Like putting sore, tired feet in front of the fire, homeschooling has brought rejuvenation to our hearts and household. We were running on caffeine and fumes far too long, and this past winter, I saw the light.

There was a cold evening that brought me to such a low, I felt I wouldn’t live to see another day. I envisioned my tombstone reading, Here lies the bones of a mom who beat her head against the wall attempting to decipher fifth-grade math homework.

I was afraid my relationship with my girl was starting to come down to three things: fighting as she was leaving for school because we were running late, lots of tears (mostly mine) over homework before and after dinner, and tension as I pressed us through our bedtime routine, desperate for more sleep than the night before . . . only to start it all again in the morning.

I knew we were in a negative pattern and wanted more than anything to train up my child in the way she should go, but it was not happening with sleep deprivation and a seven-hour-a-day, five-day-a-week separation from one another.

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Around this time, our middle son was having chronic knee pain. We went to multiple doctors, and he had double knee surgery at the end of January 2015. What was projected to be a two-week recovery period turned out to be a full year of pain, disappointment, and tears (from all of us). It was his senior year and should’ve been his triumphant last season of high school baseball. God had other plans. The best part to come out of his surgery, for me, was the time we had together as he recovered. We had deep talks—sharing ideas and dreams.

With our oldest son soon a college graduate and this one soon going, I felt that this was exactly what it was all about—time together. We watched movies and shared thought-provoking podcasts. He was working on his year-end project for English: The history of compulsory schooling—how and why the U.S. educational system began.

We listened to speakers and their views about placing kids in a physical classroom each day—school as we’ve always known. Many expressed that what educates children is life with the people who know them best and love them most, by allowing their God-given bents and innate curiosity to drive their learning.

My mind opened to new possibilities. Did the ways in which our kids were being taught—the ways we’ve always known and accepted—allow for creativity and the freedom to learn at the pace our daughter craved?

This time of change and transition in our lives made me see everything differently. What I perceived was that my girl didn’t need more time in the classroom, more time doing worksheets, or more time doing homework. What she needed was more time with me.

My homeschooling sister told me about the rhythm of their days and the unlimited choice of curriculums. I brought up the idea to my daughter and was surprised by how passionately she felt about wanting to learn at home. I had to backpedal, telling her I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t quite envision it and was nervous about having her home every day.

We, as a family, prayed long and hard and pressed forward. The idea kept coming up and homeschooling went from something I never, ever thought I’d do to something I had to try.

And I can say, six months into our journey, it’s one of the best things we’ve ever done. My daughter and I are in tune with one another in a way we’d grown away from. Learning and reading together is, most days, pure joy. Freedom from the public school calendar has allowed us to travel more and for longer and to serve together, learning as we go.

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I’ve been asked, “Don’t you think she should be in school?” or “Are you afraid she’s going to get behind?” and my answer is, “No, absolutely not.” We’re meeting our goals, day by day, by sharing meals, books, love, and laughter.

Parents instinctively know what’s best for their kids whether they have the means to act on it or not, whether they have the faith in themselves to act on it or not, whether they can stand up to the opposition of popular culture or not.

Our daughter’s just read her 60th novel since we started. Along with reading, writing, and arithmetic, she’s also had the opportunity to learn French, computer-animated design, and coding. Through homeschool groups, she’s taking piano, drama, horseback riding, and voice lessons. Math is still our least favorite, but luckily Dad saves the day because he loves word problems (huh?!).

I’m grateful to have more time with our daughter than I had before, and I know when she’s all grown up in several short years, we’ll cherish these hours we’ve spent together. I couldn’t be happier the word “hurry” is (almost!) out of our vocabulary.

I praise God we’re in this position to be home, and even if it’s only for a season (well, of course, it’s only a season), we’ll look back on these days with such fondness. Ahhh, this amazing thing called homeschooling. I’ll keep stacking the kindling, adding the logs, poking the fire, and feeling the wonderful warmth.

Originally published on the author’s blog