2025: A Home Perspective
Jun 01, 2025
Written by Marie Romero, 2025 Home School Parent
One faith is bondage. Two are free.” Wendell Berry; “A Homecoming”
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Twenty years ago, a friend’s toddler tripped on the toe of her clunky shoe amidst a lively game of chase. She liked me, but in the aftershock of that breath-catching moment, she did not want me to comfort her. She only wanted her mother. I was a newlywed, and I longed for a child to need me that uniquely. Within five years, I was a young mother of several children who needed me, and homeschooling meant a home full of laughter and learning, crying and comforting embraces. It was exhausting and, also, so much fun. The only silence was during “quiet time,” after a morning of nature walks and bubbles and soaking in the sprinkler and lots of reading aloud. Never the silence of an empty home.
Everyone whose opinion mattered told me to enjoy every moment. And I did; sometimes after repentant exasperation, but I enjoyed every moment. I was too hard on my children sometimes, and they challenged me. I quickly realized that not only did they need me, but I needed them. We stretched each other. My husband and I and our children were a little community, trying to love well and grow in virtue. On the whole, we worked hard and played abundantly. Whenever someone asked incredulously, “Are you going to homeschool through high school?” I took a slow breath and answered simply, “We’re taking it one year at a time.” But I knew we would keep homeschooling. It was more than schooling; it was a way of life. As the years passed, the morning timetable held the foundations, reserving afternoons for hobbies, exploring outdoors, and sports. The February slump circled around each year, and I reconsidered how we were spending our time. The answer to one question on which I always relied was, “Is this good for our family?”
Those of us who have the blessing of homeschooling our children should never feel our role diminished by sharing the load with others who have talents beyond our own. At the same time, we need not feel pressured to live up to any standards not reflective of human dignity nor make choices that would injure the family. I wanted my children to love learning for its own sake. And they do. When they struggle to learn things beyond their present interests, I have faith that they will remember what God needs them to know and, ultimately, what will lead them closer to Him. I am so grateful for supportive family and holy friendships, and for the community of mothers who have passed down their wisdom and shared an ancient perspective of education as living and eternal. As my first child nears the end of her high school years, my prayer for us all is that we never finish “home schooling” until we are truly Home.
“Those of us who have the blessing of homeschooling our children should never feel our role diminished by sharing the load with others who have talents beyond our own..”
This article is republished from Volume 1 of the Annual Showcase Magazine "An Invitation to Wonder."
2025 Annual Theme | An Invitation to Wonder: A Culture of Learning at Home. Find more details on how to submit in the upcoming annual showcase magazine, more inspiration from the theme, and where to purchase a limited edition print copy of the 2025 magazine.
