Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Michael Farris:
Joe, what have you and your wife, Denise, done to make sure that homeschooling doesn’t get in the way of your relationship?

Joe Holman:
You know, Mike, that’s a great question. And what I like to share with people is that when it comes to homeschooling, division ought to be in math, not in the marriage.

One of the things that my wife and I do is we try to see to it that our homeschooling is a team effort. That keeps it from competing with each of us as individuals. That doesn’t mean that I help do the teaching—my schedule doesn't allow that—but what I do is I see to it that enabling her to do her job is a priority to me. And then the things that we can do together, we do. For example, we choose curriculum together; we attend seminars or conferences together; we plan school days and field trips together that I can go on whenever possible.

And then we also do practical things to build our relationship. With 10 kids, they’re cheap dates, but we go on at least one date a week. We talk, we talk, we talk. Mike, I guess the key is to make your relationship the priority in every area of your life, and it will be in homeschooling as well.

Mike:
Joe, I absolutely agree. If my relationship with Vickie is not at its peak strength, our homeschooling’s all for naught. Thanks so much. I’m Mike Farris.