“My kids would never listen to me like they do their teacher.”

This is a sentiment I have often heard from other mothers when explaining why they choose not to home school. Often this comment is heard after someone has asked where my children go to school and I mention we home school.

Guilt should never be a motivator to home school. I felt a pretty strong conviction when we started to home school that it was something that God was calling our family to but it wasn’t guilt. I wasn’t failing my children but God was providing me with a better path for our family.

 There are a lot of guilty mammas out there feeling as though they are failing their children. I think this guilt has a lot less to do with whether you home school and a lot more to do with your relationship  with your child. Are you someone who has influence and authority in their lives, the most influence? More than their peers, teachers, or anyone else.

God has given us authority into these little ones lives. We are responsible  to foster that.

 I would find it very difficult to think that a teacher who will only be in my child’s life for 9 months and who even with the best of intentions has 25 other students to think of, has more influence on my child than me.

Isn’t there something wrong with that?

I want to be the authority on all things in my kids lives, and if I don’t know I’ll go to the Bible, my husband, or I’ll google it.  I want it to be through our family that they learn to navigate this world. I want them to come to me to ask the whys?  If  my child is more influenced by other people outside of our family, I haven’t done my job. It’s my job to disciple them.  Just as God is our father, and we are His children,  parents  directly impact who their kids will be. Their foundation is being laid in these young years.  This doesn’t mean that no one else can or should influence our children. But it should be within our own discretion who we allow to shape those precious little children, and if our kids hearts and obedience are more swayed by their teacher, coach, babysitter, youth group leader, or anyone else, we might want to ask ourselves why?