Life with Littles

If homeschooling while you have little children wasn't so distracting, disruptive, frustrating, and exhausting, it would be pretty hilarious. Poop, pinching, pangs of hunger; they all threaten to interfere with your lesson plan at a moment's notice. You can be trying to conduct a Bible study, but your four year old thinks it is the perfect time to practice his trumpeting skills or conduct a reenactment of the Civil war in the living room. Brightly colored board books are thrust in your face as you attempt to read the biography of Abigail Adams. Babies teethe, toddlers potty train and,  people under 3 feet tend to have unpredictable sleep patterns. All of these things make homeschooling your children while you have littles in the house exceptionally challenging. 

The other day, as looming feelings of failure threatened to steal my joy,  I heard from the Holy Spirit. It had been an especially disheartening day. The house was a shambles, and there was nothing that could be checked off the to-do list. While I was changing a poopy diaper I felt Holy Spirit ask me, "What do you think Jesus would think of you taking a three month period to focus on teaching your children compassion through caring for needy people?"

Hmm. Interesting thought. "Well, I suppose he would approve of that."

"What if you took three months out of every year just to teach that one subject?"

"I suppose He would think that was okay, too."

"What if you took the whole of your children's education : K-12 and devoted it all to training on how to be compassionate and give yourself to the cause of caring for the needy?" 

It was about this time when Mother Theresa came to mind and I started to get the point. "That sounds like something that is near to the heart of Jesus."

 A life given in service for others and in caring for those who can't care for themselves is right up there with Godly traits I would want my children to have. 

So why not here? Why not now? 

I'm not suggesting that math and reading aren't important subjects. What I am saying is that they are not more important than the things our children learn when they watch us serving and loving others, even if those others do happen to be their siblings.