Homeschooling with Joy

"I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete" John 15:11

I am writing this as a reminder to myself...

Last spring when I attended the Midwest Homeschool Conference, a speaker mentioned something about home education being a sacrifice on the part of the mother.  She said that she went to a home education graduation event, and each graduate spoke of how much his or her mother sacrificed to home educate.  The speaker made an excellent point, she said she didn't want her children to view her in that light, she wanted her children to see that she had great joy in walking the education path along with them.

After I spent some time pondering that idea, I really had to agree.  I want my kids to remember our homeschooling journey as one that we took together.  I want them to know that I am grateful for every minute that we are together, even those minutes when I am quite positive my head is going to explode!  My prayer is that when our children look back on their time at home, learning and living together, that they remember a joyful mother, not a mom adding education as another item on the to do list for the day.

It is so easy to fall into the "I do so much around here for you and you aren't one bit grateful!" {Not that I have ever said that, of course ;)}   And adding the task of education on top of all the other things that moms are responsible for is a heavy load.  Whether we are moms with a small family, large family, working mom family, whatever - moms are busy!

If, I am constantly reminding myself, and all those around me, what I am "giving up" to educate my children, then frankly, maybe my children would be better off in a different learning environment.  I am not a more dedicated or devoted mom because I happen to homeschool, God has chosen a different path for our family and I need to remember to embrace this difference with JOY!  It is a privilege to be able to take a walk on a windy afternoon with all my children, as the school bus rumbles by filled with kids on their way home from their first day of school.

Life is busy, filled with chaos, and a long list of "to-do's" every.single.day.  However, guiding my children on their walk with the Lord, as well as their educational path is not one of drudgery and sacrifice, but one filled with joy.