At the beginning of August I received my homeschooling newsletter from Crosswalk.com. I typically skim it to see if there is anything that is going to catch my interest & hit delete if I don't read it all first. However, the one I received on August 4th is still in my inbox. Why? Because the message is sent was fantastic. It was written by Timothy Palla & I'm only going to copy the first three paragraphs here to catch your interest.
If a husband decides to go back to college at 30 to become a pharmacist—and his wife has to support him and the children for the next decade—he will have praise of the multitudes: “It’ll be tough living on one income, but you can do it. You just hang in there. It will all be worth it.”
If a woman quits her demanding job as a nurse to start a scrapbooking business in the spare bedroom, her friends are green with envy. “It’s your life . . . do what you enjoy. Set your own pace, be independent. Best wishes! Making a living isn’t all about money, it’s about enjoying what you do.”
But let someone say, “I want to homeschool my children,” and a thousand eyebrows may instantly raise. The masses gasp for breath, and counselors crawl out from under every rock to warn of “the dangers” of entertaining such thoughts. Cunningly, the vacuum of doubt attempts to abort the dreams, aspirations, and faith from the hearts of parents who are being called to the road less traveled. Are the odds really against homeschoolers, or are the challenges really part of a higher plan which God uses to manifest His wonderful grace?
Click here to read the rest of the article.
I found this article very thought provoking and so very true. When people find out I stay home all day with my children AND teach them as well, they think I'm bonkers. Why on earth would I want to spend ALL that time with my very own children they wonder? These are typically the same folks who are counting down the days until summer vacation is over so they can ship their own kids off to public school & not have to deal with them 24/7.
Now, let's be completely realistic here. I do not always enjoy having my kids around me 24/7. Believe me, I am not a saint in this regard. There are many times where I crave a break. When I seriously need a break. However, I get them when needed and I still know that my influence as the parent is the strongest for my children.
Yes, homeschooling is hard, but the rewards far outweigh all the sacrifices I must make. For me, it's all worth it.
A very good article indeed. I love crosswalk and I use Neil Anderson's Daily in Christ for my daily devotional, which is distributed by crosswalk. I had friends at work who couldn't believe that we decided to home school my oldest daughter but looking back it was the best thing we could have done - what a difference it made in her and us as well.
ReplyDeleteyes, that is a very good article. I get the newsletter too, but hadn't dug it out of my overflowing inbox. Glad you brought it to my attention.
ReplyDeleteSusan in Va (SHS)
Wow, thanks for posting that article. It was a good reminder that we really don't have to go through life relying entirely on our own ingenuity and efforts--that in fact things usually work out much better when we don't!
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