A Chute Full of Holes

When we left Gabriel and Hannah at Pensacola Christian College I said that I felt like my kids just jumped out of an airplane with a parachute that I had packed for them. They had spent most of their lives as homeschoolers. Not only that, they were missionary kids. Their academic life seemed to have been in constant turmoil. Most years really didn't go as I planned. So when we left them on campus, on their own, I was fearful. Did I teach them enough? Are their study skills good enough to handle different teachers, different tests? Did we work on taking notes enough? Each time, my answer was no. I needed more time with them. Another year. Maybe two or three. Then we'd be ready. But it was time to send them. So I worried about the parachute and their landing. Would the chute open? Was it full of holes? Would they crash and burn?

As a homeschooling mom, I found it very difficult not knowing what they were doing each and every academic moment. What topic were they learning in history? What kind of speech were they practicing that week? What kind of homework assignments did they have? What were they studying that evening? I tried not to interrogate them constantly, after all, they did need time to study. And hopefully, I improved somewhat during the semester.

On December 17th, they completed their first semester and it was amazingly successful. They received their report cards yesterday and they both made the Dean's List! They both love being there and made a lot of friends. I give all thanks and glory to God who helped them to land safely on the ground in spite of a poorly packed and torn parachute.