Mimi Rothschild - Home School Support & Home Education News

By Mimi Rothschild

I will never forget the time I rounded the corner into my eldest son’s bedroom to hear a stifled expletive. I had never heard the word before in our home, and my mind immediately began to race, trying to think of how my son could be exposed to such language. I regained my composure, calmly asked him if his stubbed toe was ok, and sat him down on his bunk bed. I inquired as to where he heard the offending word. He guiltily admitted that his friend Tommy’s parents were watching a rated-R movie in which the word in question was used.

Rather than phoning Tommy’s parents and forbidding my son from ever visiting Tommy again, I decided to take an alternate route. At that point, I purposed in my heart to make our homeschool the house at which all my kids’ friends wanted to spend time. Countless cookouts, slumber parties, and water balloon battles later, I think I made the right decision. Not only do I not have to worry about what goes on at Tommy’s house, I am able to provide all the kids in our neighborhood with a fun, safe place to hang out. Now, all the kids want to come here to play.

There are many different ways to make your home a place where kids want to be. For instance, I have a homeschooling friend that uses the family farm as a way to attract kids. They gather eggs, milk the cows, and have a blast doing it. I have another friend who was able to construct an impressive treehouse in her yard. She is able to keep an eye on her boys while providing them a great outlet for good, clean fun. All of the neighborhood boys are jealous. They’d rather play Swiss Family Robinson in the treehouse than watch violent movies or play violent videogames. A particularly inventive friend of mine actually set up a series of teepees in an empty field behind their house. Both the boys and the girls have a great time whooping and hollering out in the fields. If you don’t live in a rural area, try to think of indoor ways to have fun such as movie nights, board game nights, and sleepovers.
The trick is to avoid comments like, “Let’s not go to Jimmy’s house, there’s nothing to do over there.” There’s no reason why homeschooled kids should miss out on having fun as a result of avoiding exposure to nasty attitudes, behaviors, and subject matter.

Remember, if your kids miss out on having Godly fun, they may eventually come to view their faith as a drag. At some point, the pull of worldly pleasures can be more than a young adult can handle, if given no alternatives. The key is to teach your kids that they can still have a great time without compromising their beliefs. They will look back on their homeschool days with fond memories.