June 23, 2021 – The Often Forgotten Homeschool Dad

Hey, Mama!

Gena Suarez, Publisher of TOS

The Father’s Love

Father’s Day – For some Mamas, this is a painful day. Some of us do not have fathers. Some no longer have their husband with them. Yet, here it is again: that day. The focus is on fathers. For those Mamas who are blessed with a great husband who loves the Lord AND a Christ-like, loving father, you don’t even know. You should probably stop right now and praise the Lord for such a kindness He has bestowed on you and yours. And to you, I say, give those dads all the love you are privileged to share. Teach your children, too, how fortunate they are, and help them to understand the sacrifices that have been made for them by these men. Love them with all your heart. Real men in their lives who are models of Christ . . . true and faithful . . . such safety, a solid rock . . . respect and honor them every day, EVERY day.

Some of us have godly, loving husbands but no fathers. I fall into that camp. There has been much grief throughout my life, and even more when my dad finally left this Earth. Heartsick. Mighty pain. But as a young adult, I resolved one thing, and strongly: God in Heaven is my true Father. He is Who is real. Never will He leave me. He is my trusted comfort, my greatest caregiver, and I can lean on Him all of my days. For this Father’s Day, my children and I will shower Paul with love and gifts as we descend upon the Wuehlers’ house (Deborah is our Senior Editor and my best friend in the world) in what has become a tradition: We go to Colorado in June and have Father’s Day with both of our families, celebrating these wonderful Daddies. It’s an annual reminder of the kindness the Lord has given us ladies as well as our (combined) 15 children. Now that my son Levi lives in Denver, even he will be joining us for that glorious weekend, and one of Deb’s daughters will fly out from California to celebrate. DADS. It’s a real thing and it is beautiful.

Recognize the gifts, Mama. Praise the Lord for them. And lean on your true Father regardless of what this life has to offer. The ultimate sacrifice was our Father in Heaven sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place—to save us from a horrific eternal existence. He is the Perfect Father, and I find it awe-striking that He bent down and became our Father, too. Nothing can come close. What can possibly compare? And to you Mamas who will feel heartbreak (again) this Father’s Day, my own heart goes out to you, and I pray the Lord holds you tightly to Himself. Lean on Him, Mama. Look to your forever-home, because it will be glorious.

It will be Father’s Day every day.

Love, gena

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.” 1 John 3:1

P.S. Here’s some Dad-themed encouragement for this time of the year from your friends at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.

Dads, Homeschooling and Higher Education: Dad as Teacher, Mentor, and Professor by Dr. Christopher A. Perrin

Dad-Conviction by Todd Wilson

The Dad’s Role in a Relaxed Homeschool Setting by Dr. Mary Hood

30+ hrs. of content from Classical Conversations. Save 10% off Explorer’s Digital Camp w/code EXPSAVE10. https://bit.ly/2S8dNtn

Raising Real Men

Hal & Melanie Young, RaisingRealMen.com

Homeschooling is a Family Affair

Once upon a time, surveys of homeschool families found that mothers provided the day-to-day instruction well over 90% of the time. Fathers tended to be sole breadwinners and away from home during school hours. So that division of responsibilities made sense; one study found only 3% of homeschool moms had full-time jobs outside the home.

Things have been changing, though. The rise of the “gig economy” and working from home made both work and family involvement more flexible, and just as more moms have their own outside work, more dads are finding opportunities to teach their kids. Mothers may still comprise the majority of homeschooling teachers, but not exclusively!

Even if Dad isn’t teaching, he has a critical role. Where we live in North Carolina, the state homeschooling law treats each family as a tiny private school. Every homeschool designates a “chief administrator” as well as the principal instructors. Most families we know assign that “administrator” role to Dad.

Practically speaking, we’ve found it helpful. Melanie is more in the trenches, making decisions about curricula and teaching, so Hal can offer more objectivity, serving as a sounding board or dealing with uncooperative students. And outside the home, Melanie has led local support groups, while Hal has worked long hours on legal and public relations issues with our state organization. Homeschooling is a family affair in which we all have roles!

We like to think of everything in terms of our “family mission,” or what our family is trying to accomplish. If we homeschool, somebody needs to teach. At the same time, the family needs income; so someone needs a paying job! When we started, that was Hal, but now we work together in our family business. Regardless, we recognize and honor both roles. We couldn’t homeschool without both the income and someone willing to do it for love alone!

We try to respect everyone’s contribution to our family mission – those who earn money or teach and our kids who take out the garbage, feed the dog, and do the other chores, too. We’re in this together!

Your friends,

Hal & Melanie

Craftsman Crate, the subscription box that builds your skills, is a great way for fathers to spend time with their older kids. Check it out at www.CraftsmanCrate.com, and use the coupon code CrateTwenty to get $20 off a three month or longer subscription!

Dan Beasley

hslda.com

Pillar of Hope
Dan Beasley – The Future is Bright for Kids with Involved Dads

Every good dad wants their child to become a well-educated, well-adjusted, productive member of society. But homeschooling dads have a unique opportunity to contribute to these measures of success.

Research has consistently linked having an actively involved father to better outcomes on nearly every measure of child well-being, from cognitive development and educational achievement to self-esteem and pro-social behavior. It’s clear there is at least one thing dads can do to help improve their child’s future: be involved.

How a homeschool dad may be involved in homeschooling varies from household to household. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Whether it’s teaching daily, leading field trips, planning courses, or just spending regular time with all the children to give mom a break, a dad’s support and involvement in the homeschool contributes to a positive learning environment. So taking the time to figure out what being an involved dad looks like in your homeschool is worth the effort.

Disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has no doubt created challenges but providing new opportunities for dads to get involved in homeschooling is no doubt a silver lining.

Happy Father’s Day to all my fellow homeschool dads. Keep striving to be involved.

As a HSLDA staff attorney, Dan Beasley assists individual homeschooling families and advocates for homeschool freedom in the courts, legislature, and court of public opinion. Dan is also a homeschool graduate and homeschooling dad of four. http://www.hslda.com/