September 28, 2022 – Encouraging Second Generation Homeschoolers

Hey, Mama!

Gena Suarez, Publisher of TOS

Train Them Up into Second Generation Homeschoolers

Hey Mama,

It’s so loud. It’s messy. You clean and then turn around; it’s a disaster again. It’s monotonous. Over and over the diapers. The worksheets. The drills. The books. Again and again, “Sam I am.” Phonics repetition never ends. Well, it does, but then we’re into chapter books. 

“Once upon a time there were four little rabbits: Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter.” 

Ongoing. There’s cereal dust ground up into the carpet again. They don’t mind stepping all over it with their little feet. It’s fun. Grind, grind, hop, hop. 

“Look Mama; I’m Mopsy!” Sigh. No time for a shower—how? 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, 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. No longer monotonous, life becomes an unknown from day to day. Time goes faster, yet you get some hard lessons along the way. Better hope your relationship with your child is strong; parenting is not for the faint of heart. Prepare for seasons of heartsick because they may come. Brace yourself for gut-punches of betrayal and be patient with the sudden lack of logic on their part. The foolish reasoning, the self-deception. 

You taught them about the Lord. You made Christ known, and you have warned against the world’s call. You gave them God’s Word, hidden 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.

Snot on your shirt and 2-year-old tantrums are nothing; could we just go back there for a while? Please can we just do sticky highchairs and gum stuck on the wall again? Here’s my carpet! Grind your little feet into that cereal, go ahead! I’ll find the Flopsy book. Showers are overrated anyway. Those days were easy . . . take me back to those early times when I still had influence.

Fast forward again maybe a decade or two—maybe even 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—it was worth it. They get it, Mama! Logic returned. A graciousness has settled over them. 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 that they had 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; you planted the seeds. You watered them with your tears. He came in and did the rest. They did not depart from it! What a long, tedious road. Tribulation, tests. But that is what this life is, Mama, remember? 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. You kept them near you rather than turning them over to someone else to raise. 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

So for now, it’s okay to rest. As you stare helplessly at the mess, young Mama, at the sixth poopy diaper of the day (what is wrong with this kid?!), at the 9-year-old’s bold little bad attitude-face, or at the kitchen counters (is there even a sink under all that?), rest in this time. It’ll flash past so fast your head will spin.

And know that this life is a series of seasons, some more joyful than others. Some intensely wearying. It’s not perfect, and there are no formulas. No guarantees. But there is HOPE. And there is LIFE. And there is PROMISE—all of which are found in God’s Word. So keep walking, knowing that your Heavenly Father has all this STUFF in His hand, shaping order out of the chaos. Your beautiful mess is His canvas.

~gena

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Todd Wilson

Familyman Ministries

Make Homeschool a Family Tradition by Keeping It Fun

Let me get straight to the point; if you want your children to grow up and homeschool their children, you’ve got to make it enjoyable.

Because here’s the deal: I see lots of homeschool kids who grow up and DON’T homeschool because their homeschool was no fun. Their mom never smiled; A’s were the only acceptable grade; and homeschool was so much harder than “real” school. I mean who would want to homeschool under those kinds of conditions?

So for all you who have young kids, make your homeschool a great experience. Do things that are fun; don’t get caught in battles and constant harping; and just enjoy doing life together. I’m telling you everyone who is homeschooled in this way will probably want to do the same with their children.

BTW – if your homeschooled child grows up and decides to put their child in public school, don’t freak. Remember that some of us had to experience how bad public school was before we decided to pull our kids out. Just remain calm, and let God do what He’s planning to do. He’s got your children, your grandchildren, and YOU.

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 Future
David West – There Are No Grandchildren in the Kingdom of Heaven

The phrase may not be original to my father, but that’s where I first heard it. Dad said it often, and I’ve passed it along to my children. It’s a good phrase for Christian homeschool parents to keep in mind: “There are no grandchildren in the kingdom of heaven.” The children of homeschooled parents aren’t given a free pass into the presence of God. Their salvation isn’t guaranteed because they are growing up in a Christian home or because they attend church regularly. Second generation homeschoolers should keep this phrase close at hand. 

My father passed along that lesson to me, and I’ve made certain to pass it along to the next generation. And I pray that someday they see the wisdom in the phrase and pass it along once again. Each generation must decide to follow Christ for themselves, and this is actually very good news. The efforts of one generation, to teach and train and lead the next, may be worthy of honor and emulation. But salvation belongs to the Lord. Cry out to God for the salvation of your children as you work diligently to train them from a Biblical perspective.

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.

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