The other day, I made a mistake. Or at least that is how it felt at first. I was on a social media platform with other homeschooling parents and saw a post that hit close to my heart. This single mom was in distress, and I had once been where she was. I decided to comment with how we made it through. What harm could it do, right? WRONG!
I was attacked. The part that hurt my heart the most is that these other parents were also Christians. "How can you be a Christian and unschool? You need structure! You need guidelines! Spare the rod, spoil the child!" I was furious and hurt. I started to question my parenting style. I started to question if I was doing right by my children and their personal walks with Christ.
No.
You see, the truth is, you don't have to be agnostic to unschool. Unschooling is an educational method in which learning is based off the interest of the child, when the child is ready to learn, and what the child is ready to learn. My roll in this is to facilitate them and provide what they need to learn; whether it be the craft supplies for a volcano, the money for the karate class, or what feels like three million 'Fancy Nancy' books because she just can't read them fast enough.
Christianity isn't something I force. Just like God has given each of us free will, I allow the girls to learn what they feel they need to in that moment. Studies show that knowledge is not retained without interest. In my home, I lead by example. Reading the Bible is something that has always intrigued me, and so I have chosen in my adult years to take courses on prophecy study and like courses.
As for "Spare the rod, spoil the child," Jesus did NOT force anyone to follow Him. In the Bible, it says that God has given us each special talents and that we should use those to bring Him glory. So, to me, nothing more seems fit than to spend time figuring out what those talents are for each of us.
