I want to homeschool. Jim is still hesitant to say yes. So where does that leave us? Well, unless Jim changes his mind, we're left with compromise.
Gracie is now doing really well at preschool. I can see all the wonderful ways it is helping her. After dropping her off at preschool yesterday, I heard her say sweetly to a little girl named Ava, "Will you play with me?" Gracie is such a great friend and is developing skills that I have not seen her develop at home.
On the way to preschool, she always wants to say five prayers! I don't know why she has to say five, but it is teaching her to see God at work in her life. We are able to talk about whether or not God answered her prayers, see how he has protected her that day, and talk about the good friends and teachers God has given her.
Gracie enjoys having a place all her own. Next Friday is Open House at her school. She is SO excited to show Jim everything. They are also learning songs to sing to the parents.
These are all very positive things. My head is telling me I have to keep sending her to school, but my heart won't give up on homeschooling. And then it dawned on me. I don't have to give up. Jim still wants me to teach them at home. So, along with making sure they have as much outside time and free-play as they need, I will still be researching all my favorite homeschooling blogs and magazines for ways to enrich their lives and learning when they are home.
I have started brainstorming ways to stay involved in their schooling. Volunteering in the classroom, joining the PTA, starting a Moms-in-Touch prayer group. Continuing this newfound passion for photography and using it to do projects in the classroom and possibly even raise money.
But that is way down the road...
For now, the biggest lessons I am learning from all of this are submission to my husband and trust in God to keep my kids safe. A great friend read this verse to me the other day and it was just what I needed to hear...
"...They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."
1 Peter 3:5-6