Many people ask me “how do you balance being a stay-at-home-wife/mom, working from home, AND homeschooling your kids?” Honestly, I don’t have a straightforward answer. Some days, things run like a well-oiled machine; others are more like a train wreck. I’m learning how to balance every day.
I never envisioned myself as solely a stay-at-home-wife/mom. I have many educational career dreams and aspirations. BUT above what I desire, I have made God’s desire for my life in this season my own. He never asked me to give up the dreams placed in my heart but He has instructed me to prioritize what’s important to him in my current season. Balance is at the core of my decision to be a stay-at-home-wife/mom, work from home, AND homeschool our kids.
Our oldest is 4 and our youngest is 1 going on 10. My husband’s and my desire is to raise them on a biblical foundation of faith. With all the negative influences out there, homeschooling is an avenue in which we can do this. We also want our kids to have a balanced life as well. If you know my sons, they thrive from social interaction; they are social butterflies and love people (I’d like to attribute those characteristics to their great-great grandfather, great-grandmother, Papa, and Dad!). With the option of homeschooling, I have the flexibility of allowing them to have various learning experiences. Some days they attend a part-time pre-school program at a local church and other days are spent in the comforts of their home, homeschooling with me. They enjoy learning and growing in close-knit environments where they are nurtured and cared for by their teachers, who are believers, and also in the safety of their home. I know once the boys reach “school-age”, the pre-school option will no longer be applicable. However, I know God will provide the healthy social outlets and local Christian homeschool co-ops and programs for them to be a part of when that season comes.
With our homeschool lifestyle, God has provided and shown his hand and favor upon our family and lives and I know He’ll do the same for you! Don’t allow the idea of homeschooling keep you in a “box” or make you feel as though you are hindering your children from a full life experience. Homeschooling is the perfect avenue for filtering the influences in their life, making your family stronger, setting the foundation for healthy relationships, and learning in a safe environment. Design your homeschool plan and choose options that produce balance and best fit the personalities of your kids and the heartbeat of your family.
Homeschool gives you the liberty and allows the balance to “school” YOUR way!
-Kamika Raby, M. Ed.
