What School Do They Go To?

Posted by Brenda | 0 comments

There are two things that I avoid bringing up to someone that I first meet. Simply because, I immediately get labeled as the most patient woman in the world and that’s a lot of pressure to put on someone, especially someone who blows her lid quite frequently. If the infamous two questions are asked the conversation inevitably takes a U-turn and the questions start firing! If I happen to be in a particular mood then they can get uncomfortable.

“He’s so cute. Is he your first?”
No, we actually have five children, he’s the youngest.

“What school do they all go to?”
Well, we homeschool.

Screeeeeeeeeeech! That’s the sound of the conversation turning and the same ignorant homeschool questions start flying. “Do you have to have a degree to homeschool?, Why do you homeschool?, How do you know what to teach?, How do you do it all?, Are you going to homeschool through highschool?, Will you need help? You poor thing, do you get out much?….”

Then, I usually hear about how I must be the most patient woman in the world and how they could never do it because their children are monsters and drive them nuts. Little do they know that patience is my life-long goal, because I don’t have it mastered yet. It’s a little joke that God and I keep going between us. He gives me a lot of opportunities to conquer patience each day. So, what is it that keeps me happy to be a homeschool mother of five, if so many other moms would rather pat theirs on the head and send them off to a classroom full of 30 other little monsters? Is it that I like being challenged by God’s little joke on me every day?

When I think about the reason that I homeschool, I am reminded that I was called by the Lord. My immature, inexperienced flesh was called to follow the direction of the Lord. I said yes. And, I haven’t looked back since. There have been many difficulties along the way, but as long as I remain open to growth and refinement then I have nothing to fear. So, its not MY strength or MY patience, but it is the strength of the Lord that I rely on daily to homeschool my children. So, the answer that I give in the line of firing questions is “By the grace and strength of the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weaknesss. Most gladly, therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Brenda is a homeschooling mother of 5, who has a wonderful husband encouraging her to be the best woman that God has created her to be. Together they are very intentional about spending time together as a family. She considers her daily life with her children as her ministry and has found many avenues to encourage others to live a lifestyle of learning. She is the founder of an online homeschool community, Our Lifestyle of Learning and a curriculum review site authored by a group of well-known homeschool bloggers, Curriculum Choice. She blogs about their homeschool journey and family traditions at Tie That Binds Us.