FREEDOM!

I look at this picture above of Laura with her father, and I realize that we have a freedom God has placed in our lives that I didn't expect.  Laura doesn't know that most daddies aren't the best buddies of their daughters.  She only knows that she loves her daddy and thinks he's the best daddy in the world.  Free to be herself, she is growing into a beautiful young lady... and having her daddy close by her has helped give her a confidence that I love seeing.  She doesn't get beat up by the pressures and expectations of the other kids her age at the local public school.  She doesn't care if boys are beginning to think she's cute.  She's 11.  She'd rather play with her little toys or her precious doll.  Yes, at 11 she still loves to be a little girl.  She's not 11 going on 16.  She simply a girl.

Oh... my spunky Megan.  She keeps everyone on her toes.  My prayer is that she'll always be free to be who God created her to be.  She loves to dress up.  She loves to be imaginative.  She hasn't been to daycare.  She isn't picking up the habits of other children.  She is simply an active, beautiful, fun four year old girl.  And... she's all girl.  She wants everything to be pink.  She loves dresses.  She says that wearing a dress or a skirt is how she knows she is a princess.  If what she is wearing is sparkly, that's just so much better.  She makes me laugh daily with some of the things she says. 

I love that my girls have a freedom in their development with being homeschooled. There is so much that, by just learning at home, that is so different from anything I've ever dealt with in my life.  My older girls were insecure by 11, having been told by classmates and teachers that there was things about them that was wrong or less than what they should be.  They compared themselves to the peers around them... and even to the kids they saw on television.  They listened to the music that their friends listened to... and it wasn't Christian.  They wanted to do the things their friends were doing, go where their friends were going, and wear what their friends were doing.   They wanted to fit in. 

It took years for my girls to accept Christ and then let Him be in charge of their decisions.  It is still a struggle at times.  My younger girls don't have these same issues.  They have friends, most of whom are public schooled, but they are confident in themselves.  They are more sure of themselves.  Laura could care less what other girls her age are doing.  She's not into makeup.  She would rather listen to Christian music.  She likes worshiping Jesus. 

I pray that this freedom only continues to grow in our family as our children grow and learn.