Homeschooling mamas…

Bad news. It gets harder. GOOD NEWS…it gets better, and so do you! God can equip you beyond measure, in your brokenness and lack of confidence, He raises you up.

While home centered education may not be “right” for everyone, I am confident it is right for anyone, despite education, perception, number of children, goals, or experience. When I had my first child (and KNEW beyond a shadow of a doubt I would homeschool) I was confident in ONE THING:

• Not my ability

• Not my education

• Not my resources

• Not even my OWN experience as a “homeschooled kid”

My confidence was in that GOD would equip me, and that I, as “under educated” as I was, would be able to love my children more than the government could.

Ok- let’s back up. I was “home schooled” my entire life. No preschool, no elementary, no grades, transcripts, or diplomas. None. When I jokingly say, “I was raised by the fairies”, I’m only half joking. Official schoolwork was merely a good idea at our house. Something we did when mom got a bee in her bonnet about it, or when we were trying to stay out of trouble. Formal curricula was purchased once every three years for good measure, but never completed.

Did I receive a PHENOMENAL education? Yes.

I learned about life in up close and personal ways. Not in a bubble of my same zip code peers, but with parents who struggled. They struggled with money, their marriage, family pressures, being business owners and employees, and mostly with raising four children outside of any box they had ever known. When my parents decided to homeschool us it was 1978, I was a baby, my eldest brother was 3, one-on-one curriculum was scarce to be found and the internet did not exist. By 1985 they had four babies total, and little had improved in their community (as far as they knew) for home schoolers. Their families told them we would all turn out to be ignorant freaks. They were even reprimanded by their church leaders for keeping us away from school for the good of others.

What I learned was that through broken but loving parents God works mightily. They did NOT have their ducks in a row. Not even close. They were a mess. I hear an excuse line of reasoning like this all the time-

“I could never home school because I don’t have”

• The patience

• The knowledge

• The organization

• The skill

• The ability

• The creativity

• The time

• The money

• The resources

• The support

You name it. You know what? My parents had none of that. None. Zero. Zilch.

Guess what else? Not many people wake up with these attributes or skill sets on auto pilot. They LEARN them, foster them, grow them. If you think you could never homeschool because you feel you lack something, then that might be exactly where God will grow that character trait quickly and efficiently!

My parents did have love, and a trust in God to provide for their kids what they could not. It does get harder, in many ways, but He grows us up to the challenge to yield our children to Him. He also gives us clarity and vision beyond our self absorbed expectations and gimpy excuses.

My parents were wild and woolly, but they gave me an education I would trade for absolutely nothing in the world. If they can do it, I can, if I can do it, you can. Because He is able to take broken and make it beautiful. He always equips the called, and He always gets the glory. So take a deep breath and rest in knowing the government cannot love your children more than you do, but God can, and does.