Home Schoolin' Daddy

So, I was thinking, quite a lot of emphasis is put on the mother when it comes to home schooling. I can see why, of course. Usually (oh, ho ho ho, not always mind you! I have met several families where the father is in charge of teaching) she is the one at home teaching the kids, as is the case in our home. My husband, Hank, goes to work every week day, like many other average Americans. Yet, being the father of home schooled children takes some extra work and sacrifice. The home schooling Dad, does not always get to come home to a clean house. Nor is he usually inclined to come in, kick off his shoes, plop down on the couch and enjoy an evening of t.v. Most likely he comes home, perhaps rests for a bit, and then dives right into work. Hank is right there with me. As soon as he is home, he takes the kids outside or in the living room and plays with them while I try to get some things done. Some days, when Hank sees that I am flustered and a bit overwhelmed, he will start dinner without any complaint. When he sees a teachable moment he grabs it. He is not adverse to sitting down with the children, whipping out a piece of paper and showing them how to do a new math problem, or perhaps listening to them read, or reading aloud to them.
It is hard for me to imagine any other way for things to be. Home schooling takes extra effort and extra time and extra energy for the parent who is teaching. It is crucial that other parent pick up some of the extra slack. Whether Hank is putting the dishes away for me, cooking dinner for us, or just taking the kids outside so I can have a moment of peace, I see it as yet another way that he shows his love for me in a Biblical way. I am grateful for my husband. He supports us in so many ways.