Everyone Might Hate Me

In recent months, I have had the opportunity to speak to several parents on both sides of the homeschool debate. I often feel like a fish out of water. I don't know that many families that homeschool, at least not near me!
However, the argument I often hear from parents about why not to homeschool their children is that they have a child that they clash with. A child that they apparently can't stand the thought of spending the whole day every day with.
The tricky part about this argument is that most parents who favor homeschooling can't, or won't try to disable this line of reasoning. It's a very personal thing about their family dynamic and often says to the homeschooling parent, "Don't cross this line or ask anymore questions."
Well, I'm going to try.
First of all, the type of child that most parents find challenging is the strong willed child. The child that seems to constantly dig in with their heels to disobey constantly. Yes, these children are challenging, but as strong personalities, don't we want them to be so for Christ also? It seems like strong willed children should be even more protected from the influence of the world, as they may take it more to the dangerous zones if left to themselves, or placed in the hands of the enemy (state schools),(note: if you feel that enemy is too strong a word, start reading about the philosphies of John Dewey and Jean-Jacque Rousseau, who are the "founders" of modern education, and you'll see what I mean. Absolutely anti-family, and atheists.)
As Christian parents, we should be concerned with the spiritual state of our children. We should also realize that the kind of person we are, is the kind of person our child will be. If we won't consider homeschooling because we are afraid it will be too "hard", that smacks of American Consumer Spoilism. Do we give up or not even try when other things are hard? Starting a business, overcoming anger, overcoming drug abuse, p*rn, or alcoholism, starting to exercise, quit smoking, eating healthier and on and on. Lots of things in life are hard! I would be even willing to say that most good things ARE hard. The best things are probably the hardest! What are we teaching them if we can't purpose to do a good, hard thing?
The Scriptures indicate that we are to teach them all the time (ie when we walk by the way, when we lie down and rise up etc). THat is very hard to do in today's rat race to accumulate stuff, power, and prestige. That is hard to do when they spend 40hours a week somewhere other than with mom and dad.
This is the clincher(at least it was for me). God knows what I need to make me Christ like. My children challenge all my abilities, my patience, my understanding, and my discernment. It would be "easier" to let someone else teach them. But as I am walking through life with them, I am challenged to Christlikeness in a new way, because I know they are watching me, nearly every hour, every minute. They are learning how to follow Christ, as I try to. Sometimes I really wonder if the real reason parents are scared off by homeschooling is the fact that when their children are elsewhere, it allows us to be lazier, perhaps with a secret sin or habit we can indulge in when they are not there to see. Or perhaps we don't want to be bothered with them. We can get so much more done alone. Yes children slow us down, but if we want them to learn godly attitudes as they work, as they serve, as they obey, it has to be in the day to day, walking along of work, play, pray, and worship. Yes, you can worship while cooking, holding the baby, folding laundry etc. We are commanded to do so! Do we? Most probably not(myself included). But as our children watch us, let us be aware of this and strive to incorporate God into every aspect of our lives, and bring our children with us.

Giveaway at InaShoe

They are hosting a giveaway over at www.inashoe.com. They are currently giving away the Baby Conference on audio! This is a seminar on the Biblical view of children, babies, adoption and many other things concerning the womb. Good stuff to think about. Convicting.

I have been gone awhile

We recently signed up for internet again after not having it for well over a year. Perhaps I will pick up the blog again during these long winter evenings! What have we been up to, you ask?
Good question.
Here's a partial list:
Laura and Chara have been trying to eat better(children too!) and Laura has developed some tasty recipes using dates as the sugar!
We purchased an eliptical machine to provide us with some exercise!
Laura has been sprouting her own wheat and grinding it with her own grain grinder. Soon she will experiment with sourdough.
We still use cloth diapers--do i need to explain how long this takes?
Laura has been trying to learn to knit socks.
We have four children--two of which are homeschooling--yeah--busy!
Chara has enjoyed attending amateur church sport leagues--basketball and volleyball.
We went north for Christmas to visit both sides of the family.
The biggest? Our dish washer broke, and we have had to do all our dishes by hand! (Big deal you may say, but 6 plates x three meals is 18 plates, and three pieces of silverware times six is 18 pieces per meal times three is sixy-four pieces per day, not including serving or cooking ones...or pots, or cups etc!)
And no, I'm not pregnant again--yet....but you never know?

They Are Not Convinced

I have heard lately that many children that have grown up homeschooled are choosing to leave the homeschool choice after they are grown. Many parents and homeschool leaders are puzzled by this phenomenon. They struggle to understand why their children do not seem to want to follow in their footsteps.
I would like to offer some reasons as to why this may be happening. The one that comes into my head most is this: we have somehow, unknowingly, made our children think we are keeping something better from them. Let's think about this for a moment. Most families who homeschool these days are one income families. One income families must live at a lower standard than most two income families. We take less vacations, we eat out less, we own fewer gadgets and toys, and our children may have to do more work themselves, because we can't afford help!! Somehow, I wonder if our own discontent and frustration with these things has rubbed off on our children. And in their narrow understanding, they somehow think that life is better on the "other side". The other possiblity is that we have provoked them to wrath and rather than upset the fruit basket at home, they quietly wait until they are free to pursue the freedom they never received at home.
There is also the possibility that it is just their rebellious sin nature at work and the realities of life will eventually bring them full circle. What are your opinions?

Quality Time

A while back i remember hearing about how the Duggars try to spend an hour one on one with their children each week. I also remember how everyone seemed to be disgusted with this, thinking that it was terrible that each child only spent one hour a week with their parent. It seems that people have short memories. How many families these days spend that with their children when there is only 2.3 children?? I would probably say many. there are so many families where both parents work full-time, and the kids come and go as they please and very little takes place in the way of passing on values or meaningful interaction/conversation. Those who are so hasty to pass judgement on the Duggars must have forgotten that Michelle is of the stay-at-home variety. The younger children are also loved and cared for by older siblings(how is this worse than full-time daycare?). Also, their lifestyle is one of working together, learning together, playing together. Besides, how many only children have looked wistfully at families with lots of siblings and said, "I wish I had some of those!"

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Ya'll know we have four children. In today's day and age that is a larger than normal family. There are other families that are even larger (like the Duggars). Many of the people concerned with overpopulation feel that these families use too much of the world's resources, and that they are selfish to do this.
I used to struggle with how to answer this...no longer.
Several months back, there was a news story about Nicholas Cage foreclosing on his mansion. Did anyone see the gaudy, lavish (and I think ugly) pictures of this money pit? People see large families, (who oftentimes are more concerned with recycling, buying used clothing/household furnishings, drive used cars etc) and assume they are gobbling up too much food, fuel, water etc. But what about these pro-athletes, actors, and musicians who spend grossly on lavish mansions and estates?? And all the fuel, food, and water to upkeep these things?? No one dares speak against those things, or about how fair or unfair it is.
Just an interesting thought.

Watermelons are a Miracle!

How is something that is made of about 85% water so hard?? Need I say more?? Some you have to hack into with a butcher knife! or pumpkins, or squash etc. How does it become so hard when it's mostly water?? I repeat, watermelons are a miracle.