How far would you go to keep homeschooling your child(ren)?

Sometimes we need to stand up to "powers that be", whether it be government or something else. Perhaps it will make things better for others in the long run. The more people willing to stand, the greater the chances are of winning out.

Becky, what it comes down to, is that if God tells someone to stand, then we need to trust God to take care of the outcome. If it means a forced seperation from our children, then God can provide for them.

 

Honestly, I think I'd try to leave the country with my kid.. hoping to avoid jail over it.. I'm really close to the Mexican border. I am extremely adamant that Sami will not go to a public school... I'll just do what I gotta do...

I think that even the strong Christian kids are affected by the secular humanism the public schools push so hard. Even if it is only in the more subtle ways. If you are a kid and all your teachers and peers thinks something is right and only your parents and people you see once a week at Church say it's wrong.. it's tough to agree with the parents! Kids are only kids after all! they aren't equipped to win spiritual battles all alone like that. Most of the kids don't learn how to combat the suff they hear at school during sunday school. They often don't know that their text books are written in a humanist viewpoint or that guided visualization they are asked to do is from New Age garbage.. it probably sounds just like fun and games to to try guided visualization of a perfect place with their perfect friend they can tell their problems to. If someone hears the same thing day in and day out from multiple sources (Friends, teachers, media) they start to believe it just might be true. The way to make them strong enough to deal with that is to give them a firm foundation BEFORE they are faced with it from almost every side. In the current school system they go to school before they are old enough to combat it.

Even the Abstanace billboard someone had put up recently with a teenager saying " I choose to wait!" has already been graffittied ... the word wait crossed out and the word Consent scrawled under it. A teenager in my church recently had a baby... She grew up in church and public school. It is getting ingrained more and more deeply into our society.

 

You have made great points Becky. I think that we often get the idea that our kids will be safer if at home, and I believe they are, but you are correct. If we are assuming that we would be arrested we would have to assume that our children would be removed from the home. That is probably what would happen first, actually and we parents would instead be forced to fight for them back.

I had a friend who homeschooled, her inlaws opposed it and she had visits from CPS and others who had to check up on her. Because of this she signed up for the states assistance in home schooling. She had 5 kids that she was doing an awesome job with, but they were low to no income as well and that really seems to make a difference when people look at how you are doing wiht your kids around here.
At anyrate, she showed the people that her children were being taught excellently, one was a year ahead, and though two had learning areas that needed work they were making leaps and bounds. One child she was having a lot of trouble with and because of the assistance of the state she found groups to get involved with that helped her learn to teach him.
Sometimes we forget that not it is not a whole group of people but an individual we need to be prayerful of a watchful of. It is easy for us to say, "the government is evil" but it isn't, it has some really good Christians in there fighting for what is good. ( oops wrong list sorry if I offended anyone).
The Point I am getting to is that we just have to be sure we personally are doing the best for our children in learning, and if we are doing what is good and right, it will prevail even against odds.

 

ABSOLUTELY, T'Mom!!! Though I think if I had parents like that, my husband would tell them straight out that the harrasement STOPS, and if it doesn't they will NOT be seeing us or the kids. Period! HSLDA is good at getting people identified who are reporting to CPS just for causing trouble. But regardless, it sounds as if you friend has had some very positive results from joining the group. And that's what's important right now.

 

I agree that the comments make sense. But there are moral principles that we are supposed to stand up for. Sorry to bring in religious comments, but that's what I try to run my life by: Jesus told the disciples and the people that trouble would come upon them because of what they believed. He didn't tell them to back down and do what the authorities said, He told them to be strong and rejoice, "For great is your reward in heaven." The disciples were persecuted for their beliefs, but they still kept their beliefs and went on, and God richly blessed them! Jesus also said, (Matthew 5:10-12) "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." I think the lives of our children are very precious in not only our eyes, but God's. So standing for a stong belief you have based on their "salvation" if you will, is something that is VERY important. As somebody above said, children are often not ready or equipped to stand up for their beliefs, when day after day after day they are told something different, and that their parents are wrong. Seeing the parents stand up for God and their beliefs can strengthen the child's ability to stand for what they believe. If we give in to government control (worse case scenario, since that's what we're talking about here), then they will be more likely to give in also. Prayers and guidance now can help our children be better able to stand up for their beliefs should anything like this occur, though!

I do understand that to some people homeschooling isn't all that important to them neccesarily, and that's fine. In that case all this wouldn't really matter, and putting their kids in ps would be the thing to do.

I do see both sides, but "as for me and my house", we choose to homeschool and will stand up for it in the end, no matter what, because we have a greater reward coming, which is worth the problems we go through here!

 

amen ! Me too! AS for me and my house! because what is best for my own kids is what is what I am in charge of, that is what God called me to do as thier parent. Because I know this, I am required to live by it.
I should say my friend has since had to return to work full time to keep the ends met and her kids went out for school. Two of them hated having to go out to public school, but one is actually thriving. They are all graduating with great grades and mom is constantly on top of thier schools knowing what is going on with them at all times, her kids are good kids and have a really strong Christian foundation.
I have some friends who put thier kids in public schools on purpose to be a witness. I know the kids and know that no one is going to tell them a lie with out them confronting it, even a teacher.
But ( on the christian note again) we have to do as the Lord leads us to do. We are all called by His design and we need to keep in tune with the fact we are truely training our children in the way that they will be when they grow into adult hood.
Sometimes that is a heavy thing, other times its a delight. Homeschool is the same thing.
Hey I really started a good thread eh? hehe, I was bored the day I wrote that question and wanted to get some good thoughts down here.
I am having a great time now! Whoo Hoo!

 

Being persectuted for your beliefs is one thing, but to lose your kids to make a point? To send them who knows where, to have them end up with who knows who?

How can you be sure of their safety and well being? YOUR safety and well being??
If mom and dad don't ever come home, what got accomplished?

 

Becky, that's when we have to have faith that, if we are doing what God is telling us to do, He will bring about good from it. In our human eyes, we see everything just as you say. You're absolutely right! But God has a different perspective, one we cannot even begin to grasp. And we simply have to trust that it is right. Now, that doesn't mean that ALL of us will be "called" to make that stand. Hopefully none of us ever will! Perhaps some will be "called" to make a stand in the public schools. But however we are called, we must obey and trust God for the results.

 

I agree with Jackie. I hope I don't have to make that Stand. I already have people on my case saying that I should not be HSing because I'm a single mom and have very little income since I stay home. It is a fact that God has provided for us! Even in strange ways, Last month I thought I was getting $0 for my total income and I went to use my last $5 for gas... and there was $500 laying on the ground at the gas station! Then I got a phone call that I would be recieving another unexpected check for $280. God provides what we need to obey Him.. even when it looks impossible. I know I'm supposed to HS Sami, and if it became illeagal.. God would make a way for me to continue obeying Him reguardless.

Honestly, We can't be SURE of our safety and wellbeing as it is now, you don't know what will happen in a few minutes. People are killed by drunk drivers people break into people's houses and hurt them or get hurt in a myraid of other ways each and every day. We take some steps to try and protect ourselves but we don't really have that sort of control. On our own, we only have an illusion of control over that sort of thing. I know though, that if I obey God about what I do in life, He will be there to protect us.

I know it's not the christian area of the board, but how can a question like this be answered without religious related convictions coming out?

 

We need to understand what is at stake in the question of whether or not we are allowed to homeschool. And when we do understand this, I think it will become more clear why many of us are willing to lay our lives down over this. It is not merely “to make a point” to the government, our in-laws or anyone else. What is at stake is the fundamental question of to whom our children belong. Christians believe that children belong to God and that He has given them to parents to teach, nurture, discipline and train in godliness and service for Him. No entity has the authority to take that responsibility away from parents; nor do parents have the freedom to abdicate that responsibility to anyone else.

We need to realize that the people who want to abolish homeschooling disagree with Christians on to whom children belong. They believe our children belong to the state and they believe that all decisions regarding a child’s welfare should be controlled by an “enlightened” group of elites with a radically anti-Christian agenda, who think they know more than us simple, ignorant parents about what’s good for our children. If we capitulate on the question of homeschooling, then we are implicitly acknowledging that our children are not ours but belong to the state. What seems like such a small and insignificant compromise (since after all, didn’t we go to PS ourselves when we were kids?) is only the tip of the iceberg.

These people don’t merely want you to put your children in PS so they can be sure that all children get a good education in the three R’s. That is NOT their agenda! They want the power to make decisions regarding what your children are taught about EVERYTHING. They want to teach your children their philosophy of life and religion. They want to screen your children for hundreds of alleged mental illnesses and force you to give them psychiatric drugs. They want to be their teachers and counselors on questions of sexuality, morality and lifestyle choices. These are people who do not believe in the Creator, in Jesus, in a real Satan, in a literal hell or in any absolute standards of right and wrong. The only absolute truth in their philosophy is that Biblical Christianity is a dangerous idea that must be stamped out. These are the people who want to indoctrinate your children for eight hours a day and then load them up with three hours of homework every night so that you won’t even have that time with them.

Naiveté is a luxury that we can no longer afford. This is a spiritual conflict and the stakes could not possibly be higher – the hearts and souls of our children. If we think that the issue is anything less than this, we are greatly deceiving ourselves.

Sincerely,

Roger

 

Lest anyone thing Roger is exaggerating.. check out these quotes from the founders of Public Education:
http://winn.com/whee/PUTwistedRoots.html

 

WOW! er... amen or something that was really great! So true! well put!

 

Exactly! I'm not homeschooling now to prove a point in any way. And should the time come when we have to decide one way or another (which hopefully will never happen), I will make the choice for my children, not to make a point of any kind, but because God gave my children to me and asked me to raise them for Him, NOT the government! Jesus said, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars, and unto God what is God's." My children are God's, not Caesars, so I must follow God's plans for them, not the government's!

 

I think most times there are less drastic resources, possibly doing a virtual school or something along that lines.

The decision wouldn't be as dire in my heart or mind because I'm 100% secular so while I feel ps is not for my kids I don't feel a religious calling to do it.

PS would be our very very last resort. We would explore the internet, co-ops, montessori and all other options before settling with a public or private school.

As much as I am dedicated to my children and homeschooling I wouldn't break the law and risk losing them. The foster system in this country is far scarier than I want my kids to contend with. I would do what I could to stay on the right side of the law while fighting for our side through political and social avenues.

 

I still say this will never happen here. Well, maybe here in Utopia.

It's like Velma said- there are ways to fight besides breaking the law.

I also still say it all begins at home. Peer pressure and all that other stuff won't matter if they are well grounded at home.

 

My thoughts exactly! As much as I'd hate to be forced to send my child to PS, it would be much worse to lose her to the foster care system. I might consider moving to another country, but not losing my child.

It is similar to my argument not to keep my child in PS and work toward bettering the system for all. I feel some obligation to work toward improving our public school system. However, I'm not going to sacrifice my child's well-being to do so. I only get one shot at this parent deal, I'll have to work on saving the world later!

 

I'd like to chime in and comment on Syele's post about God providing for her and her family. Praise the Lord!! We have had many similar things happen when there was no money to buy food or pay the bills in the past. God is faithful and it's good to hear your testimony.

 

Becky, I think one day you will realize just how far gone this country is!!!

But you ARE right. It DOES begin at home. And, like I said those of us who decide to stand up to the law needs to trust God for the results, the exact same is true for those who feel God is telling them to work within the law. If God is telling you to put your kids in PS, He is greater than any influences there are in that school. We still need to be diligent in covering our children with prayer, and trust Him to bring the results. There is NOTHING our kids will face there that God can't overcome.

 

wow, okay, I guess we covered everything there is on tis topic, thanks folks you all have given me so much to think on.

 

I think that if schools were schools were perfect I'd be tempted to send them just to get a break. lol. but ultimately for me school is allowing someone else to raise your child. Allowing someone else to put their values in your child. They spend 8 hours with the teacher about an 45m-1h in commute. Then they come home and get to spend like 3 hours with you before they have to go to bed. I don't think so. Not even the most perfect school. We are blessed that we are in situations that we can make the choice to hs. I know many people who do not have that option. Most wouldn't do it if they could but that's a whole other subject