“I
think God is calling me to run for State Rep--Please pass the potatoes.”
My
husband knew that my first response would be “Absolutely NOT! We are in the
middle of raising ten kids!!” that is why he wisely presented his case at the
family dinner table—our safety zone. The older kids burst into conversation,
throwing out different opinions at once. The little ones observed not daring to
interrupt the interesting rush of words that exploded onto the scene in between,
“May I have more tea?” and “Please pass the potatoes.”
Needless
to say after much conversation and many prayers, our family decided that if God
was calling Daddy to run for office, God was calling all of us. My husband
would not fight for our rights and freedoms alone. We would get behind him in
every way to help change our culture.
So
our home school wears a new face during this season. Our home school is not on
hold, nor has it been moved to a slower pace as some would say, it has rather
temporarily changed its focus. Afternoon reading has been replaced with
hours of phone calls to the constituents in our district. Evenings are devoted
to walking the streets and knocking on doors together.
It
turns out that the very reason I had to keep us out of politics is the very
reason we decided to jump in with both feet. Campaigning as a family is
teaching the kids important life skills and growing us together. Our county has
never been in worse shape and if we don’t do something then who--If not now,
then when?
Could
there be a better home school lesson than teaching our children good
citizenship through active political involvement? My husband and I hope to
raise socially responsible kids that put action behind their convictions. These
qualities cannot be gained from a textbook. We understand that seatwork in our
home school is essential in order for persuasive speeches and informative
articles to flow from their pens, but the fieldwork is every bit as pertinent.
I know without a doubt our children are growing in maturity as they meet
individuals in our community and rehearse our convictions aloud pointing them
to their daddy's website for more information, and it is maturity within the
person that will help one rise to
the occasion faster than a stack of completed text books.
We
are experiencing in our home that giving kids both seatwork and fieldwork makes
for a more well rounded person and that means it’s OK when the seatwork is not
on the agenda five days a week. Running for office is not toppling our home
school and messing up our schedule, it is adding a new dimension to it and
providing important life lessons for the kids.
