Oh, the Opportunities We Have

Our homeschool meeting was this week.  It was the first time for many of the moms to be there, so each of us stood up, introduced ourselves, said how many kids we had, how many years we've been homeschooling, and what we are looking forward to in homeschooling this year.

There were moms at the meeting that have just started homeschooling and are feeling completely overwhelmed.  They don't know if they are doing this homeschool thing right.  One lady said her little boy is coming home daily with new words he is learning that he should not know.  Her heart is aching for him but she is so concerned about her inadequacies that she is reluctant to take him out of the school system just yet. 

Several mothers gave testimony of losing their children spiritually in the public schools and how they have taken them out and are trying to reestablish a relationship.

Another little girls' first day at school she was shoved down and kicked in the mouth.  Her lip was bleeding so the little girl was given a kleenex and told to go to the bathroom to clean up.  The mother was not informed.  That was the first and last day of school for that little 6 year old girl.

Mothers who are burnt out, excited, fearful, concerned or somewhere in between.  But there was one thing we all had in common.  We love our children.  We want desperately to do the right thing.  We want to protect them from the wretchedness of this world, to shield their eyes and ears from things no one should see or hear much less these impressionable minds.  We want to encourage them in a relationship with our Lord.

What a blessed opportunity we have in homeschooling!  When all is said and done the bond we have formed with our children will mean the most, relationships, good memories.  For the years we have teaching our children let's make them something we enjoy recalling.  Not days of criticizing, nagging and unhappy times, but days of stopping what we are doing when they want to talk, whether it's about dolls, hunting, the stars, whatever.  Taking the time to do something together (planting a garden, hiking, playing a game, making cookies, popsicles, reading a book).  I think it's easy to do some of these things but without our hearts being in it.  I want my children to see just by looking at my face that I delight in them.

Each day, each moment can be a new beginning. As the Japanese proverb says,  “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”  Let's press on, my friend.