Homeschooling is a very unique learning situation, a very special privilege. Because so much of my children’s lives involve them waiting their turn, waiting for Mommy and Daddy to minister, waiting for us to finish a conversation, waiting for church functions to end, etc., homeschooling is my special time to tell the world to wait.
I rarely answer the phone or check email, and I make an effort to let my children know that this is Mommy-time and that everyone else must wait their turn (except Daddy, of course). But there was one more way in which I wanted to be more intentional with my kids. Affection. Having them in my lap during reading time, holding their hands during chants and memory work, a hand on their back during handwriting—I’ve been trying to intentionally think of any way that I could physically remind them that I was focused on them.
Middlest especially responds to this. She sits in my lap at every opportunity; she plays with my hands as she skip-counts by 5’s; she gives big hugs at every success. And one morning, as she came into the kitchen for her breakfast she said, “Mommy, do you know what my favorite part of Monday is? It’s about school.” When I couldn’t guess, she said, “Spending time with you!”
Homeschooling isn’t as much about filling minds with knowledge as it is about shaping hearts.
