Thinking about Homeschooling by Katherine Barron

I told my cousin once that I had to homeschool my children. I HAD to. She asked why. The only thing I could say was that I would feel guilty if I didn't.

Maybe guilty is the wrong word. I suppose homeschooling for me is like becoming a Catholic. Once I listened to those tapes by Scott Hahn and once I read those books about Christian history, I had to become Catholic. I knew a truth. I felt it to my core, and to not act on that truth would feel like a lie. So many things in my life are like that. So much about attachment parenting is like that for me. I breastfeed because it is the single best thing that I can put in my baby's tummy. Nothing else in this world compares to breastmilk for babies. Some situations may call for using other foods, and those mother's should not be berated for not breastfeeding but that does not change the TRUTH that breastmilk is made for babies.

Babies are meant to be born naturally. That is how they are meant to come into this world. There are instances where c-sections are best for mom and baby, but not most of the time. And whatever we can do to help that natural process along is the way it should be done.

Little boys were meant to play. Little boys learn and thrive in a context that includes lots of running around, playing with legos and climbing trees. Sitting in a classroom all day is not how they were meant to grow up. This is a truth. Homeschool doesn't work for every family, but little boys were not meant to sit and follow directions from teachers who don't love them and mostly just want them to get good grades on tests. This is a truth. And again, mothers and fathers whose situations force them into doing things a different way should not feel guilty.

I'm not saying that these truths are in the moral/immoral categories. That is not what I am saying. I believe certain things to be truth, and once that is part of my knowledge it is up to me to DO something about it. The same goes for exercising, or eating right or not smoking. Once we have been shown the way...we must act on it. I'm trying to lose weight right now. Yes, yes I want to look good. I want to feel attractive to my husband, but I also want to be healthy. I know that being overweight is not healthy. That is a truth. Do I think it is immoral of me to be overweight? No. Do I think that it is immoral to not TRY to lose weight? Yes. I have been given knowledge of the best and I should try with all that God has given me to take care of that which He has entrusted to me.

That is why I home school, because my children have been entrusted to me by God and it is my and my husband's responsibility to bring them up the best way we can.