homeschool him. God was faithful. He helped us to pay off our debt and we can't believe I ever needed to work full time.
My son was immediately changed. He responded so well to being at home with me all day. We spent the first few years just getting to know each other and love each other. He went from the school being ready to medicate him, to being a fine young man.
Homeschooling allowed me to take time with him... and of course the precious new baby daughter that was born right before we started homeschooling. That was 8 years ago and today we are blessed with six precious children.
And even though there are wet sheets, poopy diapers and screaming matches... I wouldn't want my kids to go away all day for anything. I like having them here with me. I don't exist to serve them, but our family exists to represent Christ to a lost and dying world and our home is the training ground for their mission.
Homeschooling is not just an educational option, it can be a life-changing, heart changing world changing experience. It is not about being "better" than public schools. I think that any one can get a good education from public school. I certainly did.
Homeschooling is about capturing the hearts of your own children and preparing them for kingdom work in a world that does not know the living God.
Does anyone have any stories about how homeschooling has given back to them the years that the locusts have eaten?
2 comments:
I have to say that getting to know people like you and blest has been really interesting.
I don't know if you know, but at university I was training to become a primary school teacher (ages 5-11), and decided that teaching really wasn't the right thing for me. Since then I've worked in a lot of different schools, and seen lots of different teachers and children, and how different people respond to 'traditional' school in different ways.
I've known some homeschooling families over here, and I've had the chance to be with blest's family for three months, and it's really given me insight into homeschooling and the benefits it can have for children, particularly those who don't fit the 'normal' category. (And I don't mean that in an insulting way, after all, who's normal? I'm sure I'm not!)
I still don't know what I'll do when (or if) I have my own children, but I know it's definitely made me think more about it.
WOW! Great post Charlotte!
I, too, was pleased to hear John hit it hard last night.
We lost 3 precious years with Michael-K, 1st, and 2nd grades. He was in a very good private school, and was completely bored out of his poor little mind. We began to lose him intellectually.
I also remember how strong the peer pressure was in 2nd grade. And the peer pressure among the moms was almost as bad.
Thankfully, God brought us to homeschooling, and redeemed the years for Michael. Now, he knows the answers to questions I don't even know to ask!
Homeschooling also led us to CBC. So we are getting to have our proverbial cake and eat it too!!
Dawn
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