Nobody Ever Told Me That Babies Grow Up...

January 13, 2014

10:25 AM

Is it difficult to be with your kids 24/7?

When people hear that I homeschool, the usual response is "I don't have the patience", "I couldn't do that", or "I need time to myself". My initial response is then why did you have children?? I have to remember that I used to think the same thing as they do. When Jay was younger, I lived for time to myself and the chance to go out and do "grown-up" stuff. Now that he is about to turn seven (Lord, help me!), I can't imagine not spending this time with him. He and Madison are growing up so fast and I don't think it's selfish to want to capture all of their moments. So many parents have to sacrifice seeing their own children's milestones due to work and/or the need to place them in daycare. I don't want to have to hear of their developments from another adult. 

I also want to witness their educational milestones. We are nearly 100 days into our homeschooling journey, and I can tell you how Jay is progressing in each subject in detail. I can tell you what makes him frustrated and why it does. I can tell you what he's going to put the most effort into. I can even give you a detailed analysis of the effect of music on my son. There is nothing that any other adult can tell me about these kids that I don't already know. 

I'm really enjoying my time with them. Of course, there are times that I need to be by myself. Stephan is great about that. He'll take care of the kids while I go out and spend some time with Anesha. I will never undervalue the importance of grown-up time and I'll take it when I need to, but never at the expense of the kids. Stephan and I need time together, because that's just what married people do. Our location makes it difficult, because we don't really have anyone around here we trust enough to watch our kids. I tell you one thing, we'll never take family for granted! Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are awesome to have around. Our family is extra awesome, not just because they are so loving and share a close bond, but because we know that we can depend on them for just about anything, including watching the kids so we can do more as a couple. Whenever we move back to Maryland, Steph' and I will definitely be spending more husband and wife time together! Military life, man...

My words are not meant to offend or hurt anybody's feelings. My feelings are my own and only reach as far as my own family. Anyone who knows me personally knows that the well-being of my family is at the very top of my priority list, immediately after serving the Lord. I don't do this to impress or to gain recognition. I do pray that I can be a blessing to someone else through my witness and personal testimony. I want to inspire young parents to take control of our children's education, not necessarily by homeschooling. But, we all can be our children's primary teachers. They learn so much from us. It goes to back to the old saying "Lead by example". Let's be good examples to our children. Let's teach them how to make wise decisions. Most importantly, let's teach them how to live lives that are honoring to the Heavenly Father. 

         From left to right: Mama Biscuit, Turkey Biscuit, & Chicken Biscuit (Sausage Biscuit not pictured)