It's one thing when you're homeschooling a child with a chronic illness - sometimes that's the only way they'll get an education! But what if Mom's the one who's struggling? What if you're a parent with health issues, but you're convinced that homeschooling is the best for your kids? How can you manage your days, your illness, and your expectations? We've had to deal with this ourselves, and it CAN be done - let's talk about it! Bonus Story We didn't get to this in the program, but there's...

  Everybody goes through seasons of illness - summer colds, seasonal flu, an occasional injury - and most of the time, we can take a few days off to get over them. But what if your student has a condition that doesn't get better with a week in bed? How can you homeschool a child who has an illness that has to be managed day by day, hour by hour? Is it even possible? We have to say YES - we've homeschooled kids through all sorts of long-term or chronic illnesses. It doesn't look like...

Stories are powerful tools to teach and illustrate character - think of Jesus' parables! We can use stories the same way. This episode we're talking with Rick Boyer, father of a large family, about how he's used narratives to teach his own children, and now reaches out to thousands with audiobooks and commentary. Plus we'll talk about some resources we offer as well! Things We Referenced * Uncle Rick Audios Two audiobooks of your choice every month plus new member video section and...

You can feel it when you walk in the door - families have a particular culture or personality! Whether intentional or not, every home will develop its own manner of living and interacting. The question is - how can you encourage a healthy family culture that will strengthen as it goes on? How can you avoid a negative, or even toxic, family life that drags everyone down? Resources We Mentioned Sonya Shafer at Simply Charlotte Mason Podcast Episodes: "Potty Mouth" - A Big Deal, or Not? -...

With the world full of resources available online, you can develop your philosophy, order your materials, and start homeschooling without ever meeting another parent-educator. That’s a blessing in many ways, especially if you live in a rural area or a foreign culture. But sometimes we think we’ve found what we need when we join the right group on Facebook and know which bloggers we want to follow and which website we like to order from. You may have found part of it, but there’s...

  If God has called you to teach your children at home, that’s what you need to do! But it’s easier if everyone around you is cheering you on. What do you do if your parents or in-laws or extended family are skeptical? How do you and your family keep on the path when there are headwinds? How do you handle questions, criticisms, or other opposition? And what can you do to find the encouragement you’re not getting from the family? LINKS OF INTEREST Census data shows the number of families...

One of the unexpected results of the pandemic has been the expansion of online-church opportunities. Even small churches like our own were able to use inexpensive tools and software to broadcast streaming worship services – without a technical crew! But is this a useful expansion to the church’s ministry and outreach – or a distraction, or even an enemy, to real worship and fellowship? Join us for this discussion as we seek a Biblical balance about church broadcasts of all sort - and how...

How do you balance everything, between your commitments to church programs, holiday recitals, shopping and cooking and cleaning for the family ... and providing a quality home education for your children? Is it even possible? Should it be? This episode, we're talking about how we learned to manage it with eight kids ... no cape or phone booth needed! We're celebrating our 26th Christmas while homeschooling! You can do this! Just maybe not all of it at once ... 

This week we're talking about gift giving - it's Biblical, you know!  But how do you manage it without being immersed in the commercialism of a secular holiday, while glorifying God and having fun together? We've found that being more intentional and deliberate in choosing gifts and even in how we open them together, and encouraging our children to think of people rather than stuff at Christmas, has great benefits! Biblical Passages We Mentioned The wise men who brought gifts to Jesus -...

A member of our Facebook community asked, "What about boys crying?" There have been people who said it's unmanly to cry, and discouraged or even disciplined their sons for crying - ever. On the other hand, some say it's less than human to hold back the tears - so we should allow or encourage our sons to freely express everything. But what's the Biblical balance here? Does the Scripture have anything to say about men who cry? And how should that inform our parenting toward our...

"It's the most wonderful time of the year," the song says ... and one of the busiest and most stressful, too! What can we do to maintain the spirit of celebration while the season's demands pile on top of our already-full lives? What practical steps can we take to lighten the load and get the really important things done? As the homeschooling parents of eight kids, starting and running a business from home at the same time, trust us - we've been there. Join us in this special edition where we...

We adults may feel like we're under stress all the time, but we can't overlook the fact that our kids are suffering, too! Last episode we talked about how we respond when we're confronted with uncertainty and unpleasant news. How can we help our kids deal with the disruptions of life on their level? Lest We Forget Parents have had to make a lot of adjustments the past two years. Our kids are dealing with some of the same issues, from their own perspective. That may be school closures or...

Some things are unquestionable, life-changing moments - an unexpected death in the family, a natural disaster, a major accident. But what about things which just show up and disrupt everything? The smaller emergencies which aren't big enough to awaken heroism, but are big enough to bring out all our doubts, fears, frustrations, and temper? The "breaking news" which could be really unpleasant, but you can't be sure? We've dealt with this - frequently, and even recently! So this episode,...

The Bible says a lot about the power of the tongue - the question for us is, how do we train and encourage our families to speak in a more gracious and edifying way, when the culture around us grows more unkind and profane every day? First step - "Lord, is it me?" Never underestimate the power of our example - whether intended or not! Our children learn from the pattern they observe. If we want our kids to speak with kindness, compassion, and love, we need to model that behavior in our...

"What should I do about my kids' 'potty mouth'?" asked a young father in our church. Learning appropriate behavior and speech patterns is part of socialization, but is there a bigger issue than being "socially acceptable"? Society has become more tolerant of bad language Society itself isn't a reliable guide. In the 1970s the comedian George Carlin had a risque nightclub routine, "The Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television," which indulged in "transgressive" self-expression. In...

"What makes you think you're qualified to homeschool?" That's one of the frequently asked questions, isn't it? And if nobody in your family, church, or neighborhood asks -- you'll probably ask yourself. Don't you have to have a teacher's certificate to really be a teacher? Shouldn't you go to college and get an education degree first? Or is the credential less important for a homeschool than a classroom? This episode, we're taking a listener's question and talking about homeschooling with...

Continuing our comparison of true homeschooling with the school-at-home model!  Let's talk about how independent home education looks different day-to-day, and why duplicating the schoolroom experience at home is more stressful, less efficient, and a lot less fun than charting a new, freer pathway to learning and exploring together. A Fundamental Distinction A lot of what happens in the classroom is due to the dynamics of that situation. The teacher has to consider twenty or twenty-five...

Is this "homeschooling" or is it "school-at-home"? Is there a difference?  Many families have experienced public school from a remote location this year -- and some districts are calling it "homeschooling." But most homeschooling veterans will tell you there is a world of difference between independent, parent-led education, and taking public school classes with public school curriculum, online. Hint: The location - obviously enough - is not the distinction! In two episodes, Hal and...

Are you one of the thousands of families just beginning homeschooling - or thinking seriously about it this year? Surveys say that over one and a quarter million students aren't returning to public schools, and the number of homeschooling families doubled between April and October last year. This episode, we continue our conversation about our own decision to homeschool - this time, thinking about unexpected lessons we learned along the way, and things you may want to consider making your own...

One of the unexpected results of the COVID-19 pandemic is an explosion of interest in homeschooling.  Researchers say the number of homeschooling families doubled between April and October of 2020, and at least 1.3 million students didn't return to the public school system in the fall. Are you a new homeschooler? Or are you thinking about trying it for the first time this year? This episode, Hal and Melanie are talking about how they made that decision - maybe for the same reasons you...

One of the hallmarks of adolescent behavior is social awkwardness, often to the point of anxiety. That's true in the best of times! Yet here we are after a year of pandemic alarms, mandates, and "abundance of caution," and you may be finding your young people are not eager to begin seeing people outside the family again. What can we do to help our teens and preteens resume normal, healthy interactions? Resources We Reference Our episode reviewing Dr. Jean Twenge's book iGen about...

There are seasons to motherhood Ecclesiastes says that "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." (Eccl 3:1) Yet young women are being told that they can and should do all things right now. They're being urged to set their priorities by the culture's values instead of their own - unless their priority is "Me first!" In this special presentation to a mothers' group in Winnsboro, Louisiana, Melanie offers an encouraging perspective on the opportunities and...

  A reader writes, "I need suggestions how to discipline my 14-year-old son." She's finding out what we all discover - if you try to discipline your 14-year-old like he was still six, you're likely to have a fight on your hands! So what do you do with this young person who's growing so tall, but still needs a lot of guidance and discipleship? It's more than behavior management With younger kids, a great deal of our training is behavior - "Don't tease the cat," "Don't touch the stove,"...

A reader asked, "What can you do about accident-prone kids who always seem to be breaking things?"   "Uh oh ..." We've all heard the dreadful sound from the next room - or the sharp crash of breaking glass - or the muffled whump in another part of the house. All kids will have moments of clumsiness, carelessness, or foolishness, that result in something getting broken or someone getting hurt - that's just normal childhood. But some kids seem to leave a path of destruction in their wake...

A reader asks: "How can we help dads connect with their kids?" Moms seem to naturally connect with little ones – even before they’re born! It’s not so easy for dads, though. More than one has said, “I can’t communicate with this baby – I’ll let Mama handle it until he’s six or seven, and can understand me.” That may be common but it’s unnecessary and really, it’s giving up precious time in your child’s life. It’s true, you’ll have a different relationship when they reach that age, but...