When Homeschooling Makes Sense

I am a homeschooling mom of four. My oldest is 9 years old, and we are currently in our 5th year of homeschooling. There are many reasons why my husband and I have decided to homeschool our children. There are secular reasons and biblical convictions; both of those ultimately come back to the glory of God.

Biblical Reasons to Homeschool

Biblically speaking, there is the Deuteronomy 6 command to diligently teach your children to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. How we do that is when we speak with them when they sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. God lays out exactly how he wants us to train our children to love the Lord. Voddie Baucham sums it up perfectly when he says "We cannot continue to send our children to Caesar for their education and be surprised when they come home as Romans."

Practical Reasons to Homeschool

Apart from biblical convictions, there are many other benefits to homeschooling:

It only takes a couple hours a day.
You get to know who your children are and what their specific needs include.
You are able to build their curriculum according to their individual needs. We use a creation-based science.
You are able to correct bad behaviour as well as reward and direct good behaviour, while imparting wisdom in your children.
We are also able to serve our neighbours in our community. We mow their lawns, shovel their snow, and help in their gardens when needed which gives the children a love to serve and a value of good work ethic.

One of my sons has Precordial Catch Syndrome that causes sharp pains in his chest a couple times a day, and he finds it helps him to be able to come and give me a hug until it passes. Praise the Lord it isn't very serious, but some children do have other more serious medical conditions and it is comforting to them to be able to hug mom.

Personal Reasons to Homeschool

I find that I have grown so much as a mom as well. It is good for me as I have to work on my patience, my organization, kindness, and diligence. Some days I have to apologize to my children for being impatient and humble myself which is so good for me as well.

We only have our children for such a short time, and by homeschooling, we are able to make the most of our time together and prepare them for the days when they are on their own.

Written and submitted by Melissa Sibley

Melissa Sibley is a homeschooling mom of four, and there is nothing in this world she would rather be doing than raising her children. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for 11 years, and it’s been full of fun adventures. She considers herself blessed far more than she deserves. She says, “God has been so faithful in my life to not always give me what I want, but always what I need. So there is much rejoicing in His sovereignty.”