B is for Boasting: A to Z of Encouraging Homeschool Moms
Picture the scene: Caps, gowns, diplomas, crowds of people, photos being snapped, family and friends congratulating you on all the hard work you did, and, of course, crying moms. But, wait–you’re one of those moms. And the hard work was more than organizing the graduation ceremony; it was actually teaching the child who is graduating. And their siblings. For however many years you’ve been doing this. As your child walks across that stage, a little voice in your head says (in a sing-song way), Look what you have accomplished! Aren’t you proud? Do these people even understand how much you’ve poured into this child? That applause is more for you, really. But, you just hush that boasting voice because you know the Truth.
He Who Boasts
Boasting is not something homeschool parents are known for. Yes, we’re proud of our children, but we know it’s not about us. It’s not even about the child. It’s about all the glorious things that God has done in the life of that child. It’s about the grace He gives you to patiently teach reading, writing, and arithmetic to your child. It’s about watching that child grow into a mature adult who seeks the Lord. It’s about what He has done, and what He will continue to do.
Boast in the Lord
You homeschool for a reason. Maybe you feel the public school has changed too much, or maybe you don’t care for the environment of your local school. You may even homeschool because you feel God has called you to teach your children and you wish to be obedient. Whatever your reason, you know this isn’t an easy journey. There are trials along the way, yet somehow God gets you through each of them. He is the One about Whom you boast. He is the One Who gets credit for who your child is the day he or she graduates.
B is for Boasting
Congratulations on graduating your child(ren) Homeschool Mom! It has been a long journey, but you have persevered and completed it. Go ahead and start boasting about all God has done in the comments! I will listen (and I will reply, too). And, if you have not yet reached the place where your child is old enough to graduate, know this: it will happen one day. Your hard work will be rewarded when you watch your child walk across the stage. You will probably cry tears of gratitude as you thank God for seeing you through.
And any boasting you do will be about what God has done in the life of your child. Because it’s not about us. It’s about what God has done.
Thanks for sharing, Elizabeth! I love reading graduation stories!
This year I plan to graduate my fifth and sixth children.
I prayed, long ago, “Lord, please never give me any special needs children. You know all too well that I just don’t have the patience for that.” Well, you probably know God’s answer to that. My first and my fifth were diagnosed years ago with severe ADD. This diagnosis was actually a relief, as now I knew that the problems weren’t just because I was the worst mom in the world. If these two had been in institutional school, they would have fallen through the cracks, been placed in special ed., labelled – and not allowed to fulfill their true potential. But with a mom who kept on their case, and a God who had blessed them with great intelligence and creativity, they’re doing so well! My first is enrolled in a Ph.D. program, and my fifth is about to graduate from high school. My second has been a successful EMT for years (the Lord showed me what she ought to be when she was 14, and surprisingly enough, she actually listened to the idea God had given, and agreed). My third is happily married, and my fourth runs a small business.
My elder graduate this year, one of my two who’ve been diagnosed with ADD, is creative, funny, and very sensitive. He’s smart at math, and at thinking and creating in 3-D. He’s a very special young man, and is headed down the path God created for him long ago. He wanders sometimes, but he’s headed in the general direction!
My younger graduate this year is the exact opposite of his older graduating brother. This one is driven, intense, impulsive. (He got all the H the ADD boys left behind.) He’s very good at working with him hands, but is also intelligent. I think it’s amazing that God created these two right after each other. He’s very creative. The years with these boys have been learning years – learning about boys, about ADD, about math and phys. ed. and temperaments. I’m grateful God gave them to us, and am looking forward to what He’s going to do with them in the coming years.