The ONG family Homeschool

Your Home Bible Time

 The childhood years fly by so quickly and the window of time that we have to imprint on their impressionable minds the knowledge of God and His plan of Salvation is very, very narrow. As such, what do we emphasise in our Bible Time with our children?

Mom, if you knew you could have a deep and meaningful impact on your child's walk with God well into adulthood, what do you hope his relationship with God would look like? For me, I hope my children would be saved, know and love God, walk in obedience to His will. And that, practically speaking, would translate into good character demonstrated in his work and daily life. 

I've been thinking some about bible "programmes" for our young children (12 and below). Some moms grapple with this: what do I teach? Would I teach my 9 Yr old about the history of church denominations or bible translations? In passing, I would, just to give a hint to the child that there actually is such a thing... but not as a main stay. 

As a Christian homeschool mom, I don't actually follow any curriculum for bible time with my children. We open the King James bible and teach from it.

Here I share the common themes I find myself gravitating to when I teach them, whichever the passage:

1) Who God is, the Love of God, His desire for all of us to be saved and walking in His will.

2) Good Character

3) how to apply Christian living in this world we live in.

See? It can be found here in Colossians where Paul talks about his heart's desire for the precious young church at Colosse to grow:

Colossians 1:9-11 KJV — "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;"

 

Bible Time is not about "academic head knowledge", though knowledge about Biblical facts is important. Don't treat it like a comprehension passage and make the children go through the passage and "answer the following questions". 

Bible Time needs to be PRACTICAL for daily living. By all means, we need to skilfully bring the point of the lesson to the child's level where they can understand and mostly importantly, do what they are learning about God. 

When our children are older and they face temptations presented by the World, battles that are within their own sinful flesh, key bible verses/passages that have been memorised will help them to have the power to do what is pleasing to God. 

One very practical issue is dating and how to find a wife/husband. Long before they are of age, I would begin to plant in my children the joy of setting up a godly family, the joy of having a spouse who walks in the same direction as themselves. (as according to 2 Corinthians 6:14.)

Right now, my husband and I have heart to heart talks with our older teens (young adults) about having the patience to wait for the right partner who displays the necessary qualities of godliness. In a time when it is so much easier for them to just follow the crowd and follow their heart, I'm glad that the years of planting God's word and God's ways in our children's hearts when they were young have become a firm guiding principle in how they should conduct themselves in matters regarding dating, courtship and marriage. It saves them so much heartache and scars!

So, when you start from the end goal (adulthood) and work backwards to what we should teach at childhood, I feel it should all come back to knowing God, having a relationship with Him and developing the right set of values and character that the child will make habitual. The time we have with them is very short and we need to prioritise what we teach in the bible!

Please feel free to share you thoughts on this matter that we may all benefit from different perspectives! 

 

Baby is 6 mths old and it's time for cake!

Baby is 6 months old today!!! How did 6 months fly past so fast, we have no idea. But we have spent every single day relishing her presence with us, watching her grow and learn new things. (what a great reason for a lovely strawberries and cream cake.) 🎂

Thank You, God, for blessing us with Megan. 💖🎉🎊🍰

Guest Writer's Post: Free days!

I have been homeschooling for more than a decade and a half, and there have been very dry periods when the homeschool energy just isn't fired up. But watching and learning from younger homeschool moms can be so refreshing and energising! One of these mom friends posted the following on FB recently and I thought it was so enlightening and I asked her for permission to publish it here on my blog. She says she has 2 days in the week that are "free days". I think detractors will think "free days" are too "free" to be "productive" (read: grinding at the desk.) So she just had a thought to jot down what happened on one of their "free days". As you will see, lots of learning done, but just not structured. Thanks Wan Ling for sharing!!! 

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Our school days look like this. Green for altogether Yellow for my elder girl Blue for the little one Usually desk work is done in 15-30mins even though I allocated an hour for each subject.

We use a “to-do” box system. The day’s work is put in the bin, so the girls have a visual cue to the tasks ahead and they can choose how they want to manage their time. They can choose to do everything at one go if they like.

We have 2 free days in the week. They are days with nothing planned i.e. protected time.
I often get questions about what we do during those free days and why we have them. It’s hard to explain. Today, I kept a detailed journal of what the elder girl was engaged in the entire day.

8.15am: I slept in (because I had a terrible night) while she washed up.
8.30am: She prepared breakfast for everyone and took a photo to show me.

9-9.30am: She was listening to “Story of The World”. “Mummy, do you know that one of the Roman emperor made his horse a consul and forced everyone to listen to it?”
9.30-10am: At my breakfast table, she ate my nectarines and read “Sisters” comic aloud to me so that we could share the jokes.
10-10.15am: We went through our classical memory work subscription programme. We discussed the locations of Asian countries on the map and alternative meanings to “dig” and “value”.
10.15-10.25am: We discussed the Magna Carta and it’s importance because it came up in the History memory work.
10.25-10.30am: She spot-vacuumed the floor.
10.30-10.40am: We read the bible and prayed.
10.40-10.55am: Watered the plants and did her gardening.
10.55-11.20am: Played “hospital” with SM.
11.20-11.30am: Made silly sentences and stories with the Letterland Shuffle cards.
11.30-11.45am: Played with the volume, weight and measure set with SM. They tried to make the arrow on the scale go an entire round with rocks etc...
11.45-1150am: Did some Chinese writing on an activity book.

11.50-12.15pm: Completed 4 Sudoku puzzles (spotted a typo mistake in one and corrected it), did a couple of mazes.
12.15-12.25pm: Prepared lunch with me.
12.25-12.50pm: Had lunch and cleaned up.
12.50-1pm: Listened to “Story of the World” again. “Nero!”
1-1.25pm: Played a game of Rummikub with us.
1.25-4.30pm: Cycled and played with friends.
4.30-4.35pm: Fixed herself a snack.
4.35-5.35pm: Craft time! Did some sewing on the sewing machine. She sewed a pocketful of hearts for her daddy.

5.35-6.05pm: Asked daddy to do a science experiment with them. I heard “What is the limiting chemical?” and “ titration “ before I took a nap.

6.05-6.20pm: The girls came to my bed with books for me to read aloud to them.
6.20-6.30pm: Played “Lava” with SM before we went out for dinner.

Our free days are often like this, carefree, productive and full of zest for learning. Often, when we have a chance to schedule anything on our free days, I’ll consider the opportunity costs and turn it down. These seemingly lazy and endless days are so precious to us.

My Baby Girl is 18!

Happy 18th Birthday, our precious Abigail!  

Young people and their Instagram-my pics. Here we have a solitary cat engaged in a staring incident. 

I'll admit, I don't often blog about my no. 2, Abigail. She truly is a behind the scenes kinda person that doesn't call for the limelight or do anything that is spectacular. But that doesn't mean she is any less valued or valuable. It's just that what she doesn't lend herself so easily as topics for me to blog about. ;) But here, I dedicate one whole post to her. Nor does it say everything about her. Just a small little portion worth commending.  

Abigail was the one who took care of my misconceptions 18 years ago that girls were easier to handle than boys. Comparatively, no. 1 was easy to train. He responded well to discipline and he was a very obedient child. Abi, on the other hand was stubborn. I remember I used to console myself by telling myself that stubbornness and persistence are the flip-side of the same coin. At 2, she was STUBBORN!

I think a lot of the friction I faced with her when she was very little was that she wasn't very vocal or verbal to express herself. It was difficult to get her to explain herself, or even to say "sorry" and "forgive me". She would just stare at me, silent, sullen and I would interpret that as rebellious behaviour. I would provide her with multiple choice scenarios to help her answer my questions why she did what she did. And even then, she would just stare at me. It was very, very frustrating. I have since learned that sometimes, it is hard to put into words what's in your head, and Abi is like that. Still like that in many ways. 

Now, standing tall and firm at 18, we look back and simply marvel at what God has done in her life. If you think living the life of a homeschooler is a protected and sheltered life full of sunshine and butterflies, you've got it wrong. Who can escape the reaches and effects of sin? Our daughter's teen years had been marked with difficult situations, not of her own doing. It seems that the friends that God had brought into her life went through very traumatising periods or very disturbing periods of rebellion, and these affected her. For instance, 2 friends lost their fathers (one through cancer and one through a car accident), 1 friend's parents went through infidelity and break up (strong Christian homeschooling family), friends who are depressive. And several other cases that I cannot mention but not any less heart-breaking. 

She has personally gone through rejection from friends and loved ones, through no fault of her own. (no, not BGR, nothing of that sort!) As a parent, I wish I could protect her from these sad and distressing things. As a mom, I think, my baby is too young to face these situations, she's not ready. Why is she a magnet to "problematic" friends??

But when I look back on those difficult journeys, I understand, God knew she was ready and God helped her through in order to grow her. It was a certainly a journey of growth for my husband and myself to guide her through, to understand what is happening or what she can say to encourage her friends. I think, her greatest trait is her sense of security in her Heavenly Father. She is able to reach out to others because she is so stable and rested in Christ. Some of her favourite verses are found in John 10, Jesus is her Good Shepherd who loves her, His sheep.  

As a result, my dearest Abi has developed a sense of empathy for those who are in distress and struggling. She is sensitive and careful with her words to those who are hurting, knowing how words can be used to hurt and also to heal. She is pro-active to extend a loving hand, even if it is weekly travelling to another part of the island to be with a friend in distress. She has also had to learn that sometimes, we might not be the people to be the ones to help or the timing isn't ripe and so we should just wait and pray. I am truly so proud of her, she is such a blessing.

Psalm 144:12 KJV — That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:

I have always loved this description of how we should grow the sons and daughters that the Lord has lent to us. But wow, it just struck me how that polishing is a process of peeling away dull layers through painful grinding. 

Because of the way that God has led her, pursuing Christian Counselling in further education is within our scope of prayer and consideration. She sees how important it is to be more armed with the mind of God in order to better help people whom God might send her way. Pray along with us! 

That's why, when I look back on these 18 years, I simply marvel how God's invisible hand has been moulding our dear Abi to be of great use to Him. 

Proverbs 31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

Indeed, I am so thankful that the oldest daughter is spiritually in the position to be a good model for the younger ones in the home. Below i share a little love note that she wrote for her little sister. It was lovingly kept in a file.  

So sweet right? 

On this her 18th birthday, in good stead to face womanhood, we pray for Abigail, that God would continue to guide her steps as she contemplates what path He has prepared for her beyond her homeschool days. We are also praying for her future spouse, a godly young man who will love, protect and provide for her all the days of their lives, that they would be a blessing to each other. 

1 Peter 3: 1-4 

Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

² While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

³ Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

⁴ But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

 

His First Resume!

We have hit a milestone with our eldest child- his first resume! He spent a couple of hours cranking this up and his portfolio to be submitted to companies for his upcoming 3rd year Internship.  I'll be totally honest. I am filled with pride to see listed under "Education" the word "Homeschooled". I tell you, every year we homeschooled was a step into the unknown. But at the end of every year, we can just look back and see the grace of God. And here we are. A Resume!

Now, if you were a potential employer, and you see "Homeschooled" on that Resume, what would cross your mind? Hopefully, in the years to come, as more and more Singaporean homeschoolers make their mark in society, the word would mean "expect to meet someone who is exceptional!"  

Here, I speak to homeschool parents who have decided to homeschool into the teen years.

If I was to rank the greatest advantage that we have as homeschoolers, it would be the autonomy of TIME to allocate as we are led to develop our children. It could be time spent in anything, or nothing at all. (There is value in "nothing-ness" too. Creative endeavours often come out of play and experimentation.) These activities can all become items your child can put into his/her Resume and stand out as a very different kind of education. 

Many, if not most public schooled kids at this stage, will list the programs that their secondary school provided for them. Well and good.

Imagine the Resume of a homeschooler that can list dressmaking (tailor-making dresses for clients), or calligraphy (running workshops to teach calligraphy)- business and entrepreneurship in real life--profits and losses action, not a school project!

Then there are also the homeschoolers who focus on music, going to many Masterclasses and concerts and performing? Or the homeschoolers who dedicate their time to sports excellence (junior national teams), or drama (staging a musical)? Oh yes, and homeschoolers who organise themselves to launch community fund raisers.

These are actual real life examples of our homeschooling friends, God bless their endeavours! All these put into a Resume speaks volumes of individuals who are forward thinking, entrepreneurial, passionate learners, possessing great leadership qualities, hard working, etc.  

See Asher's work experience below. He has started a freelance photography business since age 17. And that began with taking lots of photographs on our 6 month Road Trip when he was 15. And before that, he was the camera man and video editor of our zany homeschooling videos. Ah, our happy homeschooling days when the kids were younger.   

 

 

 

 

So, my point to homeschool parents who have decided to homeschool into the teen years... use your autonomy of time to your advantage and let the kids go out and have a fun time growing their interests and pursue it to where-ever it may lead. And it doesn't mean we have to break our banks to do this for them either. What a blessing to see our children blossom under our loving encouragement. Each child is so unique in their talents so let their portfolios reflect that gifting!   

He listed his baby sister as his hobby. LOL.

I don't know if that was the way Resumes should look these days. I hope so! 

But I think his portfolio speaks louder than the Resume. I post a few pages of his portfolio just for us to enjoy his art work. :) Thanks for reading!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's 8pm

It's 8pm. I look at you, you look at me. Who is going to cook dinner tonight? 

 

Ok, I will. 

These days, because of our 3 mth old's erratic feeding and sleeping times, cooking the family's meals has been challenging for me (mama). But thankfully, Isaiah steps up to the plate... Usually... Eventually....when no one else wants to. He is good to oblige us. 

It's 8.15pm. Baby woke from her sleep because of a burp bubble. And so, Mag tries to bounce her back to sleep. (Anyone else uses exercise balls to bounce their baby to sleep? I was so tickled to find we aren't the only ones!) 

She didn't fall asleep, so next better player takes over. 

Somebody isn't too happy! Haha, she's bursting out of this shirt! Our chubby wubby... 

It's 8.50pm. Dinner is served! Japanese curry!

9pm, Asher finally comes home from school. So tired. He always looks so tired. He hardly sleeps during term time. In fact, 9pm is early. He eats his brother's Japanese curry dinner. 

He has lost so much weight! Mama is so sad. 😭

After that much time of bouncing, she's out for the count. 😴👶🏻

Oh what's this? 

Isaiah pulls out his dessert surprise. 

A lovely cheesecake! But it didn't have enough time to set yet, so he called it custard. Haha... Still a super treat. 

Recharged, Asher engages his siblings in a little "competition" to say what they new thing they learned today. What makes them smarter today than yesterday. 

OK. Everyone's game to play. Big sister talked about her bio lesson. Little sister Michaela shared about Salmon and their life cycle. I'm so glad that they both learn Science from a Biblical, Creationist perspective.

Isaac told of his time volunteering at a vet clinic and the 4 procedures he had a chance to observe and the interesting conversations he gets to listen in when the doctor quizzes the vet interns. 

Isaiah won the game because he went last. He said I've learned the most because I learned whatever I learned plus what all of you learned too. Smart Alec.

Good night... And thanks for the cheesecake. ❤️

When Homeschoolers Get Together....A Night of Beautiful Music

Last night, was a musical night of choir for my three homeschooling teens! Now, most kids have opportunity to sing in choir in School. Choir, like other group activities eg. team sports, is something that homeschoolers usually find other homeschoolers to do together. So this special choir, which is a part of Cantus Novus Academy headed by Ms Tina Nguyen, is made up of mainly homeschoolers! So last night's concert was a Homeschooler get together of sorts! Wonderful! 

Would you believe those peach-colored dresses were custom tailored by a teen homeschooler?? That's another interesting story to tell: how and why she went into dress-making!

Ms Tina is standing on the right next to the lady in the red dress. And the accompanist is on the left, standing next to my son, Isaac, holding a bouquet.   

With Ms Tina. They love her to bits. 

Isaac even got to sing the opening lines of O Come Emmanuel, his first solo for singing! <3 Ms Tina does such a great job with vocal training, as you will hear in the video.   

 

Aww, he expressed the longing so well. I told him that we have to draw from our life experiences to express the feelings of the song. And so he told me he thought about the time when he was small and got lost and how he was looking for me. Awwww..... 

There were presentations by the different choirs (from the petite children's choir to the youth) and also some piano duets and vocal small groups. While the music presented last night was rich and glorious, everyone gave their very best effort and the music was of very good quality, this post is more about my observations of homeschooled kids. 

This morning, my teen asked me, Mom, do you think there are any mean homeschoolers? Everyone's so nice. I said, maybe it's just that the mean ones don't want to join the choir? lol

I've been observing homeschooled children for more than 20 years now and last night, I observed a little more! This I can safely say, these children are reflections of their parents and their home environment and I saw children who were raised in a gentle environment, full of love, acceptance and encouragement. 

There was a piano duet by two boys, both quite little, one more little than the other. They aren't siblings. When the song was done, I noticed the older little boy, in a quick but sincere action, give the younger one a "well done" pat on the head, right there at the piano before they took their bow. I thought that was so sweet and "big" of that little boy. He must be raised in a home that is full of these gestures and words of encouragement.

Last night, I was carrying baby Megan in my arms during the concert. I think I'm experienced enough to know when she is going to do an all-out yell and make a quick exit before that ever happened! :p Sometimes, though, she would let out a little squeal. 

When she did, the boy around 10 years of age, sitting in the row in front of me would turn around and give baby a warm smile. I could tell he loved babies and again, I thought, this is a homeschooled child who has an appreciation of babies! 

It's kinda sad that many younger people in our society don't have a chance to interact with babies. (Is it a wonder we have such a dearth of babies in our country?!?) During a recent interview, I brought my then-3 week old to the set. The fresh graduate crew-lady told me she has never seen a 3 week old before. How sad, I thought!

And recently, the family visited our eldest son's studio in his Poly, after school hours. Most of his course mates knew he got a new baby sister this year, so son was quite happy for the opportunity to show the baby to his friends. He cradled her and visited the various rooms of the studio where his friends were working. I was quite tickled by the reactions of one or two friends who kinda looked at my son and the baby with faces that said, Okaaay? What do you want me to do/say? Awkward. You can tell when people don't know babies. (or dogs, for that matter. I've noticed.)

I'm not saying all homeschoolers are familiar with babies. I'm saying it's nice that children raised at home have more chance to spend lots of time with their siblings and it shows.      

Last week, I had the chance to sit in during two of my kid's choir rehearsals. I really enjoyed Ms Tina's friendly but professional coaching style. I also noticed her accompanist, a 17 yr old homeschooler who is pursuing a diploma in piano. (see group picture above.) I was so impressed by her, not just her very skilful playing but her attentiveness during practice. When the conductress stops and starts, the pianist is right there, following her every instruction, giving the right notes for all the sections to begin. Seriously, I was utterly impressed by her attentiveness and excellent work ethic. My daughter got to make friends with her too. She has a very pleasant, friendly and sweet personality!

When I look at Homeschooled children, I often can see an imprint of their parent's manner on them. And when that parent has Christ's love overflowing in their hearts, it flows into the lives of the children so naturally too. I observed that last night.

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THANKS for taking the time to drop by! This blog exists to de-mystify homeschooling in Singapore. I love sharing about our family life as Chrstian homeschoolers. If you have any questions about homeschooling or Christian parenting, I would try my best to reply! Email me at [email protected] or post a comment!

Preparing for the Day of Parting

"This week has been overwhelming. Seeing my son in the casket, it is beyond words," he said. "But I thank God. It is not a tragedy. It is a blessing because he is now in a better place, he is in heaven."  

~ Pastor Davy Sim, father of Benjamin.

16 year old Benjamin Sim's home calling early this week was a shock to many, including our family. We know Pastor Davy Sim because we are from the same IFB circles. We can only imagine the grief the family is going through with the sudden loss of their child. May the Lord Himself comfort them in the way that only He can, at the deepest seat of their hearts. 

I have held my children's hands through every step of life from birth: from feeding, to taking the first steps, to learning to talk and read,....  and if suddenly, my child is taken out of my hands and brought to a place that I cannot yet go, how difficult it must be. The greatest comfort is to know it is my precious Jesus who now holds my child's hand in Heaven.

Christian parent, please listen. There are many things we choose for our children's time, learning and enjoyment. Our schedules quickly become filled with many activities that can take away our focus on the most important thing we need to teach our children. Don't be guilty of "arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic". And what is this most important thing?- to love the Lord your God. 

Deuteronomy 6:4 -7 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.   ....

Not to just know about Him (lots of Bible stories), not to just sing about Him (Sunday school worship time), not even to depend on Him for things (prayer). These are all very, very important things that surely a Christian parent will be patted on the back for doing consistently in their child's life! Let me tell you, it is not enough!

May I ask, does your child LOVE God? Is there a real relationship with the Person of God, or is it a set of daily activities surrounding this "God".  If God was someone in the flesh right now, would He be the One your child will run to for comfort, sit close to on the couch just to be near, light up with joy when He came home? What makes your set of activities performed in the name of God, any different from the rituals of any other religion?  And really, surely God will know if we love Him or not? 

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

We love to quote this verse. How many who claim the name of Christ truly LOVE Him? During our time on earth, may we ever grow to love Him more and more!

I wonder if I have done my best to prepare my child for that moment of being ushered (suddenly) into eternity? Would my child wonder in shock and unfamiliarity, "Where is this place?!?!" or exclaim in excitement, "Yaay! I'm finally here!" Certainly, parents take pains to explain to their children about what the first day of school will be like or what going to the dentist will be like. So, how about being in Heaven, in the presence of God? Or is that too distant a thing to be thinking of? (Have you read the link to the article I posted in the opening quote?)

I think I know what our 5 year old will say when she reaches heaven. She'd say, "Jesus, I've been waiting so long to bring me here! Let's play!" She doesn't even know much about the place and blessing of Heaven itself. All she is focussed on is meeting the One who loves her so. 

Recently, she was impatient about going to heaven because she really wished to play with Jesus. I really had no heart to tell her that it was wrong or irreverent. It is how she understands love and fellowship of the closest degree. And I know the One who authored love in our hearts for our children must surely enjoy the laughter and fun of playing with a young child too.     

There was a time we were talking to God in prayer and when we were done, she had tears rolling down her cheeks. I tenderly asked her what was wrong? And she said "I miss God." She was homesick for heaven. 

Can I share what I have done to help her understand how much God loves her? Since babyhood, in our most loving moments, like whenever we are hugging, I would tell her, "Mama loves you so much.... And God loves you more more more." You have to know for yourself that this is true. I do, so I can tell her with all truth in my words.  

Daily, we talk about God, read the Bible through which we can learn of Jesus' love for us, and heart-felt prayer to Him. What a joy and privilege to be the one to introduce a child to the One who created her and loves her! But to bring it home at a level that the child understands, is when she knows you love her, and you tell her, you know what, God loves you infinitely more.

1 John 4:16-19 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.

I have another dear friend who walked with her child the journey of cancer. He went home to be with the Lord at the age of 16. She tried her utmost best to prepare her son for the day he would cross death's river, but not knowing how it would be when the moment finally came. God's grace is sufficient! In her words, God personally taught her son how to die. It was not a road that she could take with him, but when she couldn't, God could and did.     

There is a real danger that threatens the focus and attention that belongs to Christ and I really have to say my 2 cents worth about this to Christian parents out there: Do not be fooled into believing that worldly activities will bring your child any closer to Christ. I'm talking about exposure to worldly philosophies on mobile devices. We are a family that has mobile devices but they have to always always be kept in check, not only the amount of time spent but also the content of what we are viewing. And it's a battle, for sure! But I am shocked when to hear well-meaning Christian parents praise the virtues of Korean dramas, using them to teach their children "good values" like "faithfulness". It's the ignorance about the Bible's position against "all that is in the world" that honestly, troubles me.  

1 Cor 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

1 John 2: 15 - 17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Note that: loving the world will destroy our love for the Father. It's a scenario of mutual exclusivity. A Christianity that blurs the lines between holiness and worldliness is not a Bible Christianity. That is "another Jesus".

2 Cor 11: 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 

Seek to know the true Jesus of the Bible. Subject even what the church teaches against the Final Authority, which is the Bible. Develop a real relationship with Him.  

May it be the war cry of every Christian parent, and certainly, this has to be at the heart of every Christian homeschool: My Child's Salvation first of all. It is a battle that we must fight to win. What will it be in the light of eternity?  So many things work against the Christian parent, we have to get on our knees and beg God for help daily!  

God give us much much grace on that day when loved ones have to part. What comfort to know, that all who are saved will be reunited one day! We shall not grieve as people who have no hope. Because of what Jesus had already done on the Cross, we will one day all be together and never to part.

1 These 4: 15- 18 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 

 

Her Special Ricky Rabbit Puppet!

Folks love to ask how I manage homeschooling 6 kids. Well, I always reply, by the grace of God. And these days, I can also say, I don't homeschool all by myself. I have a host of help, especially for the older children. For instance, the eldest son now goes out twice a week for science lessons in preparation for his O levels (including the science lab for experiments.) Also, the kids who have an opportunity to learn an instrument have really wonderful music teachers (flute and cello). Family and friends too, I am very grateful for their help on a weekly basis.

Today's post, I wanted to highlight how the children help each other and make learning fun! Our dear 10 year old son is very craft-sy and he knew that our pre-schooler is learning the R sound with Ricky Rabbit in ACE. The kids went out to our MacDonald's the other night to get some dessert of apple pie. He used the paper carrier and made it into a Ricky Rabbit puppet! The cool thing is that he made a mechanism that moves the arm when when the mouth moves. He thought of using a satay stick to join the head part to the arm. I really appreciate these moments of genius. :)

and here's a video of our little missy showing off her new puppet! 

 
 

From our home to yours, 

Suwei

 

 

 

Are You a Shepherd or a SheepDog?

Christian parenting. You should know this by now. I blog from a profoundly Christian point of view. And I know, it's the end of a crazily long, non-stop busy day at home with the kids. If you were to list all the things you did today, from cleaning out the washing machine dirt catcher thingy, to cleaning snot from the baby's nose for the up-teenth time, to cooking a slap- together meal in 30 mins... I'm sure the list will run very long.

You don't need a post like this right now. You just need to sit back and pretend you were invisible.

But I was recently hit by this thought and so I decided to put it in a long post. (short posts are reserved for Facebook and long ones for the blog. heheheh.) Let's humour me and over generalise things and imagine two parenting "strategies": the Shepherd or the Sheep Dog parenting. Having by now gone through 16 plus years of this parenting journey, and still currently handling a 4 year old, and the whole range of 6 kids right up to age 16, I can say, I have been both Shepherd and Sheep Dog, sometimes both in the same day! (I'm not very sane anymore, as you can see. Somewhat schizophrenic from mothering for 16 years.)

The Shepherd. The Bible uses this analogy of the Shepherd at several instances. Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:11 I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. We also recall that well loved Psalms 23: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

A good shepherd is someone who is concerned for his sheep and will do what he can to ensure the safety, protection, comfort and utmost care for them. Not only that, he plans ahead, looking for good pasture, watering holes for the sheep to be well fed and watered. He is always looking out for any sheep that goes a stray or hurts itself.

To translate that into parenting terms, I would liken a Shepherding parent to be one who cares for the well-being of her child- but not just the physical, mental and material well-being. Too many parents stop at that. If their kids have their designer clothes/shoes/bags, have eaten their favourite macDonald's meal, have gone for their tuition and other extra classes, many parents will pat themselves on the back and say they have done a great job. What, that twice a year overseas trip surely must score some good parent points too.

The years of growing and discipling the young ones that God has given to me and my hubby has taught me about the importance of Shepherding our child's hearts. So this is caring for their spiritual well-being. It entails a careful and consistent teaching of God's word and His ways to them in opening the Bible to them daily, making His word our way of life. And more so, being a good model to them by walking the talk. It is so important: open a physical King James Bible and read it to them. They have to have their own physical "swords" and have a highlighter ready to note important verses, commit them to memory! Don't settle for kiddy substitutes. The children need to learn that this is God's word and it has precious truths and we can rest our lives upon it!

2 Tim 3: 15-17 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

If you as a parent don't know what the Bible says, then please by ALL means, be a good student of the Word yourself. There are no short-cuts. You can't give what you don't have.

This morning, as a family, we were reading Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. We took the opportunity to dwell a little more on this topic of drinking. Our children already know that we abstain from all alcohol. But it was a great opportunity to open the bible again and show to them the specific verses that warn us about what devastation wine does to lives. We do have a young man in our household who might be entering National Service really soon (counting down the years!) and he (in all likelihood) will be having to face a drinking culture in there and he needs to have a good biblical foundation to stand on, not just "my mommy says I shouldn't drink."

Shepherding parents have a strong desire to bring their children to the Good Shepherd and He can be found through an abiding love for studying the Bible. Do you believe in the power of the WORD itself? If you do, then you would want to put it into the hands of your precious children.  

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Pray for your children. Pray because it truly is a fight for their souls that we have to wage on their behalf, on our knees. 

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Now, I get to contrast Shepherd parenting to Sheep Dog parenting- the one who nips and barks. The sheepdog's main task is to get the sheep from point A to point B as a group without too much distraction or detours. Time is of the essence. The sheepdog tends to use force and pain to get his job done, like nipping and biting the sheep. 

Why are we always in a hurry? We need to get things done quickly but kids are slow, distracted, clumsy and at the worst time possible, they will break out in bouts of uncooperativeness. And that's usually when Sheep Dog parenting kicks in. Shouting, threatening, pinching, hitting: all the things that you never imagined you would do to a child before you had children. Suddenly, you realise that you weren't as patient or saintly as you thought you were. Children have such a way of bringing out the best and the worst in their parents!

I don't want to dwell here too long. I know you feel lousy enough as it is. You think you have failed as a parent. I'll just share a not-so-secret secret to overcoming Sheep Dog parenting- spend time with the Lord at the start of the day. Spend time in the Word to refresh your soul to allow Him to speak to you through his Word. And then spend time in prayer. Sheep Dog parenting, I suppose, is the equivalent of acting in the flesh.

Romans 8: 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Feed your spirit daily and you will be able to do the spiritual work of Shepherding your child's heart. 

 

from my home to yours, 

Suwei