To the mom who is just starting out…
And to myself.
You’re excited about homeschooling. And completely terrified.
Breathe.
God has entrusted your children to you. Not to anyone else. To you. He knew they needed you. You need them too. You are uniquely equipped to be their mom—to love them, to walk alongside them, and yes, to teach them.
You will compare yourself to other moms. Don’t. Your homeschool isn’t going to look like anyone else’s—nor should it. You are unique. Your children are unique. Your homeschool is unique. And that’s okay. Learn from people—lots of people—but don’t try to be them.
Be you.
And let your children be them.
Every child has different strengths. Some are academic. Some are athletic. Some are musical. Some are engineering or technological whizzes. Some are innovators. Some are leaders and movers and shakers.
But they are not all of those things all at once.
Every child has different weaknesses. Don’t worry if your child is behind in math or reading. The beauty of homeschooling—of parenting, in general—is that you are there to develop their strengths and help them with their weaknesses. Let them learn at their own pace because not all children reach milestones in the same way or at the same time.
Pray, sweet momma. Pray before you start your day. Pray throughout the day. And pray before your head hits the pillow. There is grace for the moment, so pray.
Strengthen yourself in the Word. Feed yourself from the richness of His Word and then feed it to your children.
Savour the time that you have with your children—the good days, the bad days and the messy days. This is sometimes the hardest thing of all, but it really is a privilege to be the one to teach your children. Even on the rough days, find something—one thing—to savour, and then be grateful for that thing. Because whether it’s for one year or ten, God has placed a very special calling on your life.
You will make mistakes—lots of them. You will yell sometimes. You will cry. And you will feel so, so guilty.
You will often wonder, Do I have what it takes? What you’re really wondering is, Am I enough? Truth is, you aren’t enough, but He is.
I once heard a wise woman say, “At the end of the day, ask God for His grace to fill in all of the cracks.”
There will be cracks.
But there will also be grace.
Always remember: You don’t walk this road alone. He is with you every step of the way. You are called, chosen and equipped. So go in grace, sweet momma.
Go in His grace.
The Grace-Filled Life 
I saw the title of this in my email and I felt like putting my hand up – this is me! I’m new! And I’m so scared! But you were so encouraging…And I can see God slowly helping me relax and trust Him and deschool from so many rules and ideas about education. Thank you so much.
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I’m so glad to hear that! It’s a process to change those mindsets, isn’t it? Home education isn’t easy, but it is so, so, SO rewarding. I’m thankful for His grace and strength for each day.
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This is so timely. I am considering going back to homeschooling my school-aged children for the coming year(s). They are currently attending a wonderful private school, but homeschool has been tugging at me all year. I’ve been praying a lot about it lately. I am still not sure, but I appreciate this post. Thank you!
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Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I’ll be praying that God shows you clearly what He has for you at this time—that you’ll experience deep peace, whatever decision you end up making. Keep me posted! 🙂
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I definitely needed to see this today.
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Thank you for your post!
https://caramelandchocolatehomeschool.wordpress.com/blog/
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This is so good. Definitely needed to find this today!
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Hi I’m so happy I found your blog. God is still guiding me as to how to teach my daughter and this is our 3rd year. Thank you so much for this wonderful post.
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He’s still guiding me too! The longer I homeschool, the more I realize I have to learn. Isn’t it funny how that works? I’m so glad this encouraged you.
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