I shared in the closing keynote of the ICHE Homeschooling Conference that it is important for parents to share why they do what they do, especially as their children age. Not only do their children begin to understand that Dad and Mom have a reason for what they do, it also teaches their children to start to think like they think. Proverbs 13:20 reminds us, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. It is a wonderful thing when children start to see and think like parents.
Many parents fail to understand that God places many mechanisms inside His creative order for a reason, but because these mechanisms are so unassuming, parents fail to realize their importance and their power. One such example is how our young children are constantly motivated to ask us parents, “Why?” A four-year-old can sound like a stuck record as he wants to know why the world works like it does. It is such a temptation for us to give a quick and thoughtless, “Because” or, if questioned further with a, “But because why?” we throw out an additionally thoughtless “Just because …” and a golden opportunity to speak into our children’s hearts slips through our fingers like water.
When we faithfully attempt to answer our children’s why’s when they are small, they will naturally look to us as their authorities and experts as they age. Public school parents forfeit this privilege to government schoolteachers who may or may not share the same worldview. These parents have little recourse when their children say, “That’s not what my teacher says …” because they set their teacher up to be their children’s expert.
2 Peter1finds the apostle reminding Christ’s followers to continue doing the things they are presently doing. Why? Over time, we tend to forget the importance of doing the unassuming because they seem so insignificant in the scope of life. While the big things are obviously important, it is the faithful attention to the small things that make the biggest difference in our family life. I share these things, not as the ICHE Executive Director, but as one who has a pastor’s heart for his flock. I want to encourage you to do the small things faithfully because time + God’s grace + obedience in the small things = transformed homes.
Homeschooling parents, YOU CAN DO THIS! In doing life together, you will naturally be confronted the whys as you walk by the way, sit down, rise up, and go down. You do not have to look for these opportunities, they will find you. All you need to do is to be aware and sensitive, knowing how important these questions are in the long run. In expending the extra time and energy today you are putting yourself in a great position when the bigger Whys? of life come your way tomorrow: “Why do I need a Savior?” “Why do I need to marry a Christian?” Transparency at one level will open up genuine communication at the next level.
Never tire of answering your little one’s whys. Every time you do, you are investing in the future when their Whys become proportionately more important with each passing year.
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