The Devotion of a Homeschooling Parent

Devotion. What a concept! The word has two basic meanings. One is religious observance. The other is a strong attachment with dedicated loyalty to something or someone; in the case of homeschoolers, the devotion is to your children and their education. In many cases, there is also a devotion to our Father God.


Devoting yourself to your children's home education is a full-time job! On top of that are the usual parental and housekeeping responsibilities as well as spousal expectations, if you aren't single like I am. As if all that weren't enough to keep you hopping, you may have some volunteer work to which you devote your "spare time." That's one packed schedule!


Have you made an effort to set aside some quiet time for yourself? Wipe that incredulous look off your face -- it's not a crazy impossibility! On the contrary, taking time for yourself, even if it's only ten minutes a day, should be a top priority. You've got to be at your best to be able in turn to give your best to your family. If you don't take care of yourself, who will? 


As an early bird or a night owl, you should carve out some time for yourself during the time of day when you are feeling alert, not when you are droopy eyed and listless from exhaustion. If you're going to do it, you should do it right! It will do more for you. Devote your time to something that puts a smile on your face and a light in your eyes. 


Speaking of devotion, you might want to take a look at a book of devotions written for homeschooling parents. School Is Where the Home Is: 180 Devotions for Parents by Anita Mellott offers one devotional per day of required school. This book offers encouragement to parents who may wonder if what they are doing matters and to parents who struggle to find the strength to keep going. This book can be found at Judson Press as well as Amazon.com.  Check it out!