3 Reasons Why We Homeschool

The title says it all! No preamble necessary.

1. Because money isn’t everything. A lot of moms have told me they can’t homeschool because they can’t afford to live on one income. For most people that’s not entirely true. It’s a fact that if certain families lived on a single income then they could not afford nice vacations or shopping for new clothes or toys as often. Maybe they couldn’t see movies or eat at their favorite restaurants as frequently as they once did.
   
   When we went from a two-income couple to a single-income family, we absolutely had to make budget adjustments. But we have decided that eating out once or twice a month is plenty, taking one big trip a year is as exciting as taking two or three, and we still look good even though we don’t buy a new wardrobe each year.
   
   I’d like to think my kids are growing up to be MORE grateful because when we do get to go eat out, or take a trip, or get a new pair of shoes, or see a movie, or buy a toy…it’s way more exciting precisely because these things don’t happen often. They’re special treats.
   
   I want my kids to realize how very much we have, so we talk nearly every day about how cool it is that we get to have such basics as clean clothes, yummy food, toys, fun trips, a safe house, and a cozy bed, because there are millions around the world who don’t have them.
   
   It’s not enough to know that we’re exceptionally blessed that we have the essentials (and then some). I want my kids to help those who don’t have as much as us, so we donate money and goods to organizations that give to the needy, and we personally help people who are in tight spots. My kids have personally been a part of giving groceries to a family whose pantry was empty, holding a diaper and clothes drive for a family who was taking in four foster kids at once, and giving love and friendship to a mentally and physically disabled neighbor who lived alone. These and other experiences have enriched my kids’ lives and made them better humans than any amount of money ever could. So, being a single-income family has allowed me the time and opportunity to show my kids what a truly RICH life looks like…and it has virtually nothing to do with money.
   
   Oh, and academics. Sometimes we do academics. But the character stuff is most important.
   
   
2. Because postmodernism is dumb. You’re the result of random, unguided processes and there’s no purpose for your existence. There’s no such thing as an absolute right or wrong. There are fifteen genders. A woman should have the right to end the life of her own unborn child. There is no God.
   
   These are just a few of the “facts” taught in schools these days. And that doesn’t even include what our kids might be learning from their peers: “porn is okay; watch this video on my phone”; “my older sister has a sugar daddy; want to know what they do?”; “your parents don’t have a right to tell you what to do with your own body”; “have you ever tried these pills? Just try one.”
   
   There is NOTHING on earth I can do with my time that would be more important than keeping them away from this vileness. Period.
   
   Whatever my pursuit may be – my education, a career, a hobby – it is NOT more noble than protecting the precious little hearts and minds of my children from the world’s evils.
   
   True, from the day they’re born they’re surrounded by lies and evil. I cannot keep them from it forever. But why throw them directly into it and expect them to counter it, successfully, by themselves? While they’re young, at least, I must be there when evil confronts them, to tell them “This is not right. This is why. Here’s the truth. I love you too much to let you believe lies about yourself or your world.”
   
   Someone is teaching your kids “truths” every single day. Do those “truths” exactly align with yours? Do you even know what they’re learning in school? Mama, if you’re their teacher, guide, and protector, YOU get the invaluable privilege (really, a duty) of shaping their worldview and teaching them what is true and right. Don’t expect anyone else to do it for you.
   
   Proverbs 22:6 commands parents (not anyone else) to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
   
   
3. Because I want us to actually get along. “My kids won’t listen to me.” This is the reason I’m most frequently given for why moms don’t homeschool. Every time a mom says this to me, I have to restrain myself from shaking her shoulders and shouting, “WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?! Your kids don’t listen to you because you allow them to get away with not listening to you!”
   
   Then I have to further keep myself from screaming in my irritated Mom voice: “Do you think only moms with angelic children homeschool? Nope. We learn how to expect obedience and attention from our children, who are naturally just as crazy and defiant as your kids! It’s not easy, but it’s necessary!”
   
   Finally, I bite my tongue to keep from saying, in a breathless and high-pitched voice, “Are you really going to let your kids not listen to you, EVER?”
   
   Instead of screaming any of the above, I say calmly, “My kids didn’t want to listen to me at first, either. But over time they learned that I had both the authority and the duty to guide them gently. In time, they came to realize that when I say, ‘come to the table, guys!’ we were going to spend a bit of time together learning something new, and probably even fun. Now, whenever they’re curious about something, they know they can come to me and we can explore it together.”
   
   I can’t tell you how many times the boys and I have been playing outside and one of them notices a bug or fungus or plant or weather phenomenon, they ask about it, and it prompts hours of investigation in books and online. It’s organic learning. And it’s fun.
   
   Other times they see or hear something confusing, or sad, or shocking. They inquire about it, we discuss it, and they can process it with facts that are congruent with our worldview and the truths of reality.
   
   My kids know that I am on-call literally 24/7 so they can come to me with absolutely any question or concern. Teachers, guidance counselors, and peers – many of whom do not share our family’s faith or worldview – are not the ones I want my children to be forced to go to for information because I’m unavailable due to my educational or career aspirations.
   
   Homeschooling has made me a better person, since I’ve been forced to become more patient, think more creatively, manage my time more wisely, and be more relaxed. It’s taken time, effort, tears, and LOTS of prayer, but homeschooling has become a joy for our family.