In the last three issues, we have been considering these homeschooling freedoms:
- We are free to slow down the pace;
- We are free to wrap the learning experience up in a blanket of love, assurance, and acceptance;
- We are free to give all of our kids a customized education that meets their specific needs.
Today, let’s talk about the fourth freedom:
- We are free to invest far more time and energy in each of our kids than any “professional” would ever dream of being able to do.
I’ve known many extraordinary teachers, people who have devoted themselves to bringing education to life for children, university students, and adults. They are dedicated professionals who take very seriously the responsibility of teaching others, and there is so much we can learn from them! So this article is not intended to take away anything from their outstanding efforts.
Investing in the Parent-Child Relationship
When it comes to the parent-child relationship, though, there is a level of investment that we are willing to make in our children that goes beyond almost any other relationship. While a teacher may spend a night pondering how to deal with a particular student, a mom will spend all of her waking moments thinking, praying, and strategizing how to help her child, right? And, this commitment never really ends (though it looks different when the child becomes an adult).
So, how will you spend your time and energy on your kids? With the years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and moments given to you, what are the most profitable ways you can invest in your children?
I would like to suggest three specific areas that will pay rich dividends over the “life of your investment”:
- Stay
- Play
- Pray
Stay
Stay connected. Stay intentionally relational with your kids by building the bridges of communication, of mutual respect, of belonging. Stay proactive, looking for opportunities to get to know your kids better, listening to them with an open heart and mind. Stay engaged. Smile when you see them! Laugh when they tell a joke! Value these fleeting moments of this season of your life with your kids, because it will not stay this way forever.
Play
Play with your kids. Play music, tell funny jokes play games, play with puppets, play sports, play with animals, play outdoors, read funny books, wrestle together, play with words, play with numbers, play whenever, whatever, and wherever your family loves to play. Though much of parenting requires us to correct, “Johnny & Susie, please eat your food with your mouths CLOSED!”, it also needs lots of time where we share humor and fun and experiences together. Let their memories be filled up with these playful moments. It’s deposited laughter, to be drawn out when life grows hard.
Pray
Pray with and for your kids. Pray specifically, pray continuously, pray with hope, pray with trust, pray with endurance. Pray for wisdom, pray for patience, pray for creativity, pray for strength and energy. Pray for their future, pray for their hearts, pray for their big decisions and their everyday choices. Never grow weary in praying, regardless of circumstances. It’s ALWAYS the right choice because there is a God who listens with infinite love and compassion. He will give direction, answers, and courage. And He is working in each of our lives in ways beyond our comprehension.
Remember, stay relational.