December 25, 2024 – Home. Where They Belong

Hey, Mama!

Gena Suarez, Publisher of TOS

Called to Be Home

Hey, Mama,

1 Thessalonians 5:11 reminds us to encourage and build each other up: “ Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another.”

As a homeschooling mama with your children beside you throughout the day, you are always in that mode, anyway. It’s so neat how the Lord has set that up. The very position of motherhood requires us to show patience and offer encouragement to our children. We are called to literally build up those little hearts and minds in the Lord.

You are successful, Mama, because look at those kids faces looking back at you. They are your success. And that’s why I’m here, and The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, too, to remind you that you are successful at this crazy life called motherhood, homeschooling Mama.

Need more encouragement? (Because, yeah, it’s that time of year.) Read these words from your friends at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine:

Am I Doing Enough? Are They Missing Something?

Guidelines for Success

Is God in the House? Home Educating for Success

And remember, Mama . . .

We aren’t perfect mothers because of this calling. Do we have it all together 100% of the time? Of course not. And God knows our frame.

We can build these children up and point them to the Perfect One as their model. And we can look to Him ourselves today, knowing that He is so very patient with us as we take it a day at a time, walking this path He has placed us on for His purposes.

Carefully, He weaves a tapestry, intertwining motherhood, childhood, and family living, as His Holy Spirit works within us to make us more and more like Him all the time. This life is good, Mama. And His hand is on your head today.

Happy New Year!

-gena

Learn biblical Greek and classical Latin the easy way! Explore God’s Word with great beginning study tools. Visit www.greeknstuff.com

Hal and Melanie Young

Home Is Where They Belong

We’ve been homeschool leaders for a long time, like since dinosaurs walked the earth. Well, maybe not, but decades, anyway. One thing we’ve heard again and again is the surprise in new homeschoolers’ voices after they’ve been homeschooling a while—they say, “I’ve got my kids back!” “I didn’t realize how unhappy she’d been until she started smiling again.” “I had no idea he’d been bullied. Now that he knows he’s home for good and won’t have to go back, I’m learning all kinds of things.” 

When we were kids, we lived for summers. It wasn’t the schoolwork—both of us found that easy. Instead, it was the chance to be home. Home was a happy place for both of us growing up. We loved being with our parents and our siblings. We loved the freedom of not having a rigid schedule. We both loved reading and learning on our own terms.

Turns out our own kids have thrived being at home full-time. They’ve enjoyed working alongside us. They’ve loved being able to chase their own interests. They’ve hated some of the assignments, of course, but overall, they’ve loved being homeschooled.

All but one of our kids are adults living their own lives now. What we never anticipated is how much growing up at home together would build our kids’ relationships with us and each other. Our college kids talk about how their friends dread going home, but they love it. Our older kids jump in to help each other or us with big projects. If one of the kids who lives far away comes home, everyone else finds a way to come hang out. They enjoy one another. They want to spend time with each other and with us.

Y’all, those are the things that will matter when your kids are grown and gone. When kids are home together, there’s lots of time and motivation to learn to get along and to build relationship. And relationship is what you’ll care about at the end.

Home is where they belong. No one cares about them like you do. Sometimes the days seem long, but the years just fly by. One day you’ll be glad you homeschooled. We are!

Come check out our shop https://www.raisingrealmen.com/shop/ for resources to help you make the most of having your kids at home—and great gifts for all of you, too!

Your friends,

Hal & Melanie

About the author

Hal and Melanie Young have been homeschooling almost as long as they’ve been married, and they’re still happy with both decisions! They wrote My Beloved and My Friend: How to Be Married to Your Best Friend Without Changing Spouses to encourage their young adults – find out more at raisingrealmen.com.

Join Kathy Hutto on YouTube: Christian content creator sharing devotions, FREE homeschool resources, and inspiring Bible lessons for kids & families at YouTube@kathyhutto.

Danika Cooley

Sharing God’s Word, All Day, Every Day

When my husband, Ed, and I were considering homeschooling our youngest two children, we focused on discipling them in the Lord. We found several reasons that homeschooling our kids helps with discipleship:

• We had plenty of time to teach our children God’s Word.
• We were able to share Scriptural truths—like the Gospel—with our kids throughout the day.
• We could bring the Bible or Christian history into every subject.
• We were able to pray with our children throughout the day.
• We could model true Christian repentance, joy, and faith for our kids.
• We were able to point our kids to Jesus as we witnessed their struggles and sin issues.
• We could tailor our curriculum to highlight Christian character.
• We could teach to the strengths our kids have been given by the Lord, equipping them for His service.

Now, that’s not a comprehensive list of the ways that homeschooling helped us disciple our children, but it’s a great start, isn’t it? Ed and I homeschooled our youngest boys for several reasons, but the ability to intentionally disciple our children for Christ was first and foremost our goal. 

By the grace of God, our sons have grown to be biblically literate young men who love Jesus and serve others. Along the way, we were able to read through the Bible together four times, using Bible Road Trip™. They love each other, and they love us. 

This can be your story, as well. Homeschooling provides the opportunity to teach the Bible, Christian character, and the walk of faith to your kids. With a little mentorship and a whole lot of prayer and perseverance, you can raise your kids at home. It’s a wonderful place for them to grow up.

About the author

Danika Cooley is an award-winning children’s author who blogs about Bible books, crafts, activities, and snacks at Thinking Kids. Her books include Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible, Bible Investigators: Creation, and the Who What Why series, a line of Christian history for 7–11-year-olds. Grab your free three-week sample of her popular Bible Road Trip™ curriculum here.

Pillar of Knowledge

Adam and Dianne Riveiro

Don’t Feel Guilty Keeping Them Home

“Oh, you homeschool?”

You probably read that sentence with the tone in which it is normally offered when you tell a stranger or acquaintance that you are a homeschooling family—with the confused face and the slight tinge of disdain in their voice. You’ve been there before, no doubt. For instance at the checkout line, the cashier asks you why your kids are with you at the store  at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday (as if it is her business!). “We homeschool,” you respond.

“Oh, you homeschool?”

In that moment, you may feel a bit of awkwardness, a sense of being judged, and even possibly a twinge of regret that you’re a homeschool family. Listen to me: do not feel guilty for keeping them at home!

Sure, homeschooling is more socially acceptable than ever, but it is still not socially accepted. And let’s be honest—it likely never will be. But, that’s okay! As believers, our goal is not to be accepted by society, but to please God in everything we do (1 Cor. 10:31). Do not be swayed by busybodies, know-it-alls, or “experts.” Be led by the Spirit when it comes to the direction of your children’s education, not by the cashier at your local Publix!

-Adam

About the author

Pastor Adam and Dianne Riveiro live in Easton, Massachusetts, where Adam leads Liberty Baptist Church. They’re the authors of several books, including Hope from Our Heart to Yours: A 30-Day Devotional Journey for Special Needs Families, available from their family’s publishing label at www.readyscribepublications.com. They have four children: Bethany, Kaylee, AJ, and Peyton. They’re passionate about helping their fellow special needs families find joy and contentment in Christ.

Keeping them home where they belong provides you with more time to spend together. SchoolhouseTeachers.com has courses for the entire family, like our Breadmaking Devotional where you can discover answers to questions like “How does yeast work?” and “What does it mean that Jesus is the Bread of Life?” These lessons cover topics such as kitchen safety, necessary tools, baking terms, breads around the world, storing bread, making bread centerpieces, and more. Do it together, because you can.