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Our Leap of Faith
By Michelle T.
This was one thing I never thought we would do. In fact, my oldest child, a boy, was so active and all over the place that I couldn't wait to send him to kindergarten. It was to public school too. Although both my husband and I were Christians, education was just something we never really worried about. We were in a good school district and that was what mattered.
My son began kindergarten with much excitement; all day, every day he went and he seemed to really like it. However, I started noticing things, like why did he suddenly not like the shoes this week that he loved last week? What was wrong with that adorable red raincoat I bought for him? Social things, my husband and I just hadn't thought of. Then of course, we had days of attitude that we hadn't had before. He also came home asking about colorful language he had heard.
During this time, my best friend and her husband were being convicted that their children did not belong in public school. As they delved into the various possibilities, she shared her findings with me. I didn't get too excited about it because I knew I could never do it. My husband was not for the idea either. Seeds were planted though.
The Lord moved our family to another part of the state. We were very excited because we were moving back home and our children would be attending school with their cousins. We all thought that would be so much fun. My sister and brother in law did not experience the same social pressures that we felt our son did in his previous school. Our son attended school for the remainder of 1st grade and all of 2nd grade. Our daughter attended the same school for kindergarten. It was great. We were two blocks from the cousins and two blocks from school and they could go together.
What we learned that year and a half is that all children are different! Big surprise! While our niece and nephew had never experienced any negative social behavior, our son seemed to attract it. He would come home and tell me stories and ask me questions that would make me blush.
Then there was the morning rush to get the kids out the door. The after school rushes to see how the day was before they could go out and play. You know, the how was your day? Fine, can I play with? I was feeling like I was losing my son. Even though he always brought the questionable stuff to me, Thank You Lord, I felt like we did not have much of a relationship anymore. Where, one time, I could not wait to send him to public school; I began to wish I could keep him home and homeschool him and my daughter.
My best friend who I mentioned earlier would tell me how close their family had become and the changes in her children and in her. I wanted those changes for our family. I wanted our home to be their haven, their resting-place, to build a relationship with all our children that would not happen otherwise. I wanted them to be learning about the Lord all day every day. The Lord put a real desire in my heart to homeschool. My husband was slower in coming around. After months of prayer on both our parts we began our homeschool journey.
It has been a real blessing to our family. We have watched our children blossom and grow in their faith in the Lord. We have become closer. An added benefit, is that they are friends with each other and with their 3-year-old sister and baby brother. If they were in public school, they would not know each other very well. They would all go in their own direction. My husband and I praise the Lord for bringing us down this path. I am writing this even after a week where I repeatedly said I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me.
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