I’m sure that at one time or another, we have all discussed or read about the beauty of non-age segregated teaching in our home school journey.  It is a beautiful thing to see home school families and home school groups do things together regardless of age differences.  I love watching older children interact with younger children and act as mentors to them.  On the other hand, I love the energy and imagination that rubs off on teens when they are around younger children.

BUT, when it comes to mothers, I’ve observed something.  A lot of us tend to stick to groups of mothers who are around our own age and in the same stage of life.  There are lots of reasons for that:  children the same age, same types of challenges, same stages in the journey.  I get that!  Totally!  It’s comfortable. It’s where you are now. Empathy abounds. However it may not be where the most wisdom or motivation abounds.

We all need fellowship and encouragement!  We all need friends!  And I think we would be wise to think a bit outside of the “age and stage” box when seeking those friendships.  Why? Well, by only “hanging” with mothers my age and at the same place in the journey, I am missing out from what I can glean and gather from the experiences and wisdom of mothers older than me and from the energy, creativity, and fresh ideas of the mothers who are younger than me.

“In the multitude of counselors there is safety.” 

I’ve been visiting lots of blogs and websites lately as I wade into the world of Heart of the Matter.  Guess what?  The blogs and websites that I seem to gain the most encouragement, inspiration, and motivation from have writers who are in stages other than my current one.

“Let no man despise thy youth.”

I’ve been homeschooling for 19 years now and this year I turn 50 (please don’t tell anyone).  I have three grown sons and an 8^th grade son at home so I still have 5 more years of homeschooling ahead of me.  What a JOY it is to read blogs of younger mothers who have exciting new ideas, energy, and inspiration to share with me and to inspire me to continue to be creative in my homeschool journey.  I can learn so much from those younger than me.

“These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children”

On the other hand, there are mothers, (albeit not so many) that are older than me who also blog and share their insights regarding being a wife, mother, and home educator.  OH…how I wish there were more “older women” who were willing to continue to be involved in home education circles, so that they could mentor all of us who are still on that journey.  I wish they would hang around us a lot more and share all that they have to offer. They have so much to give.

I’ve been encouraged to broaden my horizons in this area. As we read, share, blog, and post……let’s be sure that we aren’t limiting ourselves to only those bloggers and writers who are at the same point in their journey.  Let’s expand our horizons!  Let’s glean from one another no matter what the age and stage differences may be.

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Lori and John Lane have been married 29 years and live on a ranch in the beautiful Colorado Rockies where John coaches the local high school baseball team, runs the ranch, and works with Artios Academies. (www.artiosacademies.com)They have four sons ranging in age from twenty-six down to fourteen, two beautiful daughter-in-loves, and a precious granddaughter. Lori is the author of the book, Beginning With The End In Mind, and the executive director of Artios Academies. You can follow Lori at www.theendinmind.net where she blogs about a variety of topics including life on the ranch, arts education, a Biblical worldview of education, home education and more.  Her blog also offers many free resources to encourage you on your journey.