Growing up I knew that I wanted to be a Mum but I figured that it would be in my thirties, after a career – because that is what you do right? I had no idea that I would go to University, become a Christian, meet J, get married at 21 and have my first baby at 23. Never mind becoming a fully fledged homemaker, homeschooler and adding three more babies into the mix before I turned 30. I now own a laminator and everything. It was by no means instant (if only it was!), but becoming a Christian made me reorientate my whole life and changed absolutely everything for me.

There are a handful of moments in my life when I have felt God speak to me. No, not in a Bruce Almighty style audible deep voice from the clouds, but I am absolutely certain that it was God. I am aware that that sounds actually insane to anyone reading this who isn’t a Christian, but you will just have to run with me on this one.

I remember this one day so clearly. My oldest (Belle) was just a few months old, it was an especially hard day and the reality was sinking in that ‘just’ being home with babies was going to be my life for the next few years at least. I quickly calculated how long it would be before she started school and then started dreaming about what I would do at that point.

Then, as clear as could be, God spoke and told me that he wanted me to trust him and home school my children. I wish that I could say that I got on my knees, thanked him and skipped off to the bookshop to start preparing but I didn’t. I said a big, fat, clear NO. Absolutely not. Nope. Thank you and Goodbye… and then I cried because I knew deep down that I was going to do what he was asking me to do. Don’t think that I didn’t fight it though. The internal battle was real. I could think of 473824928 reasons why committing *potentially* the next 18 + years to home schooling my children would be a terrible idea and I didn’t know one single reason why it was a good idea.

1. Homeschoolers are almost always weird
2. Is it even legal?
3. I don’t want to
4. I don’t want make my own yogurt, wear revolting sandals and wear homemade deodorant
5. School is free childcare
6. I am not a teacher
7. and… I DON’T WANT TO

Thankfully God was merciful and as time went on he gradually softened my heart towards home education. People started coming into my life who had homeschooled and I came across a few people online who I could relate to and their kids and families were thriving.

Then it just… happened. Teaching kids is the calling of all parents. You teach them to sit up, to walk, to talk, to feed themselves, to use the toilet. Then you teach them shapes, colours and sounds. You teach them to throw a ball and to ride a bike. For us, home education was a natural progression from educational games to eventually reading and writing and math.

Now, about to start our fourth year of this, I just cannot imagine anything better for our family. In fact, I think that deciding to educate our kids at home has been one of the best decisions that we have made for them. Is it hard? Yes. Does it test my patience? Everyday. Is it all worth it? Absolutely.

But you should know, when God asked me to homeschool I really didn’t understand the why. The obedience came first and then the ‘whys’ have come as these beautiful gifts along the way. I feel like every so often I get to unwrap a new purpose and reason behind this adventure that I didn’t know when I started.

I can see the blessing that home education can be so clearly now, and I am sure that there is more and more that I have not yet discovered. These days, when people ask me why we homeschool I don’t even know where to start, there are SO many reasons. I simply stepped into what I felt that God was asking of me in that moment and the blessing has followed.

And guess what? you don’t have to make your own yogurt and you can wear whatever deodorant you want!