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My wife and I attended this 4th annual conference put on by Home On The Rock. We really enjoyed the keynote speakers, Bob and Tina Farewell. As they talked and shared the stories of what their kids have done, I realized that was just what I was needing. By now, I am familiar with most of the major curriculum choices and teaching approaches, so I don’t need to hear the what or the how so much. Particularly, when Bob shared how his oldest had taken an interest in airplanes and around age 15 had his pilot’s license, was brokering airplanes, and had a larger income than his Dad. I realized that I did need to hear yet another story about how far our kids can go when you unshackle them and provide them with resources and encouragement.

Bob has started another venture, Bringing Dads Home, which is a vision that I share. I think he is still developing the vision in the near term, but I am very interested in following its development.

I didn’t get a chance to hear Ray and Donna Reish, the other keynote speakers, as much. But I did take away from them a renewed commitment on stressing character development as the foundation of homeschooling. It takes a lot of time and energy, but if our kids are obedient, if they each contribute to the housework, then that keeps mom from having her life and energy sucked out of her. She then can redirect her creative energies to teaching her children. And then we parents can stick our heads up out of the trees to look at the forest and plan some educational, or just plain fun, activities for them.