So, how do our husbands fit into this whole homeschool thing? Some husbands are more involved in the family life than others. I’m not sure how your hubby handles life in the home, but I know my man. So, that is who I’ll talk about today.

My husband’s name is Tim. Tim likes to make me laugh. He is hard-working, he loves to dote on me and the kiddos, and he cooks for relaxation. That’s my Tim. He and I are the essence of the phrase, “opposites attract.” It really works for us. Though we are opposite in personality type, hobbies, and favorite subjects in school, we find likeness in our beliefs about Christ, character, and life. Somehow, we really go together; we make an awesome match.

Our Differences Make Us Better

One of the best differences we share is what triggers our stress-threshold. What stresses Tim usually doesn’t stress me, and what stresses me usually doesn’t stress Tim. It’s a very handy aspect of our life together.

I’m the more detail oriented one, and Tim is very big picture. This works beautifully in our homeschool! I love getting into the what, when, and how it’s all going to come together. Then, I have a conversation with my “Big picture” man, and he helps me see beyond the details. I see it all even clearer. This is a great way he helps me in my homeschool.

Our Marriage Helps the Homeschool

When an issue comes up (and many can!), Tim is there for support and perspective. It’s hard to have clear perspective in the midst of the hardship. Hubby is there to help!

Another awesome way my husband is involved in our homeschool is by helping teach the children. If there’s an odd day where I’m off to rehearsal and he’s home early from work, he offers to keep the kids on track with their studies. If I provide the list, he gets it done! He takes the baton for that afternoon, and it is so helpful to me. Though it doesn’t happen very often, I love that he can take on the task of our homeschool with confidence and joy.

Another element he takes on is teaching the “fun” stuff! This is the learning that comes from life skills or life experiences. Let me explain with an example from last year.

The Story of Plaster

We bought a beautiful home in a small rural community during the Fall of 2021. The last owner of this darling house had lived there for over 55 years! She kept it very well, and had made some updates over the years. One of the three bedrooms upstairs still needed some updating.

This room was decorated with yellow wallpaper on plaster, blue carpeting, a dim central light, and a few crack lines in the plaster ceiling. When we purchased the home, we knew this room would be our first project.

We decided together that Tim would tear out the plaster from the ceiling and walls. Since I had experienced a back injury a few months before this time, we knew that Tim would take the reigns on this project. He wanted to include the kids, and I agreed. What a great opportunity! This experience would teach some valuable hands-on skills, and I was excited for them.

The morning came when Tim began. He woke up early Saturday morning and headed over while we were all still cozy in bed. By the time we awoke, he had the entire ceiling tore to pieces. He called me to tell me about the exciting work he had accomplished. I woke the kids, and we headed over to continue the work. We came up the stairs to find chunks of plaster littering the blue carpeted floor and a slight, lingering haze of dust misting the room.

The feeling of inner panic started to raise inside me. The sight of the mess was overwhelming. Will the dust spill into all of the rooms? How will we carry the mess down the stairs? With the way my brain works, thoughts of future tasks flooded my mind. Do you ever experience this when you’ve given a project to someone and you start to see the process unfold?!

In this beginning of inner panic, my husband then hands my oldest a hammer and a long-handled pry tool. Watching my son knock the wall with the hammer and peel off the plaster was both thrilling and very scary. Then my daughter joined in the fun. Questions filled my mind; What if that handle goes through a window? What if they strike each other accidentally? The sound was crazy loud, and the utter mess they were making was overpowering. The panic began to spill out in this moment.

With hesitation and doubt, I started to voice the questions I had kept inside. Tim then turned to me and reminded me very kindly that I had trusted him with this project. Yes, he did. I realized this in my anxious moment. I paused, then replied (still in a panicked, questioning, hesitant voice), “Yes, you can do this. I want to help. Give me a job. Tell me what to do!”

It was a hilarious moment. For though I’m trying to relinquish control, I was still caught in the emotion of the fear and anxiety. I was just about shouting the truth of the moment at my husband.

Let Your Husband Help

This happens to me sometimes. Does this type of scenario happen to you? Do you give your husband a task and then as he takes the reigns, you feel he’s going to botch it or not “do it right?” In those moments I try to remember that I don’t have all of the answers. There are many ways to do something well, not just my way or one way. I need to let him accomplish the task in his way, which will be great!

“I was just about shouting the truth of the moment at my husband.”

Let your husband help you when those opportunities come. Let him do it his way. Even if it’s upside-down and inside-out from what you would choose to do. It’s probably a great way! (The same goes for your children.) Yes, be a helper, but let your man take the lead, especially if you give him the task or ask him to help.

This is my man; My man of action. He goes at it. He takes the project head on.

This is my man; My man of big picture perspective. I love to hear his perspective, because it IS different.

We help each other in these differences. This in turn blesses our marriage, our children, and our homeschool.

Conclusion

What about your man? Is he a man of action? Do you enjoy helping him in the projects? Does he help you in your homeschool? Please share in the comments below. I would love to hear how your man helps in your home and family.

Keep Walking Friend,

Christina

Bonus: The Finished Product!

July of 2021, we began taking down the walls of our daughter’s bedroom.

By December 2021 we had completed the project! It was a great adventure.