E is for... Experience and Encouragement

Every new parent I have ever known gets pretty excited about things like their baby's first words and first steps.  I know moms (and dads!) who have called a spouse at work or away on business to breathlessly report these milestones as they happen.  And thanks to the internet, members of the military can share in some of these celebrations with their families back home.  It's so exciting to be there and witness a child taking those first steps - enjoying a first Christmas - riding a bike - losing their first tooth...

Personally, I think that some of the educational "firsts" are on the list of things I've enjoyed experiencing firsthand with my children.  That big day when everything clicks and they start reading - the day they read their first book all by themselves - the moment the light comes on and they "get" a math concept - making an important connection between something they've read about and their life...

One of the cool things about homeschooling is that I got to enjoy all those experiences.  I got to experience them.  I was there, with my kid.  Wow!

It wasn't always an earth-shaking, clouds parting and the angels singing moment, where I could nail down the exact date and time that my child "began reading."  And honestly, for a lot of these experiences, the joy of reaching the milestone followed a long (sometimes frustrating) struggle to get there.  Just like some children seem to straight from sitting to running all in one day and other children gradually move from scooting to crawling to standing to cautiously taking a wobbly step over a long period of time, some kids suddenly put the mental pieces together and take off reading just like that while others take small incremental steps over what seems like a long time before they can finally say "Hey, I can read!"  I've had both extremes with my kids.  And with all four of them, I'm so glad that I was right there with them through the whole experience.

How valuable all those experiences are when we are called upon to encourage or advise other homeschoolers! I have benefited so much from the experience of homeschool moms who have 'been there, done that' before me; and I hope that I can encourage others along the way as well.

Our homeschool support group has a monthly get-together for moms that has been aptly called Encouragement Group.  We often have themed discussions about specific homeschool subjects, but the purpose of the group is always to encourage each other and cheer each other on.  What a blessing the group has been to me and to many others over the years!

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 

~I Thessalonians 5:11

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