WWH = Why We Homeschool.  This post is part of an on-going series looking into the myriad reasons we’ve decided to homeschool our children.  Please read this disclaimer before continuing to read this post.

We are Christian parents.  We believe that the bible mandates that parents educate their children.  Does this mean that all Christian  parents need to homeschool?  No.  It merely means that parents are responsible to ensure that their children grow up knowing God and what He has done for us.  We parents are responsible to see that our children are educated.  If we choose to outsource this education for whatever reason, it is within our right and responsibility to do so.  If we choose to educate our children ourselves, then that too is within our right and responsibility to do so.

Our decision to “do it ourselves” at this stage is also driven by our Christian conviction.  The bible places much responsibilty on a parent to bring his child up in the ways of the Lord.  For example, in Deutoronomy 6:4-7 “ 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ^[a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  We feel that teaching our kids about the Lord all day long is best done, well, all day long!  We have the best opportunity to do this when we are teaching them at home. 

When my child is away from me for 4 to 8 hours a day, being taught from a secular humanist worldview (which accounts for much of the government’s curriculum basis), I not only don’t have all those wonderful opportunities to point them to Jesus, but I also have to deal with what the government is dishing out as “truth” (more on that in another post).

Schooling our kids at home means more time spent together to learn so much more.  It means we can ensure that our kids learn from a young age what our values and principles are.  It means that we can enjoy them and be a part of their discoveries. 

I’m looking forward to this initial phase and hope that we can continue into the next.