The Privilege of Being a Parent

We are almost done with our official school year.  I know it is kind of late, but we had to take a break when my husband's family came.  I have to say that with each year that goes by homeschooling is getting easier and easier.  I am not saying that the actual school days doesn't come with its difficulties but at least I am feeling more confident in what I want to be doing and actually am doing.  I still struggle when I hear people that try and tell us to put our kids in school.  A friend said that if I believe that is what the Lord would have us to do is to teach our children at home then rest in Him and keep your focus on Him and don't let what people say bother you.  I have been taking her advice to heart.  It just has amazed me how once I had kids how sooo many people feel that they have a right to tell you how to run your life.  I have had total strangers, friends, acquaintances, my husbands clients, neighbors, extended family telling us how to run our life.  It seems like everyone likes to add their two cents worth to any area of your life.  I have had people tell me what medications I should or should not take in regards to my Fibromyalgia or treatments to try, or where we should live, what our family should eat, how we are to discipline our kids, how to run our business, but I think the hot button has to be how we are to educate our children.  My husband has even had clients yell at him because they found out we homeschool.  I am so happy we moved from that state.  Colorado is much more homeschool friendly than California.    I just never realize how polarizing of an opinion homeschooling can bring.  What people don't know in our great country is that many of our nations founding fathers were homeschooled.  We have had some great preachers of the great awaking that were homeschooled.  Most recently is Sandra Day O'Conner was homeschooled.  Many of our great minds came from homeschool.  I think homeschool is a wonderful way to educate your children.  I am not fanatical to say it is the best way or the only way.  It is just the best way for our family to educate our boys.  I have never understood why people push their preferences on people and pressure people to see things their way.  God gives parents the gift of children and gives the parents the job of raising them hopefully for His glory and it is up to the parents to decide how they want to do that.  It is not up to everyone else to do that task.  Parents do ask advice from people and that is okay.  The key is let the parents ask without everyone volunteering advice.  People should support and encourage one another instead of getting on each others case because they may not agree with the way that person is raising there child.  As long as it is not a sin issue and it is just a preference issue let parents do their job as they see best to accomplish it.  There is no such thing as perfect parents or expert parents.  Every parent learned with on the job training.  There are experience parents that non-experience parents can go to for advice but no experts or perfect parents.  We are all fallible sinners that (those in Christ) have been save by grace!  The best part is when we do mess up in parenting and yell at our kids we can go to them and ask for forgiveness for our sin and go to God for the same reason and be forgiven.  That speaks louder to our children then if we try to act like we are infallible. There is only one infallible Father and that is God.