3. We breed like rabbits
4. We all wear glasses and live to be on the “Geek Squad”
5. We keep our kids in a bubble so they won’t see or hear evil
I could use this space to talk about my sex life.
Or, argue the cons to birth control…
But I’m not.
Instead, I’d like to uncover the underlying reason why this is a common home-school myth. Deep down inside all of us lay a funny little quirk we like to do in our spare time: Categorize people. Like filing away papers to be stored in a cabinet for tax season, we file people away into their proper folder. It sounds something like this:
“Yeah, they grew up in a small town, don’t know no better.”
“I bet she’s a stay-home mom, bless her heart.”
“They were a missionary family…”
“They weren’t raised in church…”
We easily slap a label on someone and tuck them in a folder. I know I have. But it’s not fun when you’re the one in the folder! Blanket statements like that leave those underneath feeling hot and sweaty as they're wrapped in the darkness.
I think this is the underlying cause of all these homeschooling myths – maybe even myths in general. Knowing someone’s background to better understand the situation is one thing; placing someone in a character box is another. Sometimes a group of people may have commonalities, like blond hair or tan mini-vans, but that doesn’t mean they all parent the same way or go to the same church because of it.
Proverbs 20:10 says, “Differing weights and differing measures – the Lord detests them both.”
Our God is impartial. He doesn’t care about your social status, how many kids you have, how old you are, or how you were brought up. He sees you as His created masterpiece. You bring talents, abilities, skills and a viewpoint that no one else does. If He’s pricked your ear or softened your heart to the word home-school, it has nothing to do with your natural ability or category; it has everything to do with Him.
You may assume because you have a large family or come from one that you automatically qualify for home-schooling.
That isn’t true.
You may assume that because you are raising an only child, or are one, you are disqualified for home-schooling.
That isn’t true either.
I am an only child with 3 children of my own. My body said it could only handle giving birth three times. I don’t condemn the person who chooses no birth control methods or the person who stops at one, for I think it’s a fine number. Hopefully others don’t place the yard stick they use to measure their life against me and my family. God has a purpose for you and your children. He does not live in a box and He does not place His children in a box.
Instead of using brain power to categorize people, we could use that capacity to keep our focus on what’s important. We generally compare and categorize people for 2 reasons:
1) To make our self look better
2)
Justify a position we take while throwing the
alternative under the bus...again, to make our self look better.
The bottom line again: Don’t let anyone disqualify you (including yourself!) from homeschooling due to this myth!
The Duggars are a beautiful example of a homeschooling family with many kids. I love that they publically share their faith in God and trust Him with the detail of how many children their family includes. However, just because some large families choose to homeschool does not mean that is a prerequisite to home-schooling. If you place all home-schoolers in that category you are missing out!
There are some amazing families of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds out there. I encourage you to take the label off, throw away the folder and get to know the heart behind the person.
Putting it In Our Own Words,
~Julie
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