It’s Time to Be Real
Jul 5th, 2010 by Summer
This past year has been a struggle. I have told my husband countless times that it was time to put the boys in school. Public school is out of the question and so I literally got out the yellow pages and started calling the private schools in our are. Thankfully, we did not have the money for private school for three children so they are still home where they belong. 
I seriously believe this is where they belong.
With everything in my heart, soul, mind and intellect I believe that the best education for children is a home-centered education.
One evening I went walking with a friend and I was real. I found the real source of my discontentment with homeschool and what concerned me the most. It was ME! The “real” me. The me that I don’t let anyone else see except for my unsuspecting husband and children. After all, they live with me, I cannot hide much from them. In talking with her, the cry of my heart came out and I realized that the thing I dreaded the most was for my children seeing the “real me”. The me that cries when I’m frustrated, cries when I’m sad and yells (screams!) when I’m angry. I was allowing myself to believe that strangers would be better teachers of my boys because even though they would experience anger, frustration, disappointment, sadness, etc. from someone else they wouldn’t see me exploding. What I failed to realize was this: This is all part of their home-centered education. What better place to experience someone being real and honest with their feelings than at home? If they were at school who would comfort them? Who would tell them, “I’m sorry. I let my emotions get the better of me but I will do better. Will you pray with me and ask God to help me?”. They are not going to hear that in public school!
In the garden after Adam and Eve sinned, what did they do? They hid. They hid from their Creator and when they did finally go before Him they put on fake clothes. They covered themselves up because they were ashamed and they thought that by hiding behind a facade, God could not see the “real” them, the sin, the shame. But God knew better, He sees the heart. He can see past all the fake and get to the “real” issue.
It’s time to be real. Children are leaving the faith faster than at any other time. They are leaving their Christian heritage. I just wonder if it has anything to do with all the facades they see and experience? It’s time to be real so that our children can see true repentance and redemption. That is the home-centered education I desire for my children.
If you are here from Carnival of Homeschool this week hosted by Roscommon Acres, thank you and welcome to you!
I just had a conversation last week about being the “screaming mama.” I told my son that if I was going to yell, then I wasn’t going to homeschool, because that is not who I want to be.
You are not alone in the battle. It is real, and it starts right in our own hearts whether we homeschool or not.
Let’s keep walking together.
Great post! Sooo often I fail my kids, I fail (once again) in my struggles with a sinful nature. The hardest thing is admitting it to them and asking for their forgivness. My kids have been able to witness how an adult should work through their weaknesses. A lesson never covered under a school roof, and a lesson too easily hidden by parents when the children spend most of the day under a school roof
But a very, very important lesson indeed!
Kathy
Renae, I will gladly walk this path with you! Thank you for your encouraging words and for visiting my blog.
Kathy, “My kids have been able to witness how an adult should work through their weaknesses.” That is a great way to put this! They do need to see that we are weak and that we fail but you are right, it is soooo hard for me to admit it to them! But even then God’s grace is sufficient even when we are uncomfortable.
Thank you for your comments and visiting my blog.
Wonderful post! Thank you for sharing your heart! I totally agree that we have to be real with our kids. Obviously setting as good an example as possible, but ALSO being real and letting them see us work through things when we DON’T get it right to start with. And yes, asking their forgiveness.
Hang in there! We are ALL walking this road with you!
Thanks Jamie. And thank you for stopping by and commenting on my blog. ~Summer
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