Come as you are

Posted by Tammy | 0 comments

What is your child wearing today?

There are often many articles written about the benefits of homeschooling, but how many talk about the cost saving benefit of NOT having to purchase a back-to-school wardrobe?

The main requirement in our household has been to start the day dressed. We’ve bent that rule when someone is not feeling well or during the years when mom has been up with a baby all night. Most of the time the requirement is adhered to with an occasional reminder to get out of their jammies. However, the term “get dressed” has meant a variety of things through the younger years of our children which I’m reminded of regularly with our youngest who is six years old. I never know who she’ll be when she comes to the kitchen table in the mornings although it typically involves grandma’s jewelry and dress up clothes.

Through the years there’s been pirates, ballerinas, cowboys, princesses, soldiers, pioneers, and a few Disney characters that have worked on math problems, written stories, or labeled maps at the table next to me. Their dress never caused them to skip a beat in their schooling and when the last book was closed they were free to play. If anything, it most likely increased their creativity and definitely increased my sense of humor.

Although that was a season in their younger years, as they grew older I noticed the benefits in other ways. Without the typical peer pressure of fellow classmates they were allowed to become individuals with their own likes and dislikes. They grew comfortable with who they were while developing a healthy self image. The stress of having to dress a certain way, wear their hair in a certain style, have the newest and best only touched them on the edges as they came into contact with others their age. What instead became more noticeable about my children was not the outside stuff, but the inside stuff. They developed character which was often revealed with their smiles and ease of being with others.

So what’s the key? How do you go from a sparkly princess to a confident daughter of the King or from a swarthy pirate to a mighty warrior in God’s army?

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” ~ Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Keeping God’s Word ever before them in all aspects of your daily life helps your children to learn about who God is and how He worked in the lives of people. Common ordinary people filled with imperfections who were used by God for His purposes. The more they know about who God is and His principles for life, the more confident they become of His love and acceptance of who they are as individuals created by Him. They grow from being all dressed up on the outside to having a heart ready and open for Him on the inside. And really, isn’t that the Heart of the Matter?

Married in 1980 and still living in the same house in a woodsy rural setting, Tammy’s homeschooling journey began in the fall of 1987 when her oldest turned six years old. As rather new believers professing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, homeschooling was a way to live out the principles found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Through all the challenges of life Tammy has stayed the course growing to a family with nine children who presently range from preschool age to college graduates married with children. Her role has transitioned from learning everything she could about homeschooling to becoming an encourager to others coming along the way. Please visit Tammy at Garden Glimpses.