In the past two weeks, I have come to realize that I am joining an elite group. The name of this group is Glazed-Over Back-to-School Moms.
Sound familiar? I mean, come on! Where did summer go? Is this how my mom felt every year? Was she always a little desperate for just one more day of summer?! (Hint: the answer is yes.) If you are not one of those moms, and you are gleeful about school starting, well, that’s a different approach, right?
I have a unique approach with back-to-school as a homeschooling mom. The curriculum comes right to my door. It sits in piles, waiting to be eagerly broken down, piece-by-piece, by pliable young minds willing and eager to learn. It is, as I’ve said, “The Homeschooling Mom’s Candy”.
Of course, sitting here, would you guess that I’m possibly procrastinating? Isn’t that both shocking and predictable all at once? My children are begging to do school, and I’m begging to recover from vacation. My children are so excited and here I am, dangling the proverbial carrot in front of their noses.
Don’t get me wrong, I am truly excited to start school. I love teaching my children. I think the apprehension is largely self-imposed because at both the start and end of my day I adore watching my daughters learn and grow. I wouldn’t change it for the world. But as I look at teaching 3rd grade, 1st grade, and Preschool, I admit to feeling a bit uneasy about it all. Thankfully, I have countless resources and mentors at my fingertips, and a wonderful homeschooling community in my town! The really wonderful part is this: when I ask advice from an older mom on the best approach to a school year, the answer is almost always, “pray!”. I’m learning to take that advice very seriously!
As I was praying with a friend this morning, it caught my attention that we were both praying for our children starting school. Yes, we are both coming from different angles. Our children have different social situations, calendars, and curriculum. We attend different churches, our husbands have different jobs, and we are different people, and yet when it comes down to our children and our hopes and dreams for them, it was quite beautiful what it came down to.
Back-to-school moms, across the board, want the best for their children.
We want our children to love learning.
We want our children to have good friends.
We want our children to do their best and do well.
We want our children to be kind, honest, and diligent.
We want our children to know they are loved.
I will keep praying for my children the entire school year. I will do my best to live out a life that honors God, seeks God, and loves God. I will ask Him to equip me to be the best wife and mom I can be. And through it all, I ultimately trust God to lead and guide my children.
I also have to trust God to help my children in the ways I cannot. We each “wrestle” with God on our own. I am learning that I can take my girls to the Word of God consistently as truth, but their desire for truth and their commitment to follow God is their own decision. (Wouldn’t we love to be able to make good choices on behalf of our children?!) But He is far more capable to lead and love them than I will ever be, and so I pray.
Moms, PRAY for your children. Never underestimate what God desires to teach you through prayer, and that He desired to draw you close to Himself. There is unlimited peace when we take things to Him in prayer. There is the ability to fully trust Him in prayer. I am on a journey of trust, of prayer, of resting in my Father’s love. Be on that journey, my dear fellow Glazed-Over Back-to-School Moms. He’s got this, regardless of how you are educating your children. He will guide you, strengthen you, uphold you through this school year and beyond.
Blessings to you as you go back to school. Remember, we are always in the school of God and He is the best teacher for life!
This Blissful Chaos 