February Fun

Last school year I started realizing how much I craved adult connection and in particular, connection with other homeschool moms.  Most of the moms at church also homeschool, but it’s hard to have a great conversation when you’re trying to get bites of food into a kid’s mouth or jumping up to make sure they’re ok.  Plus, the noise level after church is enough to make you forget half of what you might want to talk about.

I’ve always been a believer in making things happen instead of sitting around wishing for them.  We can spend so much time feeling deprived because it would be so nice to have _______ in our life.  We wish we were invited to the party when really, we could make our own!  So I looked my whiny self in the eye and shot level.  Why can’t I start one?

But what if people don’t come?  What if no one else wants this?  What do I even have to offer?  What if it’s a bust?

Yeah, what if?  Does it matter?  If it turns out to be a bad fit for everyone else, does that make me wrong? We miss so much when we hold back out of insecurity and fear.  Don’t ask me how I would know.

So I invited all homeschooling mamas to join me once a month.  No agenda. Fully disclosing that it would probably evolve as it went.

I can’t even tell you how much I’ve enjoyed it.  The camraderie of other moms doing the same thing has been a huge support to me, even in the weeks between our meetings.  Probably what surprised me most was the way God used this not only to give me the gift of adult interaction, but also to grow me in some of the areas I felt most insecure.

We’ve had times of sharing how things are going, swapping tips on motivation, shared laughter and prayer.  There are two moms who come support us, not because they are homeschooling, but because they DID and they simply want to show us they’re behind us.  Just seeing them is like an IV of courage because it’s a reminder that it’s possible.  Their kids are happy, well adjusted, intelligent adults who are sitting in the group because they’re now teaching their own kids.  We’re even lucky enough to have one mama with a teaching certificate who happens to be currently staying home to teach her kids and does some tutoring.  Her advice and perspective is spot on, and I doubt I’m stretching things when I say the favorite night for most of us was the one where she talked to us about teaching Creative Writing.

A few months ago we all talked about our why for homeschooling.  What our own school experiences were, how we got started, and what our reasons are.  In a group, it’s so important to know that background because of how it shapes our responses.  If someone gets really bogged down and things aren’t working but they are passionate about homeschooling, then we need to figure out how to support them.  But if someone is doing it because they feel like they don’t have other options and they get bogged down or it’s not working for whatever reason, then maybe we need to help them explore whether it was for a season and what their options are.

During that meeting, one of the things that surfaced was a wish to give our kids a few opportunities that aren’t so easily replicated at home, like public speaking.  It’s not too nerve wracking to give an oral book report to your younger siblings!  I kept thinking about that and this month instead of getting together as moms, our families got together and all the kids had a chance to perform.

It was so much fun seeing the variety of things they came up with and I was blown away by how well they did!  Most of these kids have never gotten on stage to present something alone, but they all did it and did an incredible job of it!  One of the fun parts about homeschooling is that it really is a family affair so we had presenters from 2 years old to 14!  I was so proud of Zara who had been so incredibly excited for weeks.  When the moment came, she was terrified to tears but pushed through and said her poem with clarity.  This is true bravery.  Courage doesn’t mean being fearless.  It means walking into and through even when you’re shaking in your shoes.

That shy, little Bella girl of ours claimed the stage and shocked me to bits by actually singing her song!

It all culminated in a grand ice cream party, and I got a chance to talk to the kids to see what they thought.  I’d heard a little about jitters before the evening started, but around bites of ice cream they all said, “It was so much fun!”

Today when I was talking to a friend who is involved with education she said, “I so applaud educating a well rounded child.  Everywhere I go I hear people say, ‘We don’t have Sunday School teachers for our women’s classes because no one feels as though they’ve learned how to study and present publicly.’  This is how we change that.  From the ground up.  Working with children.”

Who knows what all God will do when you shove your insecurities into the back seat and follow a nudge.  Even if you initially think it’s just for you.

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