Being a Christian at Christmas

I grew up never believing in Santa and I assumed I wouldn't start with my kids. I was wrong. My third child was bound and determined that Santa existed and I must admit it was a little fun to feed his imagination. So we have continued the tradition and I'm perfectly fine with it.

Yes, I know some people think that you shouldn't because it's "lying to your kid" or "giving them the wrong impression of what Christmas is all about." But I think if either of those reactions is the result of believing in Santa when they are small then I am not doing my job as a parent the rest of the year.

I know not every Christian parent is like me but I make it my job year-round to be sure that my kids understand that I am there for them and will tell them the truth. In fact, I guess some would say I take it to extremes because I choose to spend 15 hours a day with them (whether they like it or not) and we talk a LOT. I also live in a way that I'm confident that my kids know how I feel about Jesus and his birth. The saying goes "actions are louder than words" and it is true when it comes to children. Seriously, they are watching and learn from you all year. So far I have not seen that this one little Christmas tradition has ruined the foundation I have laid the 9 other months of a year. I think we have to be careful when we decide something for our families that we don't project our own baggage onto others. I do not think believing i
n Santa is wrong if the biblical foundation is there and let's face it Santa is a fleeting belief. By the time my kids are about 8-9 they are realizing that the idea of Santa is far-fetched. So while I did not set out to teach my kids about Santa, it has happened. I don't need or want a lecture about it. I want you to trust that I have my children's best interests, both spiritually and physically, at heart and to be honest Santa can be a tool for communication about other things if you are crafty and think outside the box. 

Being "Weird" at Halloween

A lot of my choices are not conventional you can look at my story and see that, but when October 31st rolls around it seems to become glaringly obvious to everyone, not just my readers, that this is the case. Honestly, I have never had a person ask me why I don't let my kids celebrate Halloween and I am not sure why. Perhaps everyone thinks they know, the lady at the cash register certainly thought she did when she quizzed my daughter about her costume. But the truth is, we don't celebrate because I cannot rationalize it. Trust me I know that it's about intentions and most (all) of the children walking the streets asking for candy do not intend to be worshiping anything...except that future sugar-high...but the history of the day still remains and I cannot get past it. I think the conversation I had with my 7-year-old sums up my feelings on the day perfectly.

S- Mom, I wish did could celebrate Halloween and get all that candy.
Me- I know. Why don't we celebrate Halloween?
S- Because it was once a holiday set aside to worship someone other than the one true God.
Me- Yup, I'm sorry you are sad about the candy.
S- *sigh* I just wish there was a holiday that we could celebrate God and eat a lot of candy.

So what it truly boils down to with me is that I cannot bring myself to celebrate a holiday that was once used (and in all honesty is still for some) to worship the enemy of the God I believe to be true. Am I being an overly cautious parent? No, I don't think I am. Am I trying to take away my children's fun, absolutely not! But I am trying to teach them that because I believe so deeply in something that I am willing to make sacrifices for it.
 I do not write this to try to "sell" my idea about Halloween or give the impression that everyone should believe as I do. I am simply explaining what my intentions are for not allowing my children to participate and hopefully inspire someone to put some thought and research into his or her own intentions for celebrating.

Being Surprised!

Over the past couple months, we have had a huge surprise in our family. One we weren't prepared for, but a happy gift none the less. We found out that our family is growing again. If I were more chemically unstable then when I saw those two blue lines you would have had to pick me up off the bathroom floor, instead, I just stood there in shock considering what this was going to make 2018 look like for us. I'm not going to lie it was kind of fun sharing a surprise so far out of left field that no one even suspected it, but it does still change things some. For example, I thought I was going to walk in my commencement ceremony in May and that I would start looking for a part-time job to use my education not that I would be organizing a nursery and writing a birth plan again. This is one of those times when I just think "Okay God, what's the plan now?" At the moment my best guess is that God wants me to take a beat and just be a mom for a year and then regroup. I guess we'll see what doors are opened because of this very big and beautiful surprise.

Being an Educator

It's here, back to school time, and it has me thinking.
I have been in the homeschooling realm of schooling for the past 28 years with a short 7-year span in the middle when I had children too small to officially homeschool. So I feel fairly confident in saying that I have a good grasp on the educational system, at least in my state.
I want to clear up some of the misconceptions (as always these are my views and opinions so do not hold every homeschooling family to them).

Misconception number 1: Yes, I am a homeschooler and no I do not hate the public school system.

I have a lot of reasons for homeschooling my children and I know others have reasons for utilizing the public school system or a private school of their choosing. Let's stop the debate over what is best. We're all just parents trying to do what we can to educate our children to the best of our abilities. I won't judge you for sending your kids to school so please don't judge me for keeping mine home.

Misconception number 2: We wear our pajamas all day.

To my children's demise, this is seldom the case. It is not so much that they don't want to or I don't want to let them, it's that we are busy. You see all those extracurricular subjects you get at school (music, gym, art, etc.) we have to take lessons or meet up with others for them and since the only people who seem to think PJ's double as regular clothes are college students we must get dressed every day.

Misconception number 3: Homeschooling causes children to be unsocialized.

This one is tricky because it is hard to prove and because each family is so different. The level of socialization depends strongly on the parents' preferences, family involvement with outside activities, family size and a number of other constructs. To help with the socializing of our children (and ourselves) we put our kids in a lot of sports and clubs. I do not think this is completely necessary it is just what our family does. We love people and we want our kids to love them too so that they have a heart to share the gospel with them. I think socialization is an issue that stems from the heart. Where you're heart is will be where you spend your time. So yes, some homeschooled kids are standoffish (I'm not going to lie), but some are not and I think you can find those 2 types of kids in any type of school setting.

Misconception number 4: Homeschooling is too hard for me to even consider.

Well, I am here to tell you that it is not really if you know where to look. There is some incredible curriculum out there that lays out exactly what you need to know. I do not have a degree in education, but I have crazy, self-taught, research skills that mean I am constantly educating myself on what is out there to give my children a well-rounded education that will allow them to hopefully enter college seamlessly someday. You can do that too, honest. Plus, here's a little secret, most other homeschooling parents love to talk about it and give recommendations. So, if you're willing to research and receive recommendations you'll be in fine shape.

Misconception number 5: Homeschooled children do not receive the education they need to thrive in the real world when they are adults.

I must admit, this misconception upsets me. Homeschooling my children is a full-time job for me, literally! I spend a lot of time working to make sure my children keep up with their studies and have a full education. One major difference with homeschooling is that my classrooms are so small I can cater my children's education to their strengths and weaknesses. I test my children every year for this particular reason. If I see that they are struggling in a subject we work harder to try to fully understand it in the future. Unfortunately, that is not so easy to do in public school because of the sheer number of children. Personalized education is my jam so please don't diminish my efforts.