One thing I have talked about with homeschooling is being able to create the atmosphere my children are in each day, and intentionally creating a family culture. This is one of the biggest reasons why we homeschool.
Why homeschool?
Sometime in spring of 2018, I was driving in traffic from school drop-off. I was listening to the audio book Essentialism by Greg McKeown in my car. In the book he asked something to the affect of what is your highest goal in life? Mine is to have a strong, connected family. He then asked what takes the most time away from that (family time)? It was obvious the answer was school. And finally, is what takes the most time, in support of your highest goal (a strong, connected family)?
My decision to homeschool came in a lot of seeds planted a long the way that started to take root, but in this one moment in my car, I could clearly see that school didn’t support my highest goal. If anything, it took away from it. I decided in that moment I would be willing to do anything to serve my highest goal. I felt homeschooling gave me the freedom to serve my highest goal: for my family to spend the majority of our time learning and growing together. That having strong family ties, and an education founded on God, would serve them in the most essential way in life.
Creating a culture
Six months later, we were homeschooling full time and our lifestyle took a complete shift. Some ways I wasn’t prepared for, many being positive surprises. I realized that more than a “good education”, I was providing my family an entirely different lifestyle and family culture than we had previously been experiencing. It has helped me look into the family culture I was raised in, Mr. Miller was raised in, and decide more deliberately what we want/didn’t want for our own children.
I became more aware of this through homeschooling, but it’s available to us all. Our culture at home is happening, whether we’re being aware of it or not. And I want to be aware! I want to be more aware in all the ways. I can see now what had been causing division in my family, and we have much less division and tension now. My children aren’t a burden to have around, because I’m constantly home helping them shape their character into wonderful little people I love being around. I didn’t always have this time to bond with them so closely.
I do feel our hearts are being knitted closer together. We do spend so much time with one another, but it has been a blessing to us all. I’ve seen the children thrive in this environment, and they too pay attention to the environment of the home and how they’re contributing to it.
Last year I desperately sought peace in my life after a turbulent season of grieving. This year I am experiencing peace, and even more than that, abundant joy. I am grateful to rest into this season of life we’ve remodeled for ourselves. It’s a sweet time for us.
Friends, I say it often, but life is what we make it. I have experienced several shifting seasons, but all have been worth the transition period before the beginning of something even more right.
