Help
With Your Rule
Husband Reluctant to Homeschool
Dear Holly,
I am the mother of six, from a newborn to age 8. My husband and I are richly blessed. I absolutely love your book. I have many sisters to share it with (I am the youngest of 14, 9 of which are girls)! One of my biggest concerns is the education of my children. I desire to home school in the worst way, but my husband does not want me to. After coming home with our newest arrival, I can't help but feel somewhat relieved. However, if my husband ever agreed to it, I would try it with my whole heart. I would much rather attempt the hard work of home schooling, than to have my children being subjected to peers brought up with poor moral values. At this time, they go to a public school, my oldest being in the second grade. We most certainly could not afford a Catholic school. I feel that we try our best to teach them their faith at home. My husband is involved with that as well. He just thinks that it would be too much work for me. I haven't convinced him yet to go to a home schooling conference. I have talked much with my brother about this who is a priest with the Fathers of Mercy. He says Our Lord loves obedience. He tells me to pray about it, for my husband's heart to open to the idea. Until then, the priest tells me to do as my husband wishes, for he is the leader of our family. I am hoping and praying that if that ever happens or not, we will be able to give back to God what rightfully belongs to Him: our children.
Labels: Homeschooling
posted by Holly at 6:49 PM
2 Comments:
I agree that prayer is the key to discerning God's intent for you and your family and for helping your husband clarify his discernment on this. One little idea I used to do in the early days of our marriage - I have left things I wanted Philip to read sitting on the table beside the toilet! And my husband usually read stuff then, without pressure from me. :-) So, you might want to consider written material on homeschooling placed strategically to enable your husband to get acquainted with the notion.
And your understanding toward him and your intense prayer for God's Will to be done is most important - for it may very well be that God intends your kids to go to school. Perhaps your husband already knows this, and your own sigh of relief is an indication for the present moment too. So yes, place all in God's hands.
I think that your commitment to a strong faith formation with your kids, BUT ESPECIALLY a commitment to your love-relationship with your kids - that they remain bonded to you are parent, as opposed to their peers - is the very heart of passing down God's love and grace - no matter which schooling option God intends for your family.
So keep loving those children and make time for them when they are home and you will have the personal base necessary to pass the faith to them and keep them strong - this and your ongoing prayer!
If catholic school is something you would truly consider and really can't afford it, I would talk to your pastor. My parish has a policy that no one will be turned away from the school because of an inability to pay. My children attend a faithful catholic school and it has been a great help in passing along the faith-in fact they are teaching me quite a bit.
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