“Your life is a story of transition. You are always leaving one chapter behind while moving on to the next.” Anonymous
Last week, our family marked a transition stage of our children. Our eldest son is moving up to Senior High School. While our daughter will start her high school years in June. It was a busy week. Both kids attended our homeschool provider’s graduation and moving up ceremony. Then, on Friday, our firstborn celebrated his 16th birthday. He also bid farewell to his BBSC family.
We homeschooled our children 10 years ago. It was not an easy undertaking. As the primary teacher, I ate discouragements for breakfast. I received a lot from people closest to me and even from myself. In every hurdle, I would always ask God, “Should I be doing this?” And His response was to keep on keeping on.
It takes a village…
It takes a village to raise a child. I totally agree. My husband and I couldn’t raise two kids on our own. We need others to help us bring out the best in our children. And also become the kind of parents we ought to be.
My husband and I learned a lot from 16 years of parenting. Aside from following biblical principles on parenting, we also heeded the advice of people close to us. Both our parents supported us, counseled us, and prayed for us. And we have expressed our appreciation for their love as much as we can.
We also have close friends who have given wise counsel when needed. They helped us see things we don’t see. They have given us a different perspective on parenting, which we have welcomed. We offer thanks to the Lord for bringing these people into our lives. And above all, the Lord is worthy of all praise and gratitude.
From shy to confident
Then, we have our children’s mentors and friends. For our eldest, they are his teachers at BBSC. For four years, they have loved him, encouraged him, guided him, and honed his talent. After each school presentation, I would always go home amazed. I couldn’t believe our son could win two elocution contests. He amazed me with his writing prowess. He sang, danced, defended his side during debates. Jacob also excelled in drafting, and completed his thesis.
As he gave his graduation speech at BBSC, I saw a different Jacob. From the uptight and shy boy, he has become a confident young man. I listened intently to every word he said and expressed himself with much persuasion. After his grad speech, one parent commended for having raised a fine young man. To which I brought back the glory to God.
Again, I speak for my husband when I say that we do not take credit for all these. We have this group of loving teachers who helped him get out his shell. They needed to make him feel uncomfortable at times to train him to be a young man who is sure of himself. He showed determination as he completed his requirements by the grace of God.
Act of volunteerism
Our daughter has bloomed. She has developed a love for music that she could learn three instruments. She learned to play the ukelele, guitar, and keyboard. Her creativity though swings from time to time shows in her art and style.
She has also developed the attitude of
This year, I have seen her new zest in school. She is more inspired and determined to do her lessons and projects. Maybe she is growing up and needing more responsibility. In fact, she expressed that to me one time. She wanted to do more chores at home. So I did. She can now cook simple meals without my supervision.
Our daughter is a few months away from becoming a teen. All I can say is, I love this stage that she is in. It is an exciting phase for a mom to see her daughter blossom from the cute breastfed baby to a young lady. I am looking forward to what she will become in the next few years.
As both our children mature, my husband and I are growing old It makes me think about their future all the more. How can we support their dreams? How can we become better parents to them? I would like to think we also have transitioned. From being immature parents of toddlers to growing parents of teenagers. Oh, Lord, help us.