Settle into Your Decision

Spring 2023/Jennifer Smith

In this ever-changing world, parents are being asked to make decisions a previous generation never thought possible. Some could argue too many decisions are placed before us daily. From streaming television to ordering dinner in an instant, a continuous dose of choices lies before us. This barrage of choices doesn’t stop when it comes to schooling our kids either.

Our parents and grandparents enrolled their children in the local school; everyone sent their kids there. Occasionally, a private school would be available but only for a few families in the community. While we entrusted our neighbors with helping us educate our kids, we didn’t lose sight of the fact that it was still our job to be the parent. Today there are families that are more transient in how they live, and communities are divided on how society should operate. We judge ourselves against perfect-looking families hundreds of miles away that we see on social media and too many times, question our decisions. Yet so many opportunities for education—public, private, online, co-ops, homeschool, and even hybrids—are available.

Homeschooling has become much more popular and dare I say, a norm in society. If you are reading this article, most likely, you’ve made the decision to homeschool, and that presents even more decisions. Let’s be honest that at least once you have asked yourself these questions: What curriculum should we use? Will my children perform well on standardized tests? Are they having enough good social interaction? How do I know if the schooling is really effective? These are all questions I’ve asked myself.

Why do we lack confidence and joy when it comes to choosing and leading our child’s education? Too many times early on in my homeschool journey, I questioned if I should be educating my kids at all. Many studies have shown that most of a child’s brain development happens by age five, but we have angst over the formal education years. How, when we have already laid eighty percent of the foundation before kindergarten, do we so quickly forget we are the most qualified!

I keep telling myself one thing—let’s make one more choice and own it! No matter the mistakes we’ve made or lessons we haven’t finished, this journey is ours alone. One day you will sign the diploma for graduation. You will know every effort was given to teach them what you could. Let’s enjoy these years because like parenthood, they are fleeting. Each of us who chooses to homeschool a child has the same fear of failure. If they don’t do well, we will feel responsible, but wouldn’t we carry that burden as a parent anyway?

Surely if we have made the choice, we must trust the benefits will outweigh the failures. My oldest is finishing middle school, and the end of our journey is so close. I consider how I’ll look back when she is finished, as well as how I will feel when all of my children have finished. I won’t remember the test results, the individual lessons, or the social activities we did. I’ll ask, “Did we have more days than not that were filled with joy?” I’ll remember my children happily getting to their schoolwork each morning and my teenagers eager to learn and find future careers. I will look into their eyes as mine are filled with tears on graduation day and know that the grace of God got us here. There will be no more exams, the desks will be empty, and my calendar quiet, yet I will live with a peace knowing there was never a better choice than to be their teacher.