Real-Life Homeschooling

Enhanced – read by the author

with
Ashley Wiggers

Uniquely Suited

I love talking with different families about how they chose to homeschool. One family we spoke with recently told us about their missionary adventures. The young girl being homeschooled was learning about things most adults don’t understand. She knows how to eat a meal she doesn’t recognize in order to honor the culture and those who made it. She knows what it’s like to sleep in less comfortable conditions than home. She knows how to pray for people in need and wants to share Christ the best she can to help others come to know Him. This young woman is so confident in herself. She knows who she is. She knows her value and has no doubts about being loved by her parents and the God who made her.

In this day and age, I find that to be incredible.

We all have our own version of real-life homeschooling. There are job constraints on some, and others are in such rural areas they may feel like they don’t have the same opportunities most have. Families who travel worry that their kids are missing out on normal life. But the ones with job constraints are teaching their children about hard work and responsibility. The ones without as many opportunities nearby are teaching their children about contentment and the beauty of finding joy in a more relaxed lifestyle. Those who travel are learning lessons from a life full of adventure.

If any of the families mentioned above were to try to cover all the bases, they would lose exactly what it is that makes them uniquely suited for this time and the path God has set before them.

What makes your family unique? What has God called you to that your kids get a front row seat in watching Him work? These could be things you worry will somehow hamper your children’s future. Ask the Lord to show you how they are not obstacles but the very things that will shape your children into the people God created them to be.

Maybe you’re thinking, our family doesn’t really have a unique pursuit. We’re just normal. Well then, aren’t you teaching your children about consistency and faithfulness? Aren’t you showing them how to live on a daily basis? Personally, I can’t say my kids have any special or remarkable attributes that would make them stand out in a crowd. But I know the rhythm of life we follow is teaching them lessons every day that are preparing them for their futures.

“None of us can do it all. We can only be who we’re supposed to be and realize the pressure to be anything else is not of God.”

I remember talking to a young mom at a homeschool convention years ago who was trying to do all the things. She spent hours upon hours searching for the best curriculum for her kids. She had them in music lessons and foreign language classes. And still she looked to me with the question that plagued her: Is this enough? I asked how old her kids were.

Seven and five was her response.

There’s this dangerous thought out there that if you start earlier, your kids will end up ahead. Is that really our goal? I asked her if she enjoyed homeschooling. I’ll never forget the way she looked at me. As if that was the last thing on her list. I wonder, where is she now? Did she realize she was missing this journey with her kids before it was too late?

This reminds me of an article my mom wrote called Safety from the Tidal Wave of Overachievement. Here’s a small excerpt:

“I fear that the new wave of overachievement has begun washing ashore in the ranks of Christian homeschooling. No longer does it seem adequate to desire a pleasant relationship with our children and a peaceful home environment where learning is natural, trusting God to raise up a child for His perfect calling. Now homeschooling parents are made to feel behind if their child is not pursuing some sort of accelerated achievement in academics, sports, the arts or a combination of the above. The worst crime of our day seems to be to raise a child with unfulfilled potential, yet the Author of the potential must be trusted enough to bring about the development in His timing without a great deal of stress and striving on our part.

It is my prayer that you will protect your children from the destructive pressures of overachievement. It is my hope that you will step away from the voices in homeschooling that tell you that it is your job to produce, one way or another, children who will impress the world. It is my belief that God has created a perfect plan for you and your children and the sign of that plan is peace. No matter how challenging or different your child’s path in life is to be, that will be the path of peace for you and your family. The outcome does not rest on your shoulders. He will accomplish with peace what our strivings cannot. He is faithful to His callings and faithful to the called, both to you and your children.”

– Debbie Strayer (Mom)

None of us can do it all. We can only be who we’re supposed to be and realize the pressure to be anything else is not of God.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

– Matthew 6:33 ESV

There’s only one thing to seek after. If we seek Him first, we’ll find we’re exactly where we need to be and that’s all that matters.

shley Wiggers grew up in the early days of the homeschooling movement. She was taught by her late mother, Debbie Strayer, who was an educator, speaker, and the author of numerous homeschooling materials. It was through Debbie’s encouragement and love that Ashley learned the value of being homeschooled. Currently, Ashley is the co-executive editor of Homeschooling Today magazine, public relations director for Geography Matters, and the author of the Profiles from History series. Ashley makes her home in Lutz, FL, with her supportive father, Greg, her loving husband, Alex, their precious sons, Lincoln and Jackson, along with their newest blessing, baby Ruby.

Back to Issue