The past month we have done sporadic "school" but have been working on some much-needed changes in routines, discipline, and training of the girls. I have realized that this was an area in which we lacked and disobedience and general foolery were taking over our lives. Both Bill and I were on the verge of burnout and for me the thought of adding another one to the bunch was almost too much to imagine. Specifically bedtime had become an issue and we would generally not get the kids to sleep until 10 or 11pm, then they'd wake up still at 7am. So in essence our "homeschool" has been teaching the kids to obey and listen to Mommy and Daddy because we love them and know what's best for them.
This has not been an easy season and many tears have been shed by Mommy. I'm sure my pregnancy hormones don't make it any better. The title for this blog, "Learning Together" is appropriate because we are all learning, every day. And some of those days really stink.
Thankfully though, the entire future of our children and their education is not defined by one specific day. For me it's been a lesson in trusting Jesus. When I think about why we are feeling called to homeschool, it's largely because we want to ensure that our children have a strong foundation in Jesus, which can only be accomplished through Christ's grace and us as parents leaning on Jesus. I am not a perfect parent, but Jesus is the perfect God and it I can, in my failures point the kids to Jesus so that they learn to trust him too, then I've done my job. Choosing to homeschool, at least in the first few years of their schooling, is simply giving me more opportunities to show my kid Jesus, because we are around each other more. The academics are important, but with all respect to the educational system, don't mean anything unless our children's hearts are right with Jesus.
I'm also (hopefully) under no illusions that by homeschooling we will have perfect children who will never sin or face hardship. Sometimes, especially in the last few months, I've despairingly felt like I've failed because their behavior is difficult at times. This is especially difficult to face when their behavior is embarrassing in public or when friends are over. It feels like people are judging me, when they probably don't even care, and if they are judging me then that's their problem. On the flip side it's difficult to fight pride when the girls do something good. Caley is very sweet and has a tender heart and it's beautiful to hear her pray and love her sister. During those times it's easy to take credit for that good behavior, when really I know that it's only because of God's grace.
So, we haven't really done the "reading book" on a regular basis, but we are all definitely learning. We have been reading a lot of books, coloring, dancing and singing songs, telling stories about the knife, fork and spoon, and learning a lot of practical ways Jesus loves us. We are learning about forgiveness and obedience. Those lessons are more important than ensuring Caley knows her letters and numbers, at least for now.
