You know those “awards” your classmates hand out at the end of Senior year… “Most likely to succeed”, “Most athletic”, etc. It is a long standing tradition in public school. And if there were an award given for “Most likely to NOT homeschool”, I undoubtedly would haven been awarded it. No question. My dear Shug (a name my husband and I have lovingly bestowed on each other for more than 12 years now – short for “sugar” but spelled differently) felt the call to homeschool our children before they were even born. As Christians in what is currently a very un-Christian world, I wasn’t necessarily against the idea. But this was certainly out of my comfort zone.
I’m a pretty straightforward case for education by the book. I went to public school from Kindergarten through College. In high school, I was the captain of my varsity cheerleading squad and in every musical and theater production possible. I was the epitome of high school production and team spirit. Shug wasn’t much different. He experienced private Catholic elementary school and then public high school where he was a star football player and went on to be recruited to play ball at the Air Force Academy and ultimately toured around Colorado until we met at CU in Boulder during college. We both graduated and I went on to law school and Shug went on to get his MBA. I was a litigator in Denver and he owned a commodities brokerage firm. Probably still not making sense how we got here, is it? Stay with me…
We separately took our turns distancing ourselves from God, living lives not according to His word. But we are walking testaments to Proverbs 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” I grew up in the Protestant church, largely influenced by my grandmother, and Shug grew up Catholic. Despite both being Christians, when we got married, a huge source of tension was religion. We had pressure from family and weren’t in a place where either of us were very solid in our faith. It was a really hard time for both of us, but we both knew that unity in our marriage was important both for us and our future family. Sharing that belief alone strengthened our commitment and the two of us first borns didn’t give up the fight. We spent a lot of time in the word and had countless theological conversations. We found a great church with a wise pastor and plugged in with a couple of small groups, one of which we are still a part of today after 12 years together.
Right around the time we began having children, Shug really amped up his game as the spiritual leader in our household and began to be outwardly convicted of the truth and God’s will for our lives. It was never a question that I would be home with our kids. But adding homeschooling to that was another thing all together. I didn’t feel equipped. Yes, I spent 20 years being educated and have a juris doctor degree. But I questioned my qualifications to teach my old children. Shug and I talked a lot about this and we started doing our due diligence. When our firstborn was only two years old, I read Sam Sorbo’s They’re Your Kids as we drove our first two sons to Branson, Missouri. Sam is the wife of Kevin Sorbo (yep Hercules) and she felt these same sort of emotions and fears as she embarked on the homeschooling journey. The book is a must read for any moms with any apprehension about homeschooling whether you haven’t yet started or have already begun. For me, it was empowering, enlightening and encouraging. I also learned a great deal from IndoctriNation. The documentary explains what is actually taught in schools now and how. It even uncovered a lot of what was taught when I was in school too, but wasn’t quite paying attention.
Even once I felt equipped, I secretly felt insecure about my own forgiveness. Thinking about all my failures and things I’d done in the past. How could someone like me “train them up” the right way? I feared the world and the backlash from people calling out hypocrisy. People close to me. But I’m reminded of Paul’s story and his former life as Saul of Tarsus. In Galatians 1:13 he reminds us of how he persecuted the church. We are not what we have done. We are who God says we are, no one else. And In Christ we are completely forgiven. He “will remember [our] sins no more”. Jeremiah 31:34. At church on Sunday, we were reminded again from Isaiah 43:18-19 “do not dwell on the past”. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
I don’t convince easily. I over-research and over-analyze long before a decision even has to be made. I’d love to say I just felt the Spirit calling me and followed the call. But I just can’t help myself. I’m confident now that this is the path for us, but I’m still learning every day about what this journey looks like. My hope is that this blog will encourage and educate others in an area that can be overwhelming with the vast array of information, options and opinions. If you are just starting out, I’d love to know what your questions are and how I can help. Share with me in the comments below.
