As summer draws to an end, I am feeling the pressure to start back up in my home schooling. Last year I home schooled Grace for kindergarten. With Lila being born in October, it wasn't all that I had hoped for. But it was successful enough that I am willing to try it again. And as I realize how much work first grade is going to be, I am reminding myself WHY I am choosing to keep my kids at home.
My usual answer is that I am homeschooling because Keith is a recruiter and we will be moving several times during our children's school years. Homeschooling will ensure that their education reaches my expectations and that as they patch together schooling that it will be consistent in content. For many military families, homeschooling is very much a logical choice.
But anyone who knows me well, will tell you that I will put aside logic any day to follow the fire in my belly! I believe that homeschooling is the BEST life for my children. It is an opportunity to fill them with all that is good and beautiful and holy in this world. My vision of what family life should be is what truly drives me everyday. And every time I experience a moment of pure simple joy, it only feeds into my desire for more of these moments. I dig deeper to create a family in which joy is more plentiful. I believe what John Bowring said, 'a happy family is but an earlier heaven'. I am addicted to the precious and happy and beautiful happenings that come with children! I love when all the kids are laughing together, the enjoyment of teaching a child something new and seeing their curiosity grow, hearing my children's imaginations expand as they incorporate the stories that I am feeding them. I love to create with my kids and watch them change. My kids are learning to love and be loved. Homeschooling is a beautiful lifestyle for families.
And then there are the other homeschooling families that I have met through my church and through chance meetings. These kids are HAPPY!!! They are surrounded by love all day long. They enjoy learning. And they get to stay kids. The moms I meet who have been doing this are intelligent, organized and passionate about life. And its weird how homeschooling families tend to have more than the average number of kids. It is because they are getting to enjoy them! And when you are raising kids that are happy and you see that they are growing into beautiful individuals, you just want to have one more!
I have a long way to go before our family is running as smoothly as I would like, but the joyful moments I crave seem to come more and more each day!
No comments:
Post a Comment