The phone is ringing. The dog is barking. The toddler has cereal in his hair, and the seven-year-old has an attitude. We won’t even talk about the teenager? Can this be the abundant life you dreamed of when you started homeschooling? Where are the smiling families of jumper-clad children and sweet-tempered teens? Though you might feel like you’ve missed some important key to success to feel this way, the truth is the life you live on a daily basis is exactly the one God wants you to - flaws, failures, frustrations and all.

Homeschooling is a journey, and like any seasoned vacation-taker, you know that any trip can be fraught with unexpected joys and trials. Let’s take a few minutes to look at our homeschooling life as is it were a trip - and let me assure it, it certainly is a trip!

Planning is the key(s) - as long as you can remember where you put them! Homeschooling books, speakers and conferences often make it sound like success in homeschooling is dependent on how well you plan, and then how well you carry out your plan. This notion seems to be reflected in the homeschoolers you see around you who have well-scrubbed houses and children. These moms always seem on top of things (while you may feel like things are on top of you!) They have well-laid plans and children who learn easily, meals in the freezer and businesses on the side. They arrive at park days and field trips on time, dressed (with make-up) and having lunches packed with nutritious, yet low-cost fare; calm, gracious and willing to give advice to the less successful among them. On the other hand we have moms like me who consider going to such events more of a shot-gun start than anything intentional. My children have grown up with the ritual scavenger hunt that accompanies getting ready for these outings - finding the cooler, cleaning the cooler from the last event, last minute washing of something to wear, a few phone calls to get directions to the event (I know it was in the newsletter!) and with any luck at all, enough gas to get us there without stopping. If you are not astute, it is at this point in the trip that you can take on an additional unwanted passenger - condemnation.

When God calls you to homeschool, He calls you to do it as who you are right now, not whom you might want to be, or whom you think you should be. It took me quite a while to understand that I was to be the homeschooling version of Debbie Strayer, not someone else’s likeness that I could be made over to be. This meant for my family, quite a few mornings like the one described above. The other side of the coin for them was that it also meant my spontaneous, optimistic outlook would always be there to make a dull study an adventure, or a simple task into a party. So in terms of our road trip dictionary, I am the kind of homeschooler who not only stops to smell the roses, I will probably find the person who planted them and take some pictures! There is no one more perfectly designed to guide this homeschooling journey with your family than you are. What you lack in one area, will certainly be balanced out by strengths in another. Take the time to see all the benefits you offer those in your family, not just the qualities you may see on the surface in others. On this journey with your family, be content to take the roads less traveled for they will lead to the discovery of not only what your children will need to succeed, but the recognition of God’s amazing provision in their mother! Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8: 1 (NIV)

About the author: Debbie Strayer holds a Master’s degree in education and has worked as a teacher and administrator. She and her husband, Greg began homeschooling in 1988. Her popular book, Gaining Confidence To Teach, teaching seminars and her many articles published in the finest homeschooling journals are a great encouragement to homeschoolers everywhere. Debbie is also co-author of several levels of the popular program, Learning Language Arts Through Literature. The Strayer family lives and serves homeschooling families from their home in Florida.