I’m supposed to have 4 more weeks of planning…
Our “start date” was planned for Labor Day, September 2nd, so I was really glad to be able to take my time going through books, imagining our days and conversations and just preparing my heart and mind to teach my 4 precious kiddos.
But as the books began to arrive, the excitement really started to build, and the wait got harder and harder…and sure enough, on a Thursday night the kids were BEGGING to start homeschool the next day. It was really Adyn, my oldest, negotiating his way into doing it… “Please mom, is it an 80% chance of yes? Ok, how about 89%?…89.9%? Well if it’s that, why can’t it just be 100%?” š He’s good. And his siblings were on board too.
They wanted to dive into those books more than I did, so how do you say no?
Well, you don’t. You push aside the OCD to be perfectly prepared and just dive in with them. I don’t have all the books yet, my awesome system to lesson plan for all 4 of them isn’t complete and my mind still isn’t quite wrapped around how to manage our days, BUT… none of that is what this is really about anyway.
It’s about fostering their genuine joy in learning. It’s being there alongside them through the struggles and joys of education at their pace. It’s the gentle instruction from mom to her child that only she truly understands and “gets”. It’s instilling a Godly mindset in your children so they not only grow in knowledge, but in character. And it’s so much more…
For example, when your 11 year old tweenager son is so excited to start homeschooling, that he’s negotiating how to get started the next day! And when morning came, we grabbed what books we had and read introductions, started a couple worksheets, did a Bible study, and focused on patience and kindness with the littles. It was beautiful.
I don’t have brand new backpacks and lunchboxes, I didn’t have “first day of school signs”, I didn’t have a perfectly cleaned and ready-to-go school space. But by God’s grace I have a love of learning and time together. That’s really what homeschool is about.
Today’s prayer:
I praise you Jesus, and thank you for your grace. This day was not expected to come so soon, as every day is a mystery. But I lean on you God, I trust you, and I love you. Thank you for reminding me that you are in control, that my plans are not as good as your plans, and showing me how to slow down and just love on my kids. All the glory is yours. In Jesus’ sweet name, amen.
“All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16
