{"id":3320,"date":"2019-02-16T06:30:17","date_gmt":"2019-02-16T11:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.michellebeachy.com\/blog\/?p=3320"},"modified":"2019-02-17T12:11:47","modified_gmt":"2019-02-17T17:11:47","slug":"february-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.michellebeachy.com\/blog\/february-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"February Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last school year I started realizing how much I craved adult connection and in particular, connection with other homeschool moms.\u00a0 Most of the moms at church also homeschool, but it’s hard to have a great conversation when you’re trying to get bites of food into a kid’s mouth or jumping up to make sure they’re ok.\u00a0 Plus, the noise level after church is enough to make you forget half of what you might want to talk about.<\/p>\n

I’ve always been a believer in making things happen instead of sitting around wishing for them.\u00a0 We can spend so much time feeling deprived because it would be so nice to have _______ in our life.\u00a0 We wish we were invited to the party when really, we could make our own!\u00a0 So I looked my whiny self in the eye and shot level.\u00a0 Why can’t I start one?<\/p>\n

But what if people don’t come?\u00a0 What if no one else wants this?\u00a0 What do I even have to offer?\u00a0 What if it’s a bust?<\/p>\n

Yeah, what if?\u00a0 Does it matter?\u00a0 If it turns out to be a bad fit for everyone else, does that make me wrong? We miss so much when we hold back out of insecurity and fear.\u00a0 Don’t ask me how I would know.<\/p>\n

So I invited all homeschooling mamas to join me once a month.\u00a0 No agenda. Fully disclosing that it would probably evolve as it went.<\/p>\n

I can’t even tell you how much I’ve enjoyed it.\u00a0 The camraderie of other moms doing the same thing has been a huge support to me, even in the weeks between our meetings.\u00a0 Probably what surprised me most was the way God used this not only to give me the gift of adult interaction, but also to grow me in some of the areas I felt most insecure.<\/p>\n

We’ve had times of sharing how things are going, swapping tips on motivation, shared laughter and prayer.\u00a0 There are two moms who come support us, not because they are homeschooling, but because they DID and they simply want to show us they’re behind us.\u00a0 Just seeing them is like an IV of courage because it’s a reminder that it’s possible.\u00a0 Their kids are happy, well adjusted, intelligent adults who are sitting in the group because they’re now teaching their own kids.\u00a0 We’re even lucky enough to have one mama with a teaching certificate who happens to be currently staying home to teach her kids and does some tutoring.\u00a0 Her advice and perspective is spot on, and I doubt I’m stretching things when I say the favorite night for most of us was the one where she talked to us about teaching Creative Writing.<\/p>\n

A few months ago we all talked about our why for homeschooling.\u00a0 What our own school experiences were, how we got started, and what our reasons are.\u00a0 In a group, it’s so important to know that background because of how it shapes our responses.\u00a0 If someone gets really bogged down and things aren’t working but they are passionate about homeschooling, then we need to figure out how to support them.\u00a0 But if someone is doing it because they feel like they don’t have other options and they get bogged down or it’s not working for whatever reason, then maybe we need to help them explore whether it was for a season and what their options are.<\/p>\n

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During that meeting, one of the things that surfaced was a wish to give our kids a few opportunities that aren’t so easily replicated at home, like public speaking.\u00a0 It’s not too nerve wracking to give an oral book report to your younger siblings!\u00a0 I kept thinking about that and this month instead of getting together as moms, our families got together and all the kids had a chance to perform.<\/p>\n

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It was so much fun seeing the variety of things they came up with and I was blown away by how well they did!\u00a0 Most of these kids have never gotten on stage to present something alone, but they all did it and did an incredible job of it!\u00a0 One of the fun parts about homeschooling is that it really is a family affair so we had presenters from 2 years old to 14! \u00a0I was so proud of Zara who had been so incredibly excited for weeks. \u00a0When the moment came, she was terrified to tears but pushed through and said her poem with clarity. \u00a0This is true bravery. \u00a0Courage doesn’t mean being fearless. \u00a0It means walking into and through even when you’re shaking in your shoes.<\/p>\n