COLUMN BY:
Wendy Cunningham
Honest Conversations with Wendy
A RELU C TAN T HO ME SC HO OL MOM “ABSOLUTELY NOT. NOT MY THING.” That was my response when my husband hinted at his desire for me to homeschool our kids. At the time, we had a three-year-old, a one-year-old, a baby on the way, and I ran a successful business from home. To say I didn’t have the time wouldn’t paint the full picture—I wanted nothing to do with it. Besides, I was a product of public school, as was my husband, and we were doing just fine (thank you very much). When I lived in the West, homeschooling was both foreign and frightening for a number of reasons. Namely, no one I’d ever met was homeschooled or homeschooled their children. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have known the first thing about where to begin such an endeavor. Once we moved to rural Tennessee—where homeschooling is not only normal, it’s celebrated, and resources and support are in abundance—I briefly considered the idea again. But how could I ever pull it off? I wasn’t a teacher. Although I had my bachelor’s degree, it was in theater performance, for goodness’ sake. And besides, I worked! There was just no way. So, I did what so many parents do by default. I sent my daughter off to kindergarten at the local public school. Conviction from Holy Spirit came almost immediately. If you’ve been reading along with me over these past months, you know I receive my biggest breakthroughs in the shower. This was no exception. One evening, only a few short weeks into my daughter’s education, I felt Holy Spirit impress upon me something I’d skipped in my decision-making on this topic. I hadn’t prayed about it.
"I felt Holy Spirit impress upon me something I’d skipped in my decision-making on this topic. I hadn’t prayed about it."
PLAIN VALUES
APRIL 2023
45