When my wife and I were expecting our first child we had the normal conversation that all expectant parents have. We talked about our dreams for our children. How we wanted to provide them with every opportunity possible. How we wanted to ensure that every dream they had would come true.
We also talked about the things we didn’t want. One big thing we agreed on was homeschooling. I was homeschooled and while I turned out perfectly fine, went on to college and graduate school and obtained a masters degree, I know of many who did not. We talked about wanting the structure that public school would provide and that they would be exposed to things that as a homeschooled child, I was not.
Fast forward many years and ironically we are a happy homeschooling family. Both kids are doing fine, have great social skills and are flourishing both emotionally and academically. The biggest reason we decided to homeschool is because we originally put our oldest in public school and the exposure we had so desperately wanted for her, was exposure to things no five year old should know about.
Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it.” My parents did just that, and now my wife and I are following their example. So many people think that this verse means that if you take your kids to church they will be good Christians. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Of course that is part of it, but more, if you use every teachable moment to teach them about God and His love, they will cherish that love and learn to depend on it in the hard times.
What we realized was two things. First, that in the public school system they weren’t going to have a Christ centered education. Second, we were missing a ton of teachable moments. We have has so many opportunities to talk about how God works his plan and you can see it through studying history. How His plan for the world is evident in creation and that by studying science you can learn about God. How each person is fearfully and wonderfully made and that by studying social sciences you can see why God made us all different but how those differences coalesce into the body of Christ.
We have no doubt that homeschooling has been the right choice for our family.
An Ordinary Methodist 