October 2, 2024 – Second Generation Homeschooling

Hey, Mama!

Gena Suarez, Publisher of TOS

It Will Be Worth it All

Hey Mama,

It’s so loud, messy, and monotonous. Diapers, worksheets, drills. Again and again, “Sam I am.” Phonics repetition never ends. Well, it does, but then we’re into chapter books. 

There’s cereal dust ground up into the carpet again. They step all over it with their little feet. It’s fun. Sigh. No time for a shower. Who will watch them? Fingers under the bathroom door. The sounds of someone jumping off of a couch and crashing into a coffee table. No time for a shower now.

Fast forward a few years: If they are no longer trampling over your feet, they’re doing wheelies on your heart. Time goes faster, yet you get some hard lessons along the way. Better hope your relationship with your child is strong. Brace yourself for gut punches of betrayal and be patient with the sudden lack of logic on their part.

You taught them about the Lord, made Christ known, and warned against the world’s call. You gave them God’s Word, hid it in their hearts, and modeled it the best you could. They know the Gospel. It will not depart from them . . . someday. For now, tears flow. Heartsick Mama, do not give up. He is mighty to save.

Can we do sticky highchairs and gum stuck on the wall again? Grind that cereal into the carpet with your little feet! Showers are overrated anyway. Take me back to those times when I still had influence.

Fast forward a decade or two or three: Our faithful, gracious God has a way of fixing things. 

Grace rules. Love wins. Christ is glorified. All that work, all the pain, all the prayers were worth it. Logic returned. Soft faces, eyes no longer haughty, a love for the Lord. New appreciation for what He has brought them through, renewed relationships, and profound gratefulness for a Mama who prayed them through those times. Tears again, but the joyful kind. The cloud lifts. You exhale.

Fast forward one last time: You’re not in charge anymore; they are. You prayed hard, planted seeds, and watered them with your tears. He did the rest. They did not depart from it! What a long, tedious road. Tribulation, tests. And now they lift you up. They care so deeply. You are not alone.

“Train them up,” He said. You didn’t question it; why doubt the Word of the King of kings? You just did it. And His Word did not return void. You homeschooled them and they now homeschool their own. It was important to you to model Christ day and night, to teach them the old paths, to give them the Word. You obeyed and now look at this legacy. This heritage! 

They have fond memories of their home education and want to replicate it with their little ones. Homeschooling is now a family tradition. A Godly heritage.

These articles from The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine reveal what that might look like:

Homeschool Foundations in Two Generations by Amy Juett
My Daughter is a Second Generation Homeschool Mom by Meredith Curtis
Second Generation Homeschoolers Teaching Civics by Rebekka Parry

For now, it’s okay to rest. As you stare helplessly at the mess, young Mama, rest in this time. It’ll flash past so fast your head will spin.

This life is a series of seasons, some more joyful than others. But there is hope. And there is life. And there is promise—all of which are found in God’s Word. Keep walking, knowing that your Heavenly Father is shaping order out of the chaos. Your beautiful mess is His canvas.

-gena

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Todd Wilson

Familyman Ministries

How to Get Your Children Not to Homeschool Their Children

Hey, Mom,

In a nutshell, if you want your children to homeschool you gotta make it a good experience. Of course, every child gets to make their own decision on education and I can’t tell you that if you make it fun they’ll homeschool their children.

But I will say if you make it miserable, never take breaks, only accept 100%, and give them school to do in the evenings, on the weekends, and during vacation . . . they won’t homeschool their children. They’ll hate homeschooling . . . and may not feel too fond of you.

So maybe worry a little less about how much you cover and how well they do and enjoy the process of just being together as you plug away. If you can, sprinkle some fun and spontaneity along the way. If you don’t know how to do that, then get our brand new “Spin For Smiles Spinner.” It’s a way to introduce some fun into your homeschool day. You can read more about it (and order one) here.

Be Real,

Todd

About the author

Todd Wilson is a dad, granddad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and down to earth realness have made him a favorite speaker at homeschool conventions, retreats, and churches across the country. As founder of Familyman Ministries and the Smiling Homeschooler, his passion and mission are to remind dads and moms of what’s most important through weekly e-mails, podcasts (The Familyman Show & The Smiling Homeschooler), seminars, and books and products that encourage parents. Todd, and his wife Debbie, still homeschool two of their eight children (six have graduated with four married) in northern Indiana. You can read more at www.familymanweb.com.

Dara Ekanger

Trailblazing Homeschool Parents 

As a homeschool mom of three, I occasionally reminisce about my homeschool parents and what they went through in the 1980s when homeschooling was just getting started. It certainly couldn’t have been easy to abandon the expected school path and pull me and my brother out of 7th and 5th grades (at our request, long story)—especially when the local superintendent of public instruction attended our church. Yikes! 

I didn’t hear until years later how much criticism they actually took from friends and family who were convinced my brother and I would be ruined. There weren’t any local homeschool support groups like you can find almost everywhere today. There were a few families in town homeschooling their early elementary students, but as the oldest homeschoolers in town, eyes were always on us. 

There weren’t many homeschool curriculum companies to purchase from either. Thankfully, Abeka was willing to sell to us as an extension of their work with Christian schools. But I remember traveling two hours to attend a meeting on this “new” movement—and how not to run afoul of the law.

As a second-generation homeschooler, I have it relatively easy. There are so many curriculum companies, live online classes, and online self-paced courses in every subject imaginable, like those offered through SchoolhouseTeachers.com. We’re part of a local support group of about fifty families. Our state even removed burdensome homeschool regulations a few years back—a far cry from the fear of losing their kids that many homeschool trailblazers faced.

Yes, there are days when homeschooling is still tough. People are still people. We may face criticism for our choice. And children are still children. (Confession: I once called the local Christian school to find tuition rates when my sixth grade son brought me to tears.) There will inevitably be conflict as we work to train them up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” 

But, though I didn’t realize their work or sacrifice at the time, today I’m thankful for the blessing of homeschooling that my parents, and others like them, worked hard to give to us. 

Our children will be too. 

About the author

Dara Ekanger is a homeschooling mother of three, one soon to graduate college who is engaged to be married. A homeschool graduate herself, she has two BA degrees and has been a writer and copyeditor for almost thirty years. She loves to encourage parents that they can successfully educate their children at home, and those strong-willed kids will eventually grow up to bring you joy if you trust the Lord and don’t give up.

Pillar of Faith

Natalie Mack

Hope and Anticipation

Although our oldest of five is the first to marry, both my husband and myself excitedly hope for grandchildren. While he anticipates Grandaddy snuggles and lots of park fun, I pray for a second generation of homeschooled children. When God called us to homeschool, I was struggling to be obedient. We were happy with our quaint Montessori private school in the suburbs of Maryland. Over the years, struggling obedience turned to abundant gratitude for the call. The opportunity to grow in faith, the flexibility to spend time on passions and interests, the picnics enjoyed under the dining room table, and the read-alouds at lunch time are what I envision for my grandchildren. 

What are your hopes for the second generation in your family? How do you see the blessings of homeschooling gifted to your grandchildren, nieces, and nephews? Imagine another chance to see how God uses obedience to His call to homeschool to enlarge your territory, and to bless your family. If Deuteronomy 6:7 reminds us to “impress them on your children . . .,” then how amazing it would be to raise a second generation of homeschoolers following God’s Word. 

About the author

Natalie Mack is a National Certified Counselor, author, TEDx speaker, and experienced twenty-three years military home educator, with over twenty-two years of service to military homeschooling families and military homeschool support group leadership. She is known for her words of encouragement and advocacy for homeschooling, particularly during the journey from high school to college. Natalie is a mom of five: three college graduates, one college senior, and an 11th grader.

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