I received a comment the other day that I had to address. It is important to me never to present our family in an unrealistic light. Here is the comment:
Enola, this comment has nothing to do with your post today (with which I agree, by the way), but I am interested to know what homeschooling porgram you use for your children -or at least what Christian Bible sudy program you utilize. Your family seems to be one of the most in-tact, functioning families I have read about, and I would just like to know -if it is not too personal a question. If it is too personal, please forgive my question.
Oh, what a humbling statement! We do have a wonderful family, but we are far from perfect. Sir Knight and I do not always walk gracefully side by side. Our children are human and prone to childishness. We know how we SHOULD live, but often fail in our attempts to walk in accordance with God's word. We are sinners. But, in our heart of hearts we long to serve the Lord.
To tell the truth, half the time I think I have completely failed my children and my husband. I should be more respectful to Sir Knight. I should be more diligent in training my children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I should be a better teacher. I should be more disciplined. I should.....the list could go on and on. As far as I can tell, I am just like every other women out there. I succeed and I fail. I have come to realize, however, that what is really important is perseverance and faith. Rather than succumbing to my fears and my failures, I just keep getting back up and walking forward with the knowledge that God will keep me. As I continue to walk in the truth my faith grows.
Now that you know all about our failures, the success we do enjoy comes from digging deep into the word of God. The kids read to me out of the Bible every day for school (they choose where they want to read) and they also do copywork from scripture. Also, we start our day with a mini-bible study. Master Hand Grenade listens to prayer requests and leads us in prayer. Miss Calamity reads the portion of scripture that we are studying and Maid Elizabeth reads the study text and follow up questions. Princess Dragon Snack and Master Calvin practice sitting still and listening. We are going through the book of Proverbs right now. It is chock full of wisdom pertaining to how we are supposed to live. If your kids argue - go to Proverbs. If you are having a hard time with a neighbor - go to Proverbs. If your son is making googly eyes at the half-dressed girl on the corner - go to Proverbs. It's all in there!
The VERY best family study we have ever seen on Proverbs is the "Family Bible Study Series" by Kevin Swanson. The studies are bite-sized but full of insight. They have made us re-examine what we think and why. The kids and I study every morning during the week and Sir Knight leads us on weekend mornings. Maid Elizabeth and I skipped ahead and studied the Proverbs 31 woman. It was incredible, and I daresay, it has changed our lives. I had no idea I was the Mistress of my husbands estate. My duties as Sir Knight's wife have come sharply into focus. I long to be a good steward of his estate and increase his holdings. These books are a game changer. Kevin Swanson has also written a bible study for Genesis and Psalms. They are definitely on our want list!
Book I |
Book II |
Book III |
School is another thing altogether. Teaching is challenging for me. I am not a gifted teacher, so my children and I muddle along as best we can. We dedicate every morning to academics and our afternoons to "life skill" (sewing, cooking, baking, outside chores, etc.). Our goal in homeschooling is producing children that can successfully lead their families (our boys) and run their husbands estate (our girls).
There you go. A little insight into our flawed and wonderful family. Now you know what makes us tick.
Wow! This Family Bible Study sounds great! I am going to look for it! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your honesty, but more so for just sharing your humanness with us. I have a few women I admire, that I wrongfully think are perfect. They have: bad days, arguments with their husbands, struggles with teenagers, and often messy houses. They are not what I build them up to be, but they are still wonderful sources of inspiration and perserverance, who walk the path Our Savior put before them; they stumble, they get up, and continue on. THAT is what is truly inspirational, not our perceived imperfection.
ReplyDeleteI was asked about homeschooling by a new to the adventure mother. I told her that I often have to comfort myself after having been my own worst critic about school and other parts of my life, and I have to remind myself that it's not about my homeschool program, it is about giving my child an education, which often doesn't come from a packaged set of books, but from the day to day life experiences we afford our children when we are free from the prison of public school system.
Your struggles and admission don't make you "less perfect", they make you more so, Enola Gay. Thank you so much for being here for us.
Wow - small world. I was not aware of those books, although I have met Kevin Swanson and appreciate his ministry through CHEC. Our children are grown and we did not home school, but greatly appreciate and support those who do.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work, Enola!
Ain't no such thing as perfect-life would be boring if there was-what would you aspire to? You can always do better, but you can never quite hit perfect.It's sort of like the speed of light. You may build a ship that can crowd the speed of light, but you're never going to quite get there.With that said, because you can't isn't a reason to not try and see how close you can get to it..
ReplyDeleteThank you, Enola, for answering the question and elucidating. I am the person who asked the question, not because I thought your family was perfect - I'm 61 years old and don't know anyone YET who fits that description. But when I see someone who seems to be doing a lot of things right, I am interested in learning what special things they do, and I believe in complimenting people for doing those things. I myself am a Christian and a homeschooling veteran of 23 years. My two boys are grown, and now I am homeschooling a young foster child. Thank you for answering and including photos and names of the Bible studies you are reading/studying. After a long and fulfilling life as a Christian wife and mom and after years of homeschooling and leading a rural life, I still tuck away interesting tidbits. I learn as much now as ever, and I am thankful for new ideas, fresh ideas, interesting and different ideas. Thanks again.
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ReplyDeleteThank you for writing back! I hope some of the information can be useful. And thank you for telling me about yourself - I love hearing from other defenders of the faith.
Enola
Very cool! I've heard of Kevin Swanson, but had not heard of these books. Would love to cover them with my son. We only have six months of homeschooling left (he's a senior now) but studying the Word of God is timeless and precious in all of life. Our spiritual food! Especially now as we continue to equip him to become a godly leader of his home and family. Thank you for sharing!!
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