Cutting Remarks

TANYA S 04/28/2009 17:58:20

This is an awesome post, I really needed to hear this. I'm beginning the homeschool journey this next school year with my kids. I have done much research on it and talked to friends who where home schooled and some current homeschool mom's. I'm already learning that many people have the wrong idea about homeschool. I've gotten many responses from my friends and family, believers and non-believers, that weren't very supportive.

I'd love to hear how any of you deal with family in particular. I know I will be giving my kids a great education, how do I convince others of that?

DONNA W 04/25/2010 08:45:00

Yes others sometimes do not understand why we choose to Homeschool our children. We all have our different reasons, but I think we all have ONE thing in common, we want to give our kids an Education with God's love, guidance, obedience etc. we all know the fruits of the Spirit. This is what is really important, because our final goal, as a Christian is HEAVEN. We really do not need to explain ourselves to anyone else. Once God knows our hearts that we want the best for our kids that is all that matters.

REBECCA W 04/26/2010 20:14:17

I have had the same problem but it becomes less and less through the years, just make sure you are convicted on your decision and prayerfully ask that you be given the correct answer if one is necessary by Him at the right time to give to a particular person. My family still asks but in general, they came to realize, they made the decision when they raised me, and my husband and I will do what we know is the right thing for our family. Your family may never \"agree\" but they will respect a decision made with love and careful consideration for your children. If not, unfortunately, you may have to have that conversation where you just say, this is what we are doing, and I am sorry you dont understand, but it isn\'t really something you need to. I would like your loving support and involvement. If you cant do that its ok, but allow us to do what we need to do. I found that God puts questions in people\'s minds it seems to test me and see if i am still convicted. My dad just recently (after 7 years of us homeschooling) told me he really had concerns about socialization for my kids, and as it happened, God had inspired me to reread a book on just that very subject a week prior. So, you see, as long as you are on God\'s side, He will provide for you, just have faith!!! :)

SUSAN M 04/25/2011 05:34:21

Being slandered because you are a Christian and being slandered because you are a homeschooler are two different things. Some of us may homeschool out of a good conscience toward God but that does not make homeschooling \"Christian\". God created three institutions, the home, the church, and government. All three are different things with different purposes given to them by God. Jesus said \"happy are ye\" if you are persecuted for your faith. This means for sharing the gospel or for taking a stand for the gospel. It is stretching it to use it to mean being persecuted for homeschooling. I love your devotionals and your thoughts and would like to encourage you we must be true to the text of Scripture.

BARBARA G 04/25/2011 09:18:26

I want to thank you for being one of the pioneering homeschoolers who persisted in faith when few people accepted or understood what you were doing. I have been homeschooling for five years now and have encountered very little outside criticism. Most people respond with admiration and respect. I know it is because of folks like you who set such a good example and showed the world that homeschooled kids often receive a better education at home and excel on tests like the SAT. Because of you earlier folks, we now have a wide range of wonderful curriculum materials available and support groups and coops to help meet our kids social needs in a healthy environment. My oldest homeschooled child is in college now with an academic scholarship and he is doing so well because we homeschooled him through his high school years. Thanks again!

STEPHANIE S 04/25/2011 09:21:38

I needed this devotional today! We\'ve had some very negative remarks from friends and family and no matter how confident you feel, it can still make you feel insecure. I am so thankful that my security is not in the world but on God\'s truth. Thanks for the encouraging devotionals.

CHERYL G 04/25/2012 02:20:45

i am beginninng to home school my child this year using aop academy i really like the curriculum and my child likes it he was going to a school for the last two years that was using the lifepacs by aop an was charging me out rageous fees until i contacted aop and found out that i could do this myself and just pay the academy which was less costly i am glad to be a part of aop family of homeschooling parents

CHERYL G 04/25/2012 02:26:22

would love to hear from other families that are home schooling their children who live in the new york city or new jersey area to connect share ideas form home schooling parent groups an net work in this wonderful way of educating our children

ANA M 04/25/2012 02:52:11

This is my first experience homeshcooling. As a business owner and mother of a special needs, I also have a 13 yr old I homeschool. I so much enjoy it and I thought in the past I would never be able to do this. I have gotten mixed comments both negative and positive. But I stand confident because I know God has called me to do this for a season. I am starting to see the fruit. So moms ( and dads) continue to persevere but first and foremost listen to the Lord\'s direction.

KENYETTA D 04/25/2012 04:04:25

In regards to Tanya\'s post even though it is now three years later... No doubt there are still others experiencing this same thing. I do at times with others who don\'t understand homeschooling or the reasons why many of us choose to take this road with our kids. How to convince others? Simply put... Don\'t. Don\'t even try. Simply explain to them how you believe that homeschool is in the best interest for you and your family and what you\'ve learned about it. If they still choose not to agree or be supportive, move on from the conversation and continue to ask God to help you stay motivated in Him, because ultimately preserving our children for Christ is why many of us do homeschool! To set our children aside for Christ! Also, I chose to homeschool because being a product of public education, I knew that there were just some things that I did NOT want my children to experience. The cruelties of other children, a hurt self-esteem, and peer pressured influences in junior high and high school that could cause my children failure in adulthood! This is real. As parents, it is our DUTY to cover and protect our children from the wiles of the devil and that is EXACTLY what homeschooling does! Because of homeschool my children have a GREATER sense of self and who they are IN CHRIST as little disciples who are fired up for HIM and they have a WONDERFUL confidence in themselves and good self-esteem! I encourage you. Homeschool is nothing new. Public school systems have only been around for some 200 years or so. Every one else before then were all homeschooled and because of that I believe that there was a big difference in our society\'s values and such. I give all my hope to you and to your family.

Kenyetta D.

MELISSA E 04/25/2012 05:27:38

Tanya S....you cannot convince anyone with words, facts, etc. The best you can do is hold your head up with resolve in your heart that this is the right choice and teach your children. Over time, everyone sees a positive outcome.

LAURIE P 04/25/2012 05:53:35

My son and I have always had a very close bond. He went to public school for 3 Weeks but had a tough time. He, at a very early age, had such a pure heart for God. He noticed that at school, God had to be on the down low. He felt as if he were an outsider and just never could settle in. He went to school every morning in tears and come home sad, already fearful of the next day. We could not even enjoy weekends. God continually put it on my heart to homeschool. Since I had taught for years, including special needs children, it was kind of a strange concept to homeschool. I finally submitted to Gods calling and he began to grow in leaps and bounds. I did not realize how much of a blessing teaching my own child would be. He is now going into 4th grade and we are still homeschooling. People ask how long I plan to homeschool and my answer is always \" until God tells me to stop\" My inlaws do not agree with me homeschooling. They think it\'s because I don\'t want to \"cut the apron strings\". My own father does not agree with our lifestyle. I ask God why is it they can\'t just accept it and be happy for us. He revealed to me that just because He had called me to tech our son did not mean he had to go ask others permission. He did prepare my husbands heart, because when I first brought it up, he too was against it. He came to me at re middle of the third week our son was in public school and told me he felt we might give it a try, just for K~ 1 and put him back into public in 2nd grade. Our son has done so well that he no longer has a timeline as to when or if we will decide to put him back into public schooling. God also revealed that people are opposed to things they don\'t understand. My eyes and heart had to stay in tune with God and not worry about others. My son is doing so good and is the biggest little social butterfly I know. He plays little league baseball and is very active in our Childers group at church. I can not imagine missing out on this awesome opportunity to raise our son in the way that he should go instead of completing my chore list in peace and in a certain time. I would not trade these years for anything, even on the days I want to pull my hair out because he would prefer to be doing anything but school. If God calls you, He does not have to get anyone else\'s opinion or permission. That is where our faith begins to grow deeper. God Bless!

ELIZABETH C 04/25/2012 10:31:44

If God calls us to this, He will lead us through it! I always remind myself of this Truth whenever encountered with that negativity. My great homeschooling friend asked me yesterday, regarding a work decision (I work part-time from home) \"Well, God is asking you: are you going to be \'of the world\' or \'in ME\'?\" My answer must always be, without hesitation...in Him!!! Thank you AOP for another great reminder that we are never alone.

KATHY S 04/25/2012 11:17:31

Some People are just plain \"Uneducated\" to what Homeshool really is. Some people have the luxury of living in good school districts (I don\'t know of many, but there must be some). Or, maybe they have the money to send their children to a good Private Christian school.

My friend has 2 children that are in a more \"posh\" school district, her son had one bullying incident, words only, it was corrected immediatley, this is quite rare.

She is my best friend, but when I decide to Homeschool because of the physical and mental abuse my son endured in our \"crappy\" school district, she made comment on \"how would my son learn to deal with these \"situations\" if he wasn\'t in school?\"

\"How will he hold a job and deal with co workers if he can\'t handle interaction with other school children?\".\"He has to learn how to deal with these things\".

I know she didn\'t mean harm, but I explained that \"I didn\'\'t feel at a job should my son have one someday, he wouldn\'t be getting punched, spit at, bitten, and swore at.\" (O.K., I still have some anger from all this)

After I told her of my son\'s \"Aspbergers syndrome\", she was more understanding.

But, people homeschool for other reasons than abuse, good reasons.

I guess people, even our close friends and family don\'t understand, because they haven\'t experienced it.

I sometimes when others say \"what about his socialization?\"I so want to scream out \" he doesn;t want to socialize, that\'s part of his disorder!\"

But, I don\'t scream at them, and my son does socialize, only with a few friends as he is quite \"skeptical\" of other children.

I\'ve heard that I\'m overprotective, well, so be it. Who else will watch out for my child if I don\'t?

Since I\'ve been reading AOP in the last 8 months, I see more and more people here that are expressing that they will soon be homeschooling, or have just started. That just confirms that there are more and more reasons to homeschool.

Excellent job to all the parents on this site who are currently, or in the process, or even just considering homeschooling!! God will bless you and your children!

DANIELLE S 04/28/2012 06:33:21

I have people tell me that the bad experiences of public school are good for kids. I\'ve never heard anything more ridiculous. To me, saying that letting your son be bullied and mistreated helps prepare him for a job is like saying letting your daughter be molested will help prepare her for marriage. I was bullied in school and don\'t think anything good came of it so don\'t believe that nonsense people will try to say. I still have self esteem issues to this day because of bullying and I actually became homeschooled in ninth grade, so I really only endured it for a couple of years.

SHEILAH M 04/28/2012 20:29:44

God\'s timing is always perfect and I so needed to be reminded of these truths today. It\'s stunning to consider that Christ, the spotless, sinless Lamb of God, was reviled in this way! It makes the hurtful comments we receive pale into insignificance. Thank you for the call to love and forgiveness by looking to Christ and the pattern He has set for us.

SANDY MAJORS 04/26/2013 13:10:21

The Lord gave me a knowing and a love for those who criticize our choice to homeschool. I just tell them that like Peter, "We have gotten OUT of the boat, and though we sometimes get our hair wet, we also WALK ON WATER in Jesus'name."

Praise The Lord! That is the homeschool journey of faith.