Whether we realize it or not, we are all home-schooling families

Posted by Theresa Camoriano on February 18, 2013

It is our responsibility as parents to ensure that our children get a good education that prepares

them to lead a healthy, successful life.  A good education not only includes reading, writing, math, science and history.  It also includes learning good values as well as critical thinking, problem-solving, and time management skills. It includes learning self-reliance, how to budget and balance a checkbook,  how to deal with people, and how to have a good attitude about life.  It also includes learning good health habits, including exercise, hygiene, and nutrition.  In order to be good citizens, our children also need to learn about economics and government.   They also should learn something about car maintenance, proper etiquette, and self defense, among other things.

When we consider everything that is involved in a good education, it is clear that we cannot hand all that responsibility over to a school, even if it is a very good school.  Even the best schools will not teach a fraction of what our children need for a successful life.  Like it or not, most of that education has to come from the parents and grandparents.  So, whether we realize it or not, we are all home-schooling families.

While being responsible for the education of  our children is an awesome task, we  should not be intimidated by it.  We do not need a Ph.D. in childhood education in order to do a good job.  We just need to recognize our responsibility and make a real effort to do what we are naturally equipped to do as parents and grandparents.

In his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast, Dr. Benjamin Carson said his mother married at the age of 13 and had only a third grade education, but she taught her two sons what they needed for a successful life.  She largely taught by example, and she held her sons to very high standards.  Thank God she did not have a Ph.D. in childhood education!

No doubt we all will make mistakes along the way.  That is to be expected, since perfection is not part of any human institution.  But the family is still the cradle of civilization, and it still is where children learn the most important lessons in life.