HA! I made up a new word!!
Of course, it will not catch on because quite frankly, I don't have that kind of pull on anyone.
And I am okay with that.
What on earth is homelife-ing??!!?Well, it is what our home life looks like. Yes, we homeschool, but it just doesn't look like it is suppose to.
( Excuse me for ending with a preposition.)
It looks more like life. And no, I am not an unschooler. In fact, we are the total opposite as classical educators.
Last week, I had an interesting conversation with a fellow homeschooler.
And then I went to church and had another conversation with someone at church ( not a homeschooler).
And they got me thinking.
Mind you, when I said I had a conversation, they did most of the talking and I listened.
I had plenty to say, but they...well they are not
there yet.
Do I think I am way more spiritually mature than they are??!!?
Um. no.
Just...I walked and am walking a different journey, been dragged through the mud, thorns and gravel, and have come out in a different location. And couldn't/wouldn't go back if I tried.
GOD may be taking them there soon, or not for some more time. OR even at all. They will learn
their lessons, and I will be happy to walk along with them, pray for them, and cheer them on while they go through it, just like my friend did with me.
See.. Christians, in general, are an odd lot.
Homeschoolers are just plain crazy.
I know. I am both.
Funny thing. Not many people are surprised to know I am a Christian. But most people are shocked I am a homeschooler.
I'm back!!
I know, I know. You had no idea I was gone.
I started writing this and then life got in the way. Kids have the nerve of needing me and school work has a way of eating your life away. LOL. No, I am not complaining. I don't just love my kids, I really like them, too, and I love learning, but like any mom, I wish I had a few more hours in a day. Like. maybe. you know. 8 more would do it.
I think.
ANYWAY, back to the conversation about us crazy, odd people.
This particular homeschool mom was lamenting rebellion they are experiencing in their home. I was praying hard in my head, as I was trying so hard not to judge. COME ONE. If my kid did that I would be thrilled!!!! If you think that is rebellion, but you ain't seen nothing yet, mom. He is FIVE! And I wouldn't even say it was rebellion, it was being 5!!!! ( I may have shared that simple idea)
At church a woman was sharing a scary experience they had with a homeless/not well in the head person, and how they escaped but it shook them to the core. Mind you, the homeless man was in the general vicinity, and didn't even know they were there, but it scared them as to what he
might do.
::::sigh:::
WHO ARE WE??!!??!!??!
Are we so afraid of people that we can't be effective anymore? Are we so sheltered that
thoughts of what
might happen scare us??!!??!
::sigh:::
As Christians, my husband and I started our kids at, oh, around 2 months old hanging around the less fortunate. Not just to help, but to see them as people who are just like us. Just maybe not as blessed in the money department. Or the family department. Or the faith department. So what if they smell funny? So what if their clothes are 10 sizes too big? So what if they have no teeth? So what if they are intoxicated? What happened in their life that made them that way? And good grief, what are YOU going to do about it? Isn't this what our GOD talked about?
Isn't this HIS heartbeat?
You are not just going to serve them a meal, you will sit at their table and eat WITH them, talk to them, laugh with them.
It was at moments like this, way back when my oldest daughter was 7, that she spoke to a woman who had run the NYC marathon back in her better days. Chloe thought she was a superstar, and she never forgot.
That morning, when I drove her at 5am the day she herself was going to run it, she reminded me of of this woman. Of how she gave her the vision and here she is. So, this down trodden, useless to society, nobody to most... gave her a vision way back then.
She was her inspiration.
Amazing what happens when you walk along side the 'less' fortunate'.
FAITH and HOPE walk in and if you do it enough, hopefully becomes part of your life. You will never know faith, until you sit with it. Until you walk with it. Until you smell it. Until you love it. Until you live it. It is not doing it once in a while. It is a life style.
It is intentional.
THAT is and has always been our goal. THAT mindset has been the compass of our lives, our homeschooling.
Probably why no one thinks we homeschool.
We tend not to shelter our kids in the conventional ways.
Not that we throw them to the wolves or let them do whatever. And not to say we don't have boundaries.
But we show them life, the good, the bad, the ugly.
Confessions: Sometimes my kids probably wish people didn't know they were homeschooled.
Not that they hated it. They didn't. In fact, my daughter now has 2 beautiful babies and homeschooling is in their future.But not your typical homeschooling. It will probably be homelife-ing.
EXAMPLE:
My kids did not grow up with video games in our home.
Why? TIME WASTERS.
As well as mindless violence.
Did I shelter them from that? Yes, and no. We told them exactly why they were not welcomed in our home, and gave them real reasons. Not because we were afraid of them, but because we are pro life. Because we can't justify the evil. It is never within our acceptability to even play with senseless violence.
Did the boys play these outside our home?
Most certainly.
But they knew where we stood.
They got the truth.
All the time.
But we have a tv. And cable. Suprisingly, only the 15 year old watches it sometimes, and then only to watch political news while doing boring school work. It helps him concentrate. duh.
( I get it for football. Don't call me during a game. Pray for me. )
ALSO:
We refused to have homeschool-only parties, get togethers, meals, football parties, whatever.
REFUSED.
Anyone was welcomed in our home. For anything, at anytime.
Parties? Homeschooled/public schooled/private school kids all over the place.
Will my kids hear things?
Will they learn things before their time?
Yes. And we dealt with it. While they are still at home.
What better way to hone in your battle techniques than in a battle where your teacher is available???
Our kids did not have to agree with us.
But they got the truth. Constantly.
And isn't that the point?
Teaching truth?
Bible studies in our home?
All are welcomed.
I may not agree with some ideologies, but HEY...GOD works in all of us who seek HIM. And uses all of us to teach each other. Every so often, even me. :P
AGAIN:
Bullying.
I taught my kids : bullying is not acceptable for any reason. It flies in the face of everything holy. A no brainer.
BUT I also taught them...if they are bullied, how to deal with it. I gave them confidence, not by emotionally dying inside, but by learning to overcome.
YIKES.
Not PC. But real.
I taught them, if someone belittles you, it is the only way they can lift themselves up. Which makes them very needy/insecure and deserving of your prayers, or at least your pity.
YUP:
I am not a fan of our only Christian station in our state. There you go. My evil. In fact, don't love it so much, that I will only listen to it if NOTHING ELSE is on AND I AM BORED STUPID. Even then I will sometimes turn off the radio completely, rather than turn it on. Yes, I love certain Christian music. But not most. There is so much god-fluff in music lately. Yes, I did not capitalize god because quite frankly, I am not sure which god they are talking about; they make him seem so 'friendly', he has ceased to be holy, righteous and all-powerful.
I rather listen to secular music. At least they are real in their content, whether good or bad. ( Again, only certain music; boundaries on the crud, too)
But seriously, I am all about talk radio.
Teaching kids discernment is detrimental. Just because it has a 'Christian' label or title, well...
FINALLY:
My oldest has probably lost count of how many tattoos he has. Though he took out all his piercing when he became a missionary, he had plenty of those, too.
But you should see his heart. <3 You should hear him call me and talk about his wife. <3 You should see his work ethic. You should hear his laughter.
You should see my daughter's heart. You should see what kind of mommy she is. What kind of wife she is becoming as she allows HIM to shape her for HIS glory. You should see that amount of time and effort she puts into
setting girls free from the slave trade.
You should see the 14 year old almost trip over himself to help out a person in need, no matter whether they are well dressed or being dragged out to be beaten up. He has expressed he wouldn't mind living out the rest of hs life in Africa. If HE desires it. He can be so harsh and disrespectful, but then come back 5 minutes later asking forgiveness with a contrite heart and humbled soul.
And the girls. I can write pages and pages on their little hearts for HIM.
This is not about me.
When I see what I have to offer them, it makes me gag.
Quite frankly, all I could do is point them to HIM.. And there in lies our homeschooling efforts.
They did not go to great colleges.
They have nothing worldly to offer.
THANK GOD!!!!
And yes, I thank HIM everyday.
They have living faith.
And in the end, that is all that matters.
That has been and is our homeschooling journey for our children, from the 28 year old down to the 5 year old.
If I taught them academics and not Truth, I failed them.
And I failed HIM.
If our vision was on (worldly) success, I failed them.
And I failed HIM.
If they scaled spiritual, financial, academic or any kind of mountains, but cheated by doing it on the backs of the 'less fortunate', I failed them.
And I failed HIM.
Nope, we are not your typical homeschool Christian family.
And I am thankful.
We will let people take advantage of us.
It is what HE does.
We will most likely put our kids in what some perceive as dangerous situations (we have) but HE is in control.
We never want to shelter to the point where HE could not use them.
We can take humiliation, for the most part.
Sometimes our humanity gets in the way. :(
And we never know what HIS plan for our children will look like. Will it look like it 'should'? Probably not.
BUT we let it be HIS, not ours.
And we did the best we could with leading them to the cross.
The rest is theirs. And HIS.
In the end, I don't care if we EVER look like typical homeschoolers.
BUT may HE always be evident in all we do.
( HE won't. We will fail HIM.)
BUT...
HE IS FAITHFUL!!!
