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Homeschooling eight children isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s one of the greatest blessings of our life. When we first felt the tug to homeschool, I had no idea how much it would shape our family, deepen our faith, and stretch me in ways only God could sustain. In this post, I want to share why we still choose to homeschool our large family (after 15 years!), and why we’re committed to this calling, even when it’s hard.
Story Time
When our oldest daughter was around 4 years old, my husband told me he wanted to homeschool our kids. My first response was, “No.” That’s it. Just no. You see, I just knew that if I was to homeschool our kids, it would take away all of my “me” time. I wanted to be able to send my kids to school all day, do whatever I wanted while they were gone, and then enjoy them for a bit when they got home in the evenings.
Even though I had told my husband no, he did eventually convince me to pray about it. And I did. I began praying about homeschooling our children, which then led to researching homeschooling and asking questions of others who homeschooled. It seemed that I could not get homeschooling out of my mind! It was all I could think about and I just wanted to know more.
The Lord is Working
As our daughter grew closer to “school” age, I gave in and decided that we would try it for a year and see how it went. If it didn’t go well, I could always put her into school the following year with no harm done.
What I didn’t know at the time was that God had different plans. In that first year of homeschooling my daughter, there were a lot of tears shed. It was hard and frustrating at times. But the Lord used that year to grow me in ways I would not have imagined. By the end of the school year, I couldn’t imagine sending my young precious child away for the day. I enjoyed having her around and absolutely loved learning with her!
Thus began our homeschool journey and we have never looked back, or regretted one single moment. Homeschooling has become a regular, blessed part of our lives and I can’t imagine life any other way. I feel so privileged to be able to homeschool my children. I get to see them grow each day, celebrate the victories with them, cry with them when they are sad, disciple them through life’s toughest times and in all of it I get to point them to Jesus.
A Calling, Not Just a Choice
For us, homeschooling wasn’t just about academics or convenience. It was a calling. My husband first felt the Lord leading us to disciple our children at home building a foundation of faith that would last far beyond the school years. I, on the other hand, did not feel this way at the beginning. But the Lord has been so kind to see that wonderful opportunity he has given us to shepherd our children’s hearts towards Christ. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.“
How can we teach the things of the Lord to our children diligently if our children are gone for 8 hours each day? We are told to talk about them when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. These are the things we do in our lives every single day. My years with my children are so short and I want to make sure they are used well.
Faith Centered Learning
In our homeschool, Jesus is at the center of everything. Whether we’re studying math or history, we want our kids to see how God’s hand is in it all. Homeschooling gives us the freedom to teach from a biblical worldview and to pause the lesson when hearts need shepherding.
What an incredible blessing this has been! I am so thankful that when my kids were little and having a complete meltdown because they are angry about something, I was there to teach them the right way to handle those emotions. Rather than the secular school system teaching them nonsense, I’ve been about to point them to Christ and their need for him.
Family Time
Homeschooling has given our family so much more time together! As my kids get older and start becoming independent, doing things like driving, getting a job, moving out, and getting married, I have become so much more thankful for our choice to homeschool. Having my children with me each day has been a gift of the Lord and I am so thankful for it. I can never get that time back and I am glad I didn’t waste it by sending them away for several hours each day.
Customizing for Every Child
Each of our children is uniquely made by God. Homeschooling allows us to tailor their education to fit how they learn best, whether that’s through reading, hands-on work, or one-on-one instruction. We’ve had fast learners, struggling readers, and everything in between. Homeschooling has given us the margin to meet them where they are. If my kids were in public school, some of my kids would be marked as “behind” or “challenged”. The reality is that everyone learns differently. And the way we learn does not determine how smart we are. I want my children to be who God created them to be, not a cookie cutter public school product.
Protecting My Children
Children have such an innocence about them. They are sweet (for the most part) and enjoy learning about everything. All of the, “Why?” questions they ask are because they are curious about how things around them work. Because I want to keep my children pure for as long as possible, I want to protect them from the evil, crazy ways of the world. I know I can’t do this forever. We live on the earth and we can’t hunker down and isolate ourselves from everything. One day my kids will go out on their own and I want them to be prepared… but not until they are ready.
Kids in public school are being exposed to so many unnecessary, wicked and sinful things. I want to protect my children from these things until they are mature enough to handle them, and even then I want to expose them correctly. Teaching them what God’s word says about different subjects, rather than letting them be deceived by the world.
It’s Not Always Easy, BUT It’s Always Worth It!
There has never been a day when I wanted to quit. Have there been hard days? Yes! Have there been days when I didn’t know how I would get everything done? Yes! But even on the hardest days, I’m reminded that this is holy work. God doesn’t call us to easy, He calls us to obedience. Our children don’t need a perfect mom, they need a mom who is filled with the joy of the Lord. God gives us the grace we need to homeschool our children, one day at a time.
Even though our homeschool journey is far from perfect, but it’s been filled with purpose. If you’re considering homeschooling a large family, or if you’re in the thick of it like we are, I want you to know you’re not alone. God is with you, equipping you, and He will fill in the gaps.
Stay tuned for next week’s post:
“Creating a Homeschool Schedule That Actually Works (Most Days!)”
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