That's my girls and me in an impromptu photo after an afternoon lounging on the couch with our good friends Ben & Jerry. This week has been a gift: beautiful weather, escapades out into nature, and, most precious, the privilege to kick back on the couch all scrunched up in each others embrace while we read or study.
Though I've now been a homeschooling mother for 5 years (!), I'm not one of those mama/teachers who pour over curriculum catalogs or is constantly readjusting the straight-back chairs with desks for optimal cerebral absorption.
The main reason I chose to keep me kids home is for a lifestyle of constant relationship, for my sake and theirs.
A full life education isn't just academics. It is exploration and discovery, not just about the world they live in but about themselves and how they fit into the world around them. Having them home with me allows us to learn together, me to learn their hearts and them to learn the necessities of life.
When they question, I can look beyond their verbiage and discover what is at the center of their concern. As they respond to what they are experiencing, we can deeper explore the finer matters of each subject from a more personal vantage point.
I heard a friend describe what she presumed our lifestyle is as loosey-goosey. I disagree. We approach each necessary subject with discipline and expect excellence. Yet finishing each within the context of our own time-frame and framework allows us plenty of time to learn outside the lines, to discover what is at our fingertips instead of what is written within textbook pages.
More than anything, the last few weeks have taught me how privileged I am that I have the choice to follow this lifestyle for our family. Yes, it is hard work, sometimes more consuming than I would like. But it is a path of little resistance for us, one able to be journeyed because my husband is the sole breadwinner and because I have the support and encouragement of a community of like-minded mamas.
For all the challenges we've met and tears we've shed over these last years, I wake full of joy and expectancy each morning because today I get to spend it with my kids close at my side. Each new dawn I am learning a little more of where this mama needs growth and ever grateful to my kids for the opportunities they provide to give me an ever continuing education in the school of patience, love, sacrifice, and wisdom.
I'll raise a spoon to that life every single day!
Embracing with Emily.
