Discussion Questions

Becky described children as having a “front-row seat” to our lives, noticing how we handle stress, interruptions, and conflict; what specific “invisible curriculum” do your children currently receive from you on a normal homeschool day, and where might that curriculum contradict what you claim to value? JumpstartAnother way to ask: On a normal homeschool day, what unspoken lessons do your kids learn from how you handle stress, interruptions, and conflict? Where do those lessons clash with what you say matters most?

Becky framed Deuteronomy 6 as faith “woven throughout our day” rather than “a separate class or a checklist”; how would an early Christian household (with less formal schooling and more shared labor) have naturally practiced this, and what modern homeschool rhythms might actually work against that “talk of them…when you rise” discipleship? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If faith is meant to be part of everyday life (not a separate class), how might an early Christian home have lived that out during normal work and chores? What homeschool routines today could get in the way of that “talk about it all day” kind of discipleship?

Becky said, “God doesn’t have grandchildren,” and that children don’t come to faith just because their parents have faith; how should this sober reality change the way you talk about “successful homeschooling,” “good kids,” or assurance, especially when your family culture looks strong from the outside? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If kids don’t believe just because their parents believe, how should that change what you call “successful homeschooling” or “good kids”? How should it affect your confidence when your family looks great from the outside?

Faith argued that homeschooling gives parents access to “strike while the iron’s hot” in teachable moments; what are concrete examples of moments you would likely miss if your children were away all day, and how have you either used—or wasted—those moments when they appeared? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What are some teachable moments you’d miss if your kids were gone all day? When those moments have happened at home, how have you used them well—or wasted them?

Faith said, “Who you are is the person you are at home…If you can’t get along with your own siblings, then you’re a divisive person”; what does that claim reveal about God’s priorities for holiness, and how does it confront the modern tendency to measure spirituality by public ministry, church involvement, or “niceness” outside the home? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If “who you are at home is who you really are,” what does that say about what God cares most about in holiness? How does it challenge judging spiritual growth by public ministry, church activity, or being “nice” outside the home?

Mary Esther contrasted “behavioral management” with “intentional character training,” calling herself “a builder” with “a vision”; where are you currently defaulting to short-term control tactics, and what specific “builder’s vision” (one trait, one habit, one practice) would reshape your home if you pursued it for 30 days? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where are you relying on quick fixes just to control behavior right now? What is one clear “builder’s goal” (one trait, habit, or practice) you could focus on for 30 days to change your home?

Mary Esther described training habits through family “team” projects (charts, smiley faces, practicing greetings, practicing “Yes, Mama”), insisting it “doesn’t transform sinners to saints” but does form character; how would early Christians have thought about habit-formation alongside repentance and the Holy Spirit, and what modern Christian fears (“legalism,” “works”) keep parents from intentional habit-training? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How might early Christians have connected building good habits with repentance and the Holy Spirit? What fears about “legalism” or “works” stop parents today from doing intentional habit training?

Andrea said her cup is filled by grasping “the reality of Jesus’ love…even when I’m at my lowest,” and by practices like early quiet time, listening to Scripture while cooking, worship music, rest, finding a mentor, and yearly retreat; which of these exposes a gap in your current life that you keep excusing as “season of life,” and what would repentance look like in that gap? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which practice she listed (quiet time, Scripture while working, worship music, rest, a mentor, a retreat) shows a weak spot you keep excusing as “this season of life”? What would repentance look like for you in that area?

Becky argued “character comes first,” and that slowing academics to address heart issues can actually help academics later; describe a recent homeschool conflict where you pushed through assignments—what “heart issue” was likely underneath, and what would it look like to prioritize peace, teachability, and self-control without using “character” as an excuse for academic neglect? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Think of a recent homeschool fight where you kept pushing the schoolwork—what heart issue was probably underneath it? How could you aim for peace, teachability, and self-control without using “character” as an excuse to ignore academics?

Andrea emphasized discernment between an attitude problem and a developmental limitation (like her daughter struggling to sit through history), but also said perseverance in hard things trains obedience “even in the Christian life”; where do you personally tend to over-spiritualize (demanding endurance when it’s actually developmental) or under-spiritualize (excusing laziness as personality), and how can prayer and the Spirit’s wisdom actually guide day-to-day decisions rather than just decorate them? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you push too hard by calling a normal developmental struggle a spiritual problem, or go too easy by excusing laziness as “just their personality”? How can prayer and the Spirit’s wisdom guide your daily choices in real ways, not just in theory?