Orlando Kids' Directory

Featured Articles :: The Advantages of Homeschool

by Paula Williamson, President of Christian Victory Academy (Christian Victory Academy)

Homeschooling your children can be a catalyst for bringing the family together. Our Christian culture today is saturated with worldliness and if your family has been torn apart by the worldly culture we live in, homeschooling can help restore the family.

When you homeschool your child you open yourself up to the closest ones around you. You will begin to communicate on a minute to minute basis, sharing opinions and facts you never knew your child had and vice versa. You begin to get to know your child's deep down feelings on various subjects not taught in school, such as "why should I wait until I marry to have sex?" These discussions are typically between peers at school and not with mom and/or dad's wisdom and knowledge. Where and whom would you prefer your child get their answers?

Particularly, if you have more than one child, you can teach how to communicate properly instead of taking the world's stand on fighting it out or walking off without discussion. If your children get into a squabble, you should stop what you are doing and get into the middle of the problem. You can calm them both down and teach them how to work out a solution to the disagreement. One of the biggest problems in our society is the lack of controlling anger. We, as parents can teach our children how to relax and gain control of their tongue, which can be shar as a sword. This is a learned trait. We need to make peace and harmony the barometer of our homes. One way a family can accomplish this is through homeschooling. James 1:19-20 and 1:26.

Also, you can learn to rely on God to teach patience and to handle various family problems. How do we, as parents learn? We learn by doing, just as our children do. We can learn many new things about our lives through the eyes of our children. This will cause us to go to the Father more often and produce a closer relationship with Him.

Homeschool children are not peer dependent. They are able to think out clearer solutions to problems without possible rejection and teasing from peers at school. They learn to communicate and socialize with adults, as well as with all ages of children. This is learned by being in constant communication with their parents; thus getting use to socializing with adults. Most homeschool children do not think of age gaps when socializing with other children, they adapt to any age level, older or younger than themselves. If your child's interests are different than the norm, our child can grow in his/her area of interest without ridicule of others and grow to be what God wants them to be, not what one teacher thinks they ought to be.

Some people believe homeschool children are too protected and won't be able to handle life problems when they grow up. This is a myth; all children have problems that are real to them. Being at home, the problems of the child can be dealt with when they arise. Who better to help them know how to deal with life problems than mom and/or dad?

Homeschool children stat their day at approximately 8 or 9 o'clock in the morning and usually are finished with all of their work between 2 and 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The days work is completed during these hours and no homework is needed, leaving more time for the family and less stress.

We are tougher on our own children more than any other, because no one loves them as much as mom and dad. Parents see their child's character strengths and weaknesses and help them to reshape some areas as to glorify the Father. When you homeschool your child, you can truly discern your child's needs. God wants us to be imitators of Him to our children.

Homeschooling your child is not a guarantee that your child will grow up and be a success, but it can develop a closer and more loving relationship in your family and with the Lord. Developing a relationship with the Lord paves the way for developing a relationship with everyone else around you. Homeschooling your child takes commitment and time. There is a promise from our Lord in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." www.christianvictoryacademy.org