Here We Go!

At TeachAndEquip.com we have found that the best encouragement for Home School families is to hear from other Home School families. Welcome to the first installment of the Moms Teach blog, a resource and forum for Home School Moms. We hope that you will use this blog to share ideas and draw strength from the experiences of other Moms. Please feel free to jot down your stories, ideas, experiences, or even your fears, and send them to MomsTeach@gmail.com.

What better way to kick things off then with an introduction from a new Home School Mom. This submission comes from Cindy, a mother of two beautiful boys and one of the founders of the upcoming www.TeachAndEquip.com Home School resource site. Cindy still feels like a newbie, as she has been a Home School Mom for just over a year. We hope you find her words as encouraging as we did...
  

As a stay at home mom I have always thought of myself as a chef (aka short order cook), chauffeur , housekeeper, Band-Aid distributor, finder of missing items, well the list goes on and on.  But the one title I never thought I would hold would be that of Home School Mom.  I just never thought it was for me.  After all, my son was thriving in a Christian private school.  We were paying good money to ensure he was getting both a great academic foundation as well as a spiritual one.   


Wasn’t that enough?  Wasn’t that the best a parent could provide?  
 
I only had one problem though; God was calling me to Home School.  For more than two years God kept tugging on my heart.  At first it was just a nagging feeling.  But that nagging feeling wouldn’t go away.  It grew stronger.  The more I tried to push it away and ignore it, the more I was overcome with the feelings that homeschooling was our family’s future.  But I didn’t want to Home School.  The reason was simple, fear.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of “messing up” my kids.  Fear of being weird.  I was afraid of absolutely everything about homeschooling.  I have several family members and friends who love homeschooling but there’s something about making that commitment for your own family that is paralyzing.  And yet God wouldn’t let it go.  

Interestingly enough, as I began to open my mind to the possibility of making the jump, He began taking the fear away.  

 How many times have we sat in church or Sunday school and listened to our pastors, teachers or missionaries tell us that when God calls us to do something, He provides and never leaves us?  God wasn’t asking me to sell all of my possessions and move to a remote part of Africa, He was asking me to set aside all of my preconceived ideas and educate my children in our home.  He was calling me to a life where I could spend more time getting to know these incredible people that He entrusted to me.  

 So the more I prayed, the more at peace I became.  I remember the day my husband and I made the decision to go for it.  I told God that if this was His will, that I would trust Him and do so without fear.  After all, if He’s the one orchestrating this whole endeavor, then I'd better put all of my trust in Him.

 Homeschooling is scary.  There are a lot of unknowns and everyday is filled with a new set of challenges.  Fortunately, the Home School community is growing fast.  There are so many experienced Home School Moms and Dads eager to pass on their wisdom.  Also, there are tons of options when choosing curriculum and the social opportunities are limitless.  

 I don’t have all the answers.  But no one does.  I do know that the new changes in our family have been phenomenal.  I get to be present for every moment of my kids’ childhood.  I get to watch them learn new things, overcome challenges, be creative, and discover new passions.  In many years to come when my children are grown, I can’t imagine being regretful of spending so much time teaching, playing and learning with them.  And even though we have our ups and downs, the feeling that I’m exactly where God wants me, doing exactly what He has called me to do, keeps me motivated to make our Home School a success!

Thank you Cindy, and thanks to all of you for reading our first Moms Teach Blog. We need your help to make it the source for Moms that we want it to become. Please send us your story on any Home School Mom topic to MomsTeach@gmail.com


God Bless!