All homeschoolers have been accused of micro-managing our children. That's a relatively new term for parents who raise kids with actual real standards and morals. This means, to those who label us, that we hold our children under a microscope to audit their every word and action to make sure they turn out exactly like we want them to with no chance of failure.
“Maureen Wittmann has mapped out a lifetime reading plan that will be useful to children, teens, and adults alike. Literature is an important part of any integral Catholic education – and our Catholic education is never finished on this side of heaven. This book provides a significant help in seeing how literature can be used to teach and emphasize the foundational values that lie at the heart of a truly Catholic education.”For the Love of Literature is now available for purchase at my website.
Reverend Kris D. Stubna, S.T.D., Secretary for Education, Diocese of Pittsburgh
But then something happened. People began to discover the very real benefits of homeschooling. I began to hear parents in the 1990's saying things such as, "Even if the very best Catholic school was next door, I'd still homeschool."
It's an interesting thing to watch your oldest child grow into a man. He's no longer a little child. He's capable of making sound life decisions on his own. Sure, he looks to me for guidance, but I trust him implicitly in making right choices. I'm not quite sure how that happened. Was I blessed with children who are naturally good or did I somehow make enough right parenting decisions to help them blossom into great kids?
We are made in God's image. Let's think about that for a moment. What does God do? He creates. He created us and the earth. Therefore, it is only natural that we have a desire to create. It feels good to create, to learn, to explore, to discover. I try, as a parent and homeschooler, to take advantage of these natural tendencies in my children.Adrienne is a children's librarian in New York and wrote a book for librarians on how to reach out to homeschoolers. Helping Homeschoolers in the Library is due to be released next month and will be published by the American Library Association.
When I am tested in this fashion, I begin to elevate. My blood pressure goes up, along with my volume. This can come on rather suddenly. The children used to act surprised when this happened. Now I am embarrassed to admit that they have gotten used to it. Eye-rolling ensues, at its finest.
Nancy Brown will be making some changes at her blog in the near future. She's working on a simple plan to take Flying Stars in a new, awesome direction. Please offer up a few prayers for her as she works to build up the Body of Christ through her writing online.
The point is this: siblings are good for each other. There is no greater gift two parents can give to their children than another sibling, even though it sometimes takes the siblings years to learn how to get along. This is okay. It's all part of the process. I believe homeschooling can speed this process along, and I have an illustration to prove it.
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