Homeschooling moms have a unique opportunity to influence their children in every aspect of their lives. Our influence is imprinted on their hearts for the rest of their lives. Each day they are witnesses to our victories, our joys, our failings, and our tears. They watch how we handle stress, sadness, exhaustion, gossip and our spirituality. Every day we add another dimple to the mold with our smiles and our wrath. While all moms have this influence, homeschooling moms are under constant scrutiny and are not as able to “leave it at the office”. I am certainly not saying a working mom or one who sends her child to school has an easier job, certainly not. I am expressing that a homeschool mom is under a particular scrutiny in all she does and all she teaches.
I was not homeschooled and my mother has been a big influence in my life. I watched her take joy in accomplishments and I watched her heart break as her children sometimes disappointed her. I saw her insecurities and her strengths. Moms have an influence which lasts a lifetime. My mom left a legacy that told me I could do whatever I set my mind to and I am worth all the joy in the world. She was not perfect as no mom is perfect. However, she instilled strength in me that I wish to pass along to my children. Now that I am a mom I know the power of influence I have yet in the day to day I often forget. As a homeschooling mom, my children are with me most of the time. Eyes are always on me like a reality TV show and what is recorded for a lifetime will be the most dramatic events good or bad.
Often when I look into a mirror I see my mom staring back at me. Things I did not understand as a child I understand now. Appreciation I could never have understood as a child I have now. These thoughts made me realize once again the importance of a Godly testimony for my children. If we will one day become our mother’s then one day our children will become us! What will our children see in that mirror looking back at them? I find myself constantly thinking, “Mom was right all along.” I even have out of body experiences when I hear my mother’s voice and words emitting from my mouth as I speak to my children. What words will our children say to their children?
A day should never pass where we forget that we are not only influencing our children but our grandchildren and great grandchildren. We are forming a legacy in our family through our words and actions. What is the legacy of your family? We need to be careful to speak God’s words, show God’s love, mercy and forgiveness. The most precious gift we have (our children) should not be carelessly torn open or thrown away by our inability to worship the Lord through raising our childr