When I first started to write this post I was thinking about all of the ways I could help you convince your husband to let homeschooling become a part of your life. Then I realized that every single husband is DIFFERENT and that wouldn’t do any good.
Then I was thinking about sharing how my husband feels about homeschooling and a little bit of background, so you can understand why and how we pull this homeschool thing off.
The Background Story
My wonderful, loving husband was born and raised in New Jersey. Have you ever met anyone from New Jersey?! Well, here is a tiny peek into the culture that these people come from.
- They are impatient
- They are always in a hurry to go/get places
- They are loud
- They are opinionated
- They are always right (at least my husband always thinks HE is right)
Okay, so that gives the type of culture he grew in. Let me pile on top of that, he is full-blooded Portuguese (that should read, tight knit family type). And he went to Public School his entire schooling years. And he had never, ever, Ever, EVER met anyone that was homeschooled, was homeschooling, or even considered homeschooling…until he met me and my family.
This is the man that played recreational soccer from the time he was 7 years old all the way through high school, with the same guys. This is the man that was in French Club, Chorus, Marching Band, Drama, and went to every dance ever offered. He dated numerous girls, went out with friends on the weekends. He had his own sports car at 17 and never had to do much of any school, because he was bored out of his mind, and everything was easy. So he filled up his time with other activities.
This is the man that I had to approach with the very idea of homeschooling.
I had prepared myself. I read every book I could find, I researched, I read articles, I asked my sisters, I prayed, I was preparing for battle…or so I thought.
When the time came for us to enroll our oldest in school, I had doubts. I prayed about it, I talked to my husband about it, and even spoke with a Kindergarten teacher at the local school. The only reason I even spoke to the Kindergarten teacher was because my husband asked me to. Just to find out what types of things the kids were going to learn in their first year of school.
Once I relayed all of the requirements that a Kindergartener would need to know to my husband and voiced my other concerns about our son being labeled, he said, “Let’s give this homeschool thing a try and see how it goes.”
And so it goes….
How We Pull This Homeschool Thing Off
I am the primary teacher around here. I don’t know if that is true because I intentionally took the responsibility or what, but that is the way to works around here. Since I am the one home all of the time, it just made more sense to be the one to continue the education of our children.
If I can teach little people to count, learn colors, talk, go potty, be sweet to the animals, and so much more…than how hard could homeschooling them be?
It seems that I am always in consult with our School Principle (lol, that would be hubby) though, as I still often doubt my abilities to teach our children. I sometimes fail to see the progress when I look for it and this kind man will stop and point out the beauty that I have missed. Through all of these years, he has “heard” me as I quote things I have read…
“They will learn to read when they are ready.”
“Children develop at different stages.”
“Each child is a custom, God-designed creation, each one will blossom when it is time.”
He lovingly has reiterated these things back to me over the years.
He is my steady rock. He is the one that proclaimed to his mother that THIS is what we were going to do, and nothing she said could ever change that. He is the one that stands proudly in front of his family and friends and touts the intelligence of his children. He proudly proclaims that he loves that fact that his children know as much as they do.
We have learned to relax a lot over the years.
He takes the children along on trips to the store, where they can discuss whatever project he is working on. He takes them hunting (yes, even our daughter) with him. He teaches those basic life skills that only he can teach to our kids, like how to use tools correctly and how engines work. He talks about his job as a pilot and all of the physics and math that goes along with his job. He talks about politics, ancient history, time travel, theory, how to build things, the abstract, the reality, the mundane and the intense.
I don’t think that he even realizes all of the homeschooling he takes part in.
We just live life and teach in the moment.
Yes, we use books, paper, pencils, and computers even.
But so far, this is how we manage to pull off this homeschool thing.
And I am so amazingly blessed that even all these years later, there isn’t much concern from the principle about how much school got done today. Because he witnesses so much when he is home. And I thank God for that every day.
In His Grace.
Callie
Visit some of my fellow Review Crew mamas to see more Real Life Homeschool:
Treasuring Life’s Blessings
Double O Farms
Simple Living Mama
Fried Clams and Sweet Tea
This Sweet Life
A Net In Time
Counting Pinecones
Some Call It Natural
Kingdom Academy Homeschool
Debbie’s Homeschool Corner
Discover real life in other homeschools with the Schoolhouse Review Crew bloggers! Join the Blog Hop to read more!
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