As we prepare to bring our children home to educate them next year, my reasons are becoming clearer to me on a daily basis.  I have no confusion or fear - okay, maybe a healthy amount of trepidation - but have instead been overcome with a thrilling sense of peace, much inspiration, and excitement.

I'm even eager to communicate with family and friends, critics and strangers alike, when they ask me "Why?  Why are you choosing to homeschool your kids?"  Therefore, because I am so enjoying answering their questions, I thought I'd post my reasons here.

Why are we "bringing our children home"?  

- I love the term "bringing our children home."  Sally and Clay Clarkson use the phrase  in their book Educating the Wholehearted Child, and the words have truly taken root in my heart.  First of all, I feel that I'm left with just a few left over hours, five days a week, to put out fires.  They come home from school with attitudes, words, and hearts that need correcting and loving, and there is simply not enough time.  Not to mention the academic needs that need tending too for my boy who has a hard time learning in a classroom setting.  And so I am caught in the heart by the phrase, the need, the sentiment... to bring them home.

- My first born originally begged me (4 years ago) to stay home with his brothers and me during his preschool years.  I'd only signed him up for two short mornings a week but he asked simply and often, "why can't you just be my teacher?"  It was a simple enough question and so I started to pray that God would confirm that it was the right move for our family as a whole, as I had just had my third baby boy in 4 short years.  On the coattail of his question and my prayers, my child said, "I just want to be with you and my brothers."  So I pulled him from preschool and began the fun of teaching him to read and write, bake, color, and sing.  While we chose to put him into a private school come Kindergarten, I had caught the homeschooling vision early on.

- By first grade my first born was struggling to focus, even in his small Private classroom with only 8 students.  Praise be he had a marvelous teacher who worked with each child individually to find their learning modality and love language (things we mothers know instinctively but most teachers are never able to assess due to sheer class size and work load.)   With much individualized care he excelled with Ms. M and his small class of peers.  

- This year has been much different for son #1.  While he's a bright chid and learns easily when focused,  in a classroom with now 20 students and a teacher who doesn't go over assignments one on one with him, he is flailing academically.  He loves the social aspect of his school and thrives personally with lots of activity, but learning is nearly impossible in that environment.  And so we spend the little bit of time we do have at home each evening, learning what was supposed to be caught in class.

- At the same time, just down the hall, my second born has struggled in his own way in his three day Kindergarten class.  While he has taken huge leaps both socially and academically over the last couple of months especially, his heart still pounds noticeably within his chest each day I drop him off at school.

- The boys all love good books, both being read to and, for my eldest, reading.  They enjoy listening to music and learning to play it.  They enjoy building forts and putting on shows for us at home.  They dream of starting companies, creating a farm, selling their own produce and turning a profit.  They are little Renaissance men.  I always thought I could supplement their school education with music lessons, gardening, and creative play, but I  am finding there isn't enough time for it all.  I know these boys.  I know the things they enjoy and ways they could learn while excelling in their own individualized passions and interests... but there's just not the time for it all.

- 90% of the days I pick the boys up from school they end up in a quiet time-out as we drive home because they are rude to one another, disrespectful toward me, tired and angry.  Because we're always running to a swim lesson or music lesson we seem to never get to the heart of the matter and only correct poor behavior.   I'm a firm believer that it's their hearts that need our attention, not their behavior. Their behavior stems from the condition of their heart... and after a long day away from home... the soil isn't well conditioned... it's rocky... and seeds struggle to to take root.

- Not only do my boys love literature... i do too.  I love to read to them and ask them thought provoking questions.  Once again, it's hard to find the time to do all of the things our family VALUES, when we are sending them away from home for the majority of their week.  And so... and so I am excited to BRING THEM HOME to learn.  I'm eager to not just get to their intellects, but delve into their hearts, and spirits, and unique Passions.  

This week Caleb is working on memorizing Ephesians 2:10, my favorite verse from the past few years.

For we are God's workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works,

that God prepared in advance for us to walk in.  

Not only do I believe that Bringing My Boys Home to educate them is one of those Good Works... those God Works prepared in advance for me to do, but I think that the boys will have a better understanding of their own unique design if they are educated with individualized care as we keep our eyes open for good works together.

A side note, the individual Greek word that we translate "workmanship" is Poema, from whence we get our word Poem.  We are, in essence, God's Poem to the world we live in.  Penned in the red blood of Christ.  A love note to those around us.  

I see home education not as a bubble to avoid the world, but as safe haven to prepare for ministry to the world.  God made us, and our children, for good works that are out there... let us purpose to prepare for those individual and anointed works that He prepared for us to walk in.  

Super excited to share my heart with all who ask these days.  

A special hello to those who are stopping by from Women Living Well and Heavenly Homemakers.  If you would like to follow along our journey at LOVECOVERS, register as a member or subscribe for email updates on the sidebar.  It's a pleasure to have you stop by.