This year we’ve been building on the idea that we’re all homeschool pioneers. Each one of us is pioneering a path forward for our family. We began with understanding the need for a vision in the Spring issue. Without a vision, you don’t know where you’re going. Next, we looked at the necessity of courage in order to carry that vision out, with the Summer issue. Now, we’re exploring the very important topic of leadership and what it means to be a good leader. As a homeschool parent, blazing this trail on behalf of your family, you are a leader.

Our starting place for this topic must begin with the Leader of Leaders and His promise to guide us.

To trust is defined as “having a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” Synonyms for trust include confidence, certainty, and sureness. Sometimes when we think of trust, we can put it in the category of “well, I’m just going to have to trust God!” Which is more like, since I don’t have control, I’ll have to let it go and pray it all works out. That is not trust. Trust is firm. Trust says, I know God is with me! I know He’s for me. I know He will help me. Trust is relational. We trust in Him because we know who He is for us. It is greatly helped when we consider past experiences of His faithfulness to us and also the testimonies of others. This is why it’s so important to see the stories in this magazine and know God will also be faithful to you.

Homeschooling is really all about trust. The amount of questions that arise and discernment needed just as a parent is huge, now add in education . . . It’s a recipe for stress and anxiety. Even those who were educators often tell me at conventions of their troubles because there is no formula that produces a guaranteed outcome. It will be a journey with lots of choices to make and obstacles to overcome. We need to expect this. We also need to expect that at every turn, with every obstacle, God has a solution ready. So instead of stress, we can actually have peace. Peace in knowing that the God who created the world is also the God who says to:

You are so not alone. You don’t have to know everything. What a relief! Just trust the One who does know everything, and He will lead you forward.

With this issue, we complete the theme for the year. Next year, we have some exciting plans to come alongside you with support for a year of homeschooling boldly. Make sure you’re signed up as a digital issue subscriber to receive the Holiday Edition (digital only) that will be released the first week of December. We appreciate you and pray you are blessed in this season and the one to come. The next print edition you’ll receive will be our Spring issue of 2021 centered on developing boldness.

It’s hard, isn’t it, to say yes—to trust, to risk? Yet, our trust and risk are vital to our children learning how to be responsible. Responsibility is a part of leadership. As parents of young children, we play an essential role in the training, modeling, and empowering that fosters skills our children need to be leaders.

“I respect you enough to believe you are capable of following my directions without me having to beg you or talk sweetly to you. I’m not inviting you into a negotiation. I’m giving you a direction and I expect you to follow it.” Kids feel safe when someone is in charge and sets clear limits without pleading or threatening.

It’s confidence. It’s self-respect. I’m a grown adult and I know what’s best for you. But I’m not going to beg, plead or ask you fourteen times. Nor am I going to lose my temper when you don’t listen and resort to yelling and threatening. I’m simply going to tell you, expect that you’re capable, and then follow through by quietly taking action if you don’t do what I ask you to do. There’s no drama, no yelling, nothing personal here.

As a woman who has served in many leadership roles, I believed it was my responsibility as a mom to prepare my children for future leadership roles God might call them to—even if it was to lead themselves. I nurtured these traits by teaching them what I learned about the ebbs and flows of leading others.

As a homeschool mom, I found many opportunities for my five children to serve in leadership roles throughout their high school years. Whether they were the captain of their sports team or directing plays and leading youth groups, those small roles gave them valuable experience. Because they learned how to lead in their teen years, they weren’t afraid to take on more prominent leadership roles in college, at church, and, now, in their vocations.

Your children are changing during their high school years. They are becoming young adults who are preparing to take their place in the world. The exciting part is that you will play an integral part in this process. With your help, they will learn to discern where they should serve and for how long. However, not all leadership roles are a good fit for your children. So, I’ve created points you might consider before allowing them to step into leadership.

In groups on social media, it’s not uncommon for moms to ask about curriculum to teach communication or critical thinking or a host of other soft skills. These skills are often the best ones to teach not with a pre-made curriculum, but with those things you already have available—in your home, on the internet, through the people they know, and at the library. All you really need are a few ideas and an intentional mindset to get started.

Through the years, my sons were able to read some great literature. Books like Carry On, Mr. Bowditch and The Bronze Bow taught them about the character traits leaders need, such as perseverance and self-control. Both of them are now Eagle Scouts and had many opportunities through the years to take on various leadership roles through that organization. I’m so thankful for the youth leaders at our church who provided godly examples for my sons to see—other men who came alongside them when life was difficult and shared how to walk through tough times. Now I see my sons doing the same with others in their spheres of influence.

As the plot unfolds, young readers participate in a farm tour led by animals that try to distract a busy spider from her hard work of spinning. She courageously declines each animal’s request, following through with her task until at the end of the story, when she captures a fly for dinner. The moral of this story is strong, yet presented gently—hard work pays off. Even the youngest of readers catches a glimpse of the rewards a solid work effort can produce in the face of distraction.

Stress and squabbling aside, election season also offers an opportunity to reflect on the qualities of good leadership. Do you consider yourself a leader? Regardless of whether or not you see yourself as one, you are a leader if nowhere else than your home and school. And your followers—your children—are learning leadership skills from you. Make those lessons count!

Stress and squabbling aside, election season also offers an opportunity to reflect on the qualities of good leadership. Do you consider yourself a leader? Regardless of whether or not you see yourself as one, you are a leader if nowhere else than your home and school. And your followers—your children—are learning leadership skills from you. Make those lessons count!

Strong, wise leaders have the potential to effect change in our communities, our country, and the world. When we look around, it’s painfully clear that there is a desperate need for this. As homeschooling parents, we have an unusual opportunity to encourage leadership skills in our kids. But how do we do that?

I ran across a quote recently that said, “Be stubborn about your goals, but flexible about your methods,” and the first thing that came to mind was homeschooling.

Too often we think of leadership through a narrow lens of qualities such as strength, perseverance, and character. When we do this as parents, we miss some of the traits that get little fanfare or recognition. Two traits of great leadership for the tech savvy parent are planning and protecting.

You can most assuredly plan to fail if you fail to plan. That may be a tongue twister, but consider what this looks like when it comes to the screens in your child’s life. According to Common Sense Media:

• Teenagers now spend nine hours each day in front of media.
• Children from ages eight to twelve spend six hours per day in front of media.
• Typical teenagers now spend two hours every day of their lives just using social media.

Nielson Research reports that the average teen sends 3,000+ text messages every month. An alarming new study from Influence Central finds that the typical child now receives his or her first smartphone at the age of ten!

In light of that truth, I’ve written two articles for two audiences.