The Other Option

This post could probably lead to some heated debates and please know that is not what I'm trying to do. This is simply a topic that has really challenged me and changed my view of homeschooling my children. Even if you do not agree with me, maybe it will challenge you to thinking about your homeschooling future too.

I've recently attended a homeschool conference in which a speaker, I believe it was Todd Wilson (if you haven't heard of Todd Wilson, I encourage you to read his book "Lies Homeschoolers Believe"- awesome stuff!), encouraged the audience to get rid of your other schooling options. Meaning- make homeschooling the ONLY option for educating your children. Sounds like a simple enough concept, doesn't it. But really..how many of us when asked how long we plan to homeschool say "oh we're just taking it a year at a time". Or how many of us when we have a few bad days in a row just think sending our kids to school outside of the home may be the best option. Or even worse...I'm SO guilty of this, saying to our children "If you don't calm down and concentrate on your schoolwork, you're going to public school." C'mon don't tell me I'm the only person here who has used that line on their children. I admit it and I'm sorry.

But if we remove the other options and don't waste our time entertaining the thoughts jumping ship, what would happen? What if we know deep in our hearts that we are the only ones God intended to educate our children? What if we not only plan for the next year, but the next 12 years? How different would our homeschooling days be if we didn't have thoughts of "the easy way out" haunting the back of our minds fighting harder and harder to be brought to fruition?

So today, I challenge you: Get rid of those other options. Tell yourself that you were meant for this job and it's a permanent job. Instead of threatening your children with public school, tell them that Mommy won't give up and is in this journey with them. And to those who ask you how long you plan to homeschool, tell them it's in God's hands. God has made you to be everything your children need. You can homeschool through highschool. So go ahead...take that other option, give it a nice long look and force it out of your mind. You don't need it anymore.