Hey Mama Monday: Teaching Around Life’s Obstacles, Mama

Hey Mama,

I ask myself this question often: “When will I ever get to homeschool the way I want to?” I’d be the best homeschool teacher if it weren’t for (fill in the blank: difficult interruptions/difficult finances/difficult children/friends who do it better/spouses who aren’t supportive, etc.).

Should I give up if I can’t afford that perfect curriculum, or what if I have it and can’t implement it every day? Should I quit because I can’t do the extra classes and field trips right now? Should I think of another alternative because my kids are always whining or bickering? What about family emergencies that interrupt the schedule? And what about that necessary part-time job that keeps me busy—shouldn’t I give up on this homeschooling business? 

So many things get in the way of me having that perfect homeschool setting I dream about. So many life things. Instead of asking, “When will I ever get to homeschool the way I want to?” we are really asking, “When will life be perfect enough so I can feel successful?” The answer is maybe never. And guess what? There is freedom in that. 

Instead of looking at everyday life as an “obstacle” to getting things done, we need to look at the obstacles as part of the life God intended for us to live and teach around those. It’s how we live that life that brings glory to the One Who designed it.

However, that does not negate us from properly planning our ways and keeping unnecessary distractions at bay. 

We should be praying, “God, what do You have for me and the children today?” Then, we can rejoice in the fact that everything that happens out of our control is under His control. 

Don’t give up. Start again. Why? Because we are the ones that God designed to teach our children. He didn’t give the responsibility of that job to any other but you. What the Lord wills for you, He provides for you.

And the alternatives are not worth it. The high percentage of children leaving their faith is staggering. Hold onto the hearts of your children while you can. Home is best. Home is where you belong. Home is where they belong.

“Ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:14-15).

Deborah Wuehler is the Senior Editor and Director of Production here at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. She would say she is a very ordinary homeschool mom–with one exception: she has an extra-ordinary God Who provides all she needs for life and homeschooling. She has eight children aged 11 to 29. Deborah’s mission is this: to point other homeschoolers to the Lord in all they do, think, and feel—and to confirm that they, too, can find everything they need for life, godliness–and homeschooling–in their knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3, 4).