Hi, I’m Melinda from the J6 Journey, our family blog. Today I want to talk to you about one of my favorite reasons for homeschooling. I did not realize how important homeschooling was to us until I saw how my children have been able to spend quality time with their grandparents. I always knew we would homeschool, in part because I was homeschooled and it was a great experience for me. Many of the reasons that this blog party will cover, including the flexibility homeschooling brings, are my favorite reasons for homeschooling, but this one stands out the most to me right now.
When my oldest 3 kids were 6 ½ yrs old, 3 ½ yrs old, and 6 months old, my mom became ill with cancer (our youngest wasn’t born until 6 years later). If my children were not homeschooled, they would not have been able to spend time with their Gramma and learn from her while she was still healthy. My mom taught my oldest some geography and helped him improve his handwriting. But, she passed away 14 months after she was diagnosed. During her illness, my children would come with me when I took care of her and visited with her and my dad. Because homeschooling is so flexible, I was able to change our routines in order to accommodate this crisis.
My dad also became ill and passed away 17 months after my mom did. Again, my children were able to learn life lessons of diligence, kindness, compassion, and love by watching me help my dad grieve, move from one apartment to another, and reestablish himself, at least for a little while. If they had not been home with me, they would not have had that opportunity. My dad also took the time to share educational computer games with the kids. I will be forever grateful that homeschooling allowed for these special relationships to develop while they could.
When my oldest was 7, my father-in-law suggested that he could help our homeschooling by teaching my son all about the Bible. They started by meeting weekly and talking about the Bible over a meal together. This practice has continued for my other son and daughter in turn. We now live 1,600 miles away from my in-laws, but every week, without fail, 3 of my kids get on FaceTime to do Bible class with Grandpa. It’s a highlight of their week!
Because my children are home with me all the time, I have had to take them with me to appointments or leave them with a sitter when they were younger. When we lived near my in-laws, my mother-in-law had numerous opportunities to have Gramma time with the kids. If we didn’t homeschool, Grandma wouldn’t get as many chances to hang out with the kids and learn who they are. She also has helped out sometimes with the actual instruction and taught my oldest sign language.
Homeschooling has brought our extended family together in so many unique ways. Many life lessons have been learned through living daily with each other. Lessons like compassion and empathy for all ages have built character into our children. It would be much harder to find time to instill these values in our kids if they were not with us most of the time. Therefore, I love the freedom of homeschooling and the ability to shift priorities according to our season of life.
Do you want to teach your kids independence and responsibility?
Melinda Johnson has been married to Jared for almost 15 years and has 4 children, Benaiah, 13, Justin, 10, Keturah 7 and Abishai 1. She is an American living on Prince Edward Island, Canada, for the past 4 years. A stay at home homeschooling mom who loves everything from comic book movies to ancient history to music. She’s been a blogger for just a short while and a consultant with Lilla Rose Hair Jewelry for over 2 years. You can find her blogging about her family’s daily life at http://melinda-j.blogspot.co.id and check out the beautiful products she works with at http://www.lillarose.biz/melindaj.
Oh this post touched to the heart of what this is all about, didn’t it? Family, connections, being able to come together and spend time with family and also to have the space to grieve losses together as a family.
Beautiful post, Melinda!
Thank you so much!
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Oh Melinda, what a homeschooling journey you have had. My heart and prayers go out for you for peace that surpasses all understanding. So great that your parents were such a big part of who your kids are and their homeschool path. The kiddos will indeed treasure these memories forever! I love that grandpa still does bible with the kids miles aways! So wonderful! {HUGS}
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Thank you!
Melinda Johnson recently posted…Day 96 Miscellaneous
Beautiful and so inspirational to those that homeschool now and might do so in the future. Thanks for sharing your story! I think I am going to have to borrow your bible idea – thank God for technology so that our children can cyber connect with others.
Thanks! And yes, technology can be a wonderful thing! We Facetime with my in laws on Sundays for regular chatting and show and tell and then on Thursday or Friday for Bible class. LOVE it!
What a wonderful gift homeschooling has given your kids!
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Thanks!
Melinda Johnson recently posted…Day 96 Miscellaneous
Great post, Melinda! We, too, have enjoyed the interaction with grandparents in our homeschool life. Having been homeschooled myself, and my husband was as well, my kids have that common thread when talking to both grandmas. It’s been great. Also, after lunch coffee/snuggle time with Grandma several times a week…part of the routine now and everyone benefits!
I was homeschooled, too, along with my 3 younger siblings. I was hoping my mom could participate for longer, but God called her home. I still have questions for her about homeschooling especially! Thankfully, she kept a lot of her favorite books about homeschooling and books for the kids, so her and my dad’s legacies live on. Thanks!
Excellent point, Melinda! Our weekly art with Grammy is something we all look forward to experiencing, and she teaches them skills that I don’t have.
The priceless gift of family connections build strength in our children’s character. They carry this with them for the rest of their lives. <3
Thanks! And what fun to do art with Grammy!
what a blessing to have that precious time together! Love the idea of FaceTime lessons & discussions!
Yes it is! Thanks! (although sometimes they forget to write down their assignments from the teacher/g’pa and therefore g’pa needs to be texted to ask him what it is! oops!)
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I totally agree! My kids have been fortunate to have monthly breakfast with grandma, we visit their great grandmother once every couple of weeks, and often meet up with cousins and aunts during the week too. I love that my kids get to spend so much extra time with their family.
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Sweet!
Melinda Johnson recently posted…Day 102 Watching it all melt away…