it’s a big day tomorrow. both of the older two will be going to school. to refresh your memory i’ve been homeschooling my oldest son for the past six months. he wanted to be home. he had friends, he made excellent grades, he never got in trouble, he was not picked on or teased. he simply wanted to be home. so i agreed to try it.
i researched. i blog stalked homeschooling families. it looked so appealing. i truly believe that god wanted us to homeschool my son. i don’t doubt it for a moment.
i also don’t doubt for a moment that god is now telling us to send him back to public school. after a few months of my son being home, my husband and i noticed that my normally cheerful son was very unhappy. he didn’t complain, he never said he was sad, he just didn’t smile as often. he didn’t talk as much.
about a month and half ago he came to me and told me that he really felt god was leading him back to public school.
later when i told, on separate occasions, some friends about this they laughed and smirked over god “leading” him back to school. as if it was just his ploy to go back to school. i don’t know why any other believers would find this improbable. it shouldn’t. my son is follower of christ. i know that god speaks to him and though him. i know that, as a follower of christ, god has a plan for my son. my son has a purpose. god’s plan for my son was for him to be homeschooled and now his plan is for my son to go back to school.
this is not a homeschool/public school debate. they both have their merits and it’s a decision that all parents should actively make. don’t just assume you’ll do one way or the other. i think all parents should be informed about their options when it comes to schooling.
let me preface this next paragraph…i believe god gave us a wonderfully complex mind. he wants us to learn and explore and discover what all we can about science, music, art, math, and literature. learning is important and i encourage my children and myself to challenge our minds and embrace new learning opportunities. that being said, our education has no eternal value. so while i know that i would be able to provide a much richer and stimulating learning environment for my children. that’s not what is most important in their lives.
i want them to grow spiritually. that is where i want the focus to be.
when my son was in school, he was a voice for god. he would talk about his beliefs. he would ask if his teachers attended church. he stood up for his beliefs. it gave me a chance to teach him the importance of standing up for what we believe in, but not take on a judgmental attitude. i was able to teach him the importance of sharing god’s love but realizing their decision is between that person and god…to not be discouraged if they don’t accept.
when he was homeschooled, he was not often around children who needed to hear god’s truth, he was not often around adults who would be touched by his kindness.
so yes, i do believe that god laid it upon my son’s heart to go back to public school.
these past 6 months have not been a failure. as i told my son, he had the courage to go after his heart’s desire (homeschooling) despite fears, despite the uncertainty, despite that many people, including some family members, who were not supportive of the decision. so many adults are too afraid to take that first step. my son was not afraid. and i am so proud. i believe that god will use these experiences to mold my son and to mold me.
i’d homeschool again in a heartbeat if god calls me to do it. i’ll miss my oldest as he goes back to school.
a lot.
