Because of Love


It had been a frustrating morning of trying to get my son to stay on task. He whined about writing and kept asking how much more work he needed to do. I decided it was time for us to take a break from what we were doing. We sat on our comfy couch in the school room, and I read to him from our read aloud for that day. It was a history lesson on Thomas Edison, the inventor.

As I read to my son about Edison’s life, I came across a section that mentioned his school experience as a child. Apparently, he had hearing problems which made it difficult for him to participate and follow the teacher’s instructions. He was sent home because his teacher though he was too slow to learn. His mother was quite angry with the school’s response and began teaching him at home. It was there, under his mother’s teaching, that he discovered science and excelled in his learning.

When he was older, Edison reflected back on his time learning at home and said, “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me, and I felt I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint.” When I read this, I thought, isn’t that why I do this? I love my children more than the best classroom teacher ever could. I want them to succeed, grow and learn in ways no other teacher could desire or hope for them.

I do this because of love.

I know how my children think, what interests them, what inspires them, and what gifts they’ve been given. My investment in them is long term—not merely for a semester or school year. My investment is for eternity.

The educational choices we make for our children are done out of love, whatever those choices are. Our children were entrusted to us by their Maker to teach, train, and raise to know and love God. We are stewards of these precious eternal souls. Our love and nurture of their minds and hearts helps shape them for eternity.

Homeschooling is hard and we all know that. There are days when we question our decision to do it.There are even days we are ready to just give up. When the school days are long and the kids struggle, when you are exhausted and the kids won’t stay focused, remember why you do this thing called homeschooling—because you love them.


Christina Fox is a homeschooling mom to two active boys. She is a writer, blogger, licensed counselor, and coffee lover, not necessarily in that order. She lives with her family in sunny S. Florida. You can find her sharing her life’s journey at www.toshowthemjesus.com and on facebook at www.facebook.com/ToShowThemJesus.

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9 Comments

  1. Thank you – these are words I desperately needed to hear. We have been struggling this week and yesterday, I was in tears. I homeschool because I love my children and feel that no one can teach them better than me. There are those that add to the journey and assist with the teaching process but at the end of the day, there is just me and the kids – no place any of us would rather be.

  2. I loved reading this! We are starting to consider home-school for our oldest, who is currently in public school (3rd grade). I need all the encouragement I can get!

  3. Thank You for sharing this! It is Amazing to me how God will answer your prayers & sometimes give you answers that are in “Black & White”. This was very inspiring- Thank You for sharing!

  4. This really hit home for me. My oldest son is both expressive and receptive speech delayed and the local public schools were ready to just shove him away in a special education class, despite the fact that my son was actually doing fairly well in a typical, christian based, preschool program. We decided to homeschool because I didn’t want my son to be limited because of the assumptions and incorrect beliefs about him by the local public school system staff. This story really reinforced that we made the right decision. Thank you.

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