June 15, 2022 – The Homeschool Dad

Mercy Every Minute

Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior Editor

Who Is In Control?

Homeschooling is something moms tend to oversee. We are with the children more and know more about their academic needs, emotional needs, and spiritual needs. The problem is that we can be prone to taking complete control leaving no room for Dad’s opinions or help. Dads can be more important than we might think.

We often think that we don’t need a leader. That thinking goes back to Eve. As children of God, we should be abiding by a new law, the law of loving submission that supports her leader and takes seriously her Biblical role as helper.

Most think of submission as an ugly word because our society has perverted its meaning. But in the marvelous plan of God, we can actually see the imprint of His very image on this submissive relationship.

Look at how the Holy Spirit always points to Jesus Christ. Then see how Jesus always pointed to His Father and submitted to His will. Then see the great love relationship the Father had with His Son and in perfect communion with the Spirit. He desires the same unity, submission, communion, and fellowship for us in all our relationships.

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17: 2).

In the same way, children respectfully submit to their parents, and the parents lead the way in loving God and loving others, and the whole family experiences unity, fellowship, and communion. When these things are in proper working order, we can see the imprint of God’s very nature on the family unit.

Anytime we think we can be the lone ranger, whether in our homeschooling, or our marriages, or any other area we want to control, we find that the direction and wisdom we crave is missing. Or maybe we tend to belittle any help we receive . . . until it becomes nonexistent. I have had to fall on my face before God and ask Him to forgive my controlling, critical spirit many times over the years, and prayerfully placed myself back under God’s loving control.

Dads are hugely important as they can give wisdom, clarity, and direction. Let’s ask God to show us how we can support that homeschool dad as they support us in keeping our children Home. Where They Belong.

~Deborah

P.S. Check out these articles from The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine about how dads can be a part of homeschooling. Be sure to read the first sentence of the second paragraph in Mary Hood’s article to find out the most important thing a homeschool dad can do!

The Dad’s Role in a Relaxed Homeschool Setting by Mary Hood, PhD
Dads, Homeschooling, and Higher Education Dad as Teacher, Mentor, and Professor by Dr. Christopher A. Perrin, MDiv, PhD+
Dad Helps with the Home Stretch by Martin Detweiler

IEW’s Summer Conference is FREE to attend and will provide encouragement and inspiration for your teaching journey! IEW.com/summer-conference

Todd Wilson

Familyman Ministries

Foghorn Dad

(Note: this is for dads. So print it, and hand it to him. Better yet, stick it in the bathroom.)

Here’s the deal, Dad. Your wife needs you when she is feeling overwhelmed and hearing lies of failure in her head. “I can’t teach these kids. I’m a terrible teacher. They’ll never get it. They don’t even care. They’d be better off if they were in real school . . .” Yada, yada, yada.

Instead of entertaining her thoughts of putting the kids in school, she needs you to sound the foghorn of truth – Woooo Gaaaaa (that’s supposed to sound like a foghorn)!

She can’t see straight because she’s in the fog. It happens to all homeschooling moms. They start out sunny and optimistic, and then the fog rolls in and chokes out every shred of the light of truth. They freak out and start talking about ruining their kids, quitting, and turning back on all they believe.

WOOOOOO GAAAAAAA!!!! Your deep bellow shatters the fog and alerts your homeschooling wife that she’s not a mess, but actually right on track. She looks at you, her knight in shining armor, and your voice of truth pierces the fog of lies.

Remind her that she’s doing a great job, that she’ll work through the kinks, that you’ll give her the time she needs to do so, and that she is an amazing mom and wife. She probably won’t believe you at first, so you give her another blast … WOOOOOO GAAAAA!! Keep blasting until she starts laughing at you or until she remembers the truth.

You think I’m kidding? I’m not. A good, involved husband will get her through (at least until the next fog bank comes).

You ‘da FOGHORN!!

Be Real,
Todd

About the author

Todd Wilson is a husband, dad, grandpa, writer, homeschool conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and down to earth realness have made him a favorite speaker all across the country and a guest on Focus on the Family. As founder of The Familyman and The Smiling Homeschooler, his passion and mission are to remind moms and dads of what’s most important through weekly emails, podcasts, seminars, and books that encourage parents. Todd, and his wife Debbie, homeschool four of their eight children (the other four are homeschool graduates) in northern Indiana and travel America in the Familyman Mobile. You can read more at www.familymanweb.com.

David West

Pillar of Hope
David West – God Works Through Homeschool Dads

There are times when hoping seems hopeless. Do you know the feeling? When you’ve tried everything and you can’t make any progress. When strength fails, your heart sinks, and anxiety gets the upper hand. Maybe work has you overworked. Maybe inflation and taxation control the budget more than income and investments. Maybe your children aren’t maturing fast enough, learning well enough, or acting responsibly enough. Homeschool dads carry a lot of buckets; they spin many plates. To fend off discouragement you may need to pause and gain a new perspective.

Ecclesiastes 9:4 says a living dog is better than a dead lion. When you consider the difficult circumstances of your life, when you look at the obstacles in your path, remember the dog and lion analogy. Even when worn down and feeling overwhelmed, you’re alive. While you have breath, God can still use you and work in and through you to raise the next generation to hope in Christ.

As a homeschool dad, you haven’t chosen the easy path; you haven’t selected the smooth road. Yet by God’s grace, you can join with the Psalmist and say, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? . . . hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him . . .”

About the author

David West is an ordinary father serving an extraordinary Savior. He is husband to Danette, father of six, deacon at The Cornerstone Bible Church, past chairman of the Sacramento Organization of Parent Educators (scopehome.org), sales manager by vocation, and a lover of books and writing.

This Father’s Day, you can encourage the dad in your home with a course from SchoolhouseTeachers.com. In the brief How to Be the Ultimate Homeschool Dad course, you’ll find downloadable articles that will encourage him to be the best blessing he can be to his homeschooling family. Share this course with Dad today!