It’s for the best that I don’t live near a large city. If I did, I know I would be pulled as to which activity to enroll my kids in.
It seems that everything has a “homeschool day” in addition to all the other piles of opportunities available in the city. Actually, I enjoy living an hour away from the city. It limits what we do outside the home, keeping us close as a family. We aren’t running off in different directions trying to get one kid to baseball practice while another has a swim lesson. Sure, we do have them involved in activities once in a while when one of our children show genuine interest, but it is not the norm, nor do we want it to be. We have made the choice to teach our kids at home by being home. We do go out several times a month with other homeschoolers to different events or just to simply get together but we find it important to limit our outside activities so we can focus on what we need to at home.
Many parents feel the need to sign their kids up for every possible sport, class or activity for the sake of socialization. It tires me out just thinking about it. My take on the issue is to figure out one thing that each of my children is truly interested in and invest in that. In a society where the home is so broken apart, we need to be aggressive in our attempts to keep the family together.
The struggle lies in the fact that many homeschooling parents are pioneers. Some come from broken homes and are learning as they go. Others were latchkey kids whose parents provided for them but weren’t there on a regular basis to provide the emotional support a child needs while growing up. How does a pioneer homeschooling parent do it? What do they do when they so desperately want to provide for their children with what they never had as a kid?
They fight for what they want for their family.
They fight because that’s what we are in, a battle. Our minds are trained to think one particular way. We have to constantly make choices, each day, as to whether we are going to go along with what we know or try a new way.
If you are determined to make reading the Bible together a priority in your family, just do it. Set aside time to sit together, as a family, and read the Bible. New habits are not easily formed, but once they are established they aren’t easy broken! If you are used to being criticized as a child then you might need to become aware of the words you speak to your own children and make sure they are uplifting. If you are used to being on the go, maybe it’s time to slow down and focus on responsibilities at home. We may assume these things will come naturally to us but that is not always the case. When we hold our newborn in our arms we are filled with love and joy but when our buttons start to be pushed, or new expectations are placed on us, the “real us” begins to emerge. Be strong, bold and vigilant in changing the behaviors that so easily beset you.
The fight for the family is a difficult one but an important one. There is nothing wrong with sending our kids outside the home for a brief period of time as long as they are strengthened and encouraged while in the home as much as possible. Be sure you know who they are spending time with when they are out and what they are being taught, especially when with other adults. Make the home a welcoming place that your children want to be, a place of comfort and kindness. The time we have with our kids is short, we need to learn to cherish and enjoy it the best we can!
