We only have a limited time here on earth. A very limited time with our kids at home. What will we do with that time?
Although the Lord gently pushed me into homeschooling, I have no regrets in having invested so much of my time in my children. I could not have chosen another season of my life to focus on them in the same way. The Lord granted me the opportunity, and I am so grateful I took it.
We got to share each morning together learning and reading together on the couch – precious memories indeed. We built up so much quantity time together as we learned together, that our quality time naturally arose out of that.
I believe my time at home with them forged deep bonds between me and each of my children, and between the children themselves. It’s no surprise that I love my children. But I am so grateful that I also really like my children. I love that they can talk to me, John, and each other about heart issues – and they know we’ll listen.
You are in a unique position to truly know your children. You can learn their personalities, their learning styles, their quirks, their joys. What a privilege to help educate them in the context of that close relationship.
"I love that Sonlight focuses on God, Christian morals and history, and has a challenging curriculum. I was a middle school history teacher at a charter school and became frustrated with the way public education is going. I prayed and felt tremendous clarity that as a parent, the greatest responsibility I have is to teach our children the love of God. How could I do that if I only spent a few hours with them in the evenings while focused on cooking dinner or winding down from work?" – Wendy W, Panama City, FL
Here, Whitney (14, Sonlight 200), Ashley (12, Sonlight W) and Mason (10, Sonlight F) pose with Mom and Dad in the South Dakota Badlands during their epic homeschool kickoff trip.
I love that when my kids struggled in learning, I knew them well enough to know how to help them. And even if I didn’t know the answer right away, I knew I had time to stick with it and figure it out. I knew that Justin was extremely distractible and needed a LOT of help moving from one math problem to the next. I knew that Luke had to work very hard at the mechanics of reading, but that his comprehension was through the roof. I knew that Amy loved to check things off lists and feel a sense of accomplishment in her day. And so John and I could tailor their education to them.
As the kids got older, our deep investment in them helped them find their paths in life. You can read about how my homeschooled children found their careers – it wasn’t a straightforward path for any of them. But we got to be a true support to them as they spread their wings. What a blessing!
You may not be able to or even want to give your children all the latest gadgets and everything they say they want. But I do believe you can give your kids what they really want. And I believe homeschooling is a great way to give yourself the space and freedom to truly invest in your kids.
After all, the gift of your presence is what they’ll remember about their childhood anyway. So blessings to you as you do the hard yet beautiful work of investing in your children. Never doubt that your work is meaningful. Enjoy the journey!
Blessings to you and yours,
Sarita
Hi Dayna! Sarita asked if I might respond to your excellent questions. My apologies for not getting this posted until now.
It's tough not to be distracted by all that's going on around you ... especially if you're a bright, inquisitive 8 or 5 year old! I am an old 50-something year old and can be very easily distracted myself.
If you need to go change a diaper, or put your toddler to bed ... maybe give some simple, clear instruction to each of your other children before you leave them alone. "I'd like to see the next 5 Math problems finished when I get back. Then we'll go over them." Or "I'm going to turn on this (educational) DVD for you to watch while I'm gone. Please don't get up until I get back." Some training will obviously need to happen - primarily that when you give them direction, you have the expectation that they'll follow it. :)
I had one child who was easily distracted ... more so than her siblings. So we created her a "work cube". We happened to replace a refrigerator that year, so I grabbed the large box ... cut it down into a three-sided cubicle that would sit on our dining room table ... and it became her "office". I let her decorate the inside with a few pictures, and then whenever she had seatwork to do, that was where she worked. It did help that she couldn't see out the window in the room, and people walking by were less of a distraction.
Overall, it will be a matter of finding the approach that works best for you. Sometimes it just takes trial and error to hit on the right formula for your children.
Please let me reiterate what Sarita shared in her blog post ... you are doing the hard work of making an eternal investment in your children. Never doubt that you are the best person for that "job" ... and keep on keeping on!
Blessings ...
~Judy
I am so thankful for Sonlight and my dear friend who told me about it. I know I will never regret spending my days with my children.
I would love to hear any tips you might have for those kiddos who are easily distractable. We struggle with this on a daily basis with my 8 &5 year old. I also have an 8 month old and often find that while I am chasing him, changing him or putting him to sleep the big kids both just start playing and can't keep focused.