The Best Mom for the Job
As a homeschool proponent, I am always looking for opportunities to spread the word about this great lifestyle. Recently, I was in contact with a local reporter who, at my request, was writing an article about diverse homeschoolers. I spent a week hunting down parents who homeschool for diverse reasons to be interviewed for the article. Many moms within my homeschool group volunteered. It would be so simple. Or so I thought.
We began the discussion to clarify our diversities before we presented them to the reporter. With passion and conviction, the group of mothers discussed their reasons. The deeper the conversation became, however, the more confused I became. The article was to be about our diverse motivations for homeschooling and yet, in spite of our different lifestyles, belief systems and philosophies, we all seemed to agree about our reasons. Oh, there wasn’t one specific reason. If only it were that simple. There was some hidden, underlying consideration that I couldn’t quite place.
This hidden similarity was haunting me. I’d been trying to get this reporter to write an article about the diversity of homeschooling in Boulder County for 7 months now. I had finally convinced her that it was newsworthy and all of a sudden I realize homeschoolers are completely unified with some hidden reason that I couldn’t quite figure out.
As the clock ticked, counting down the days and hours before I was to present these wonderfully diverse homeschoolers (who really weren’t) to the reporter, I grabbed several of my volunteers to brainstorm. In an effort to really hash out our differences I cornered one friend. She cringed and lamented “But it’s too hard! We all really homeschool for the same reason. We know that we can serve our children’s needs better than anybody else can.” There it was! There was the reason.
With this clarity, my life began to flash before my eyes. I recalled all the times in my life as a parent when I was the best person for the job of raising my children. I recalled how my newborns’ wails were gently silenced by my breast, how a wounded heart was soothed by my hug, and how my chicken soup was ambrosia to my daughter when she was ill. I serve my children’s needs better than anyone else can. And, not just better. I serve my children’s needs BEST!
As I awakened from my little flash back, I realized that although the reasons we start to homeschool are quite diverse, in the end, we all come back to this basic truth. As parents, we serve our children’s needs best. We understand their passions and interests. We understand their challenges and strengths. We can play to their personalities and work to engage their minds. If they fall behind, we can lag with them, all the while cheering them on. If they can never catch up, then at least they aren’t alone back there. If they forge ahead of their peers, we can offer them challenges and adventures only dreamed of by a class of thirty. When it comes to parenting and educating our children, we truly are the best person for the job.
