I’m not real sure how I came to be on your email list as I don’t remember ever reading one from Real Mom Life before. But this one was just what I needed to hear today. God used your message to speak life to me. Thank you!
I am a homeschool Mama and involved in a strong homeschool community. My children are ages 6, 11, 12 and 23. Our family loves Jesus and my husband and I disciple our children based on His Word.
We found out a few weeks ago that our oldest daughter is expecting a child out of wedlock. The pain is great and the judgment from others is real. We are walking this out with His peace in the midst of the pain.
Thank you for your insight.
K
Thank you so much for reminding me of the importance of setting up an Ebenezer to remember the goodness of God. I recently read this very passage of scripture and missed the significance at the time.
Our family has been going through some tough trials for the last 8 years that sound very similar to what you and your family have been experiencing. We have had to remind ourselves time and again that God has a plan and a purpose even though we cannot see how any of this is helping us!
Please keep writing. Your book, “Homeschooling the Challenging Child,” has been a lifeline for me. When I am looking for encouragement to keep putting one foot in front of the other, it has been one of the books I return to again and again.
God bless you!
J
We’ll be patient. Keep your chin up. I never reply back, but feel led to let you know that I have very much benefitted from your books. I have the Life Skills, and also Homeschooling the Challenging Child. I am homeschooling my son and daughter, both with Asperger’s and ADHD. Your books and posts have been encouraging. Thought I’d let you know:)
Thanks,
W
Thanks for this. I really needed it.
J
I just read your latest email after a very tough pain-free day. I’m a single mom homeschooling my two teenage daughters. I am having severe back issues requiring surgery. I was told two days ago that they can’t schedule it until the end of January. Every day I can physically do less and less. I am clinging to my faith by my fingernails sometimes and then I read your words. I am going to write a list of my “hithertos”.
D
Have an incredible day Chris and cherish the memories you make with your family. I know you do.
It’s not the hustle and bustle of everyday life we remember as much as the memories we make.
K
I wouldn’t normally write to bloggers to whom I am subscribed, but had to write to you this morning to thank you for your wonderful Hitherto blog, which was exactly what I needed reminding of today. We are so quick to forget, especially when going through a rough time, as I am right now, with financial issues. But right in the middle of my rough time, God showed me that He has led me hitherto, and will see me through. I pray I won’t lose sight of that. Attached you can read my own very recent experience and Ebenezer – I hope it blesses you. And as for that identity crisis – you are doing what He would have you do – today I am the proof of that. Bless you.
P
This is a great post. Your heart and your personality come across in your writing—and I love both of them, which is why I love your writing.
R
Christine Field has been an integral part of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine since the very beginning, 13+ years ago. The homeschool community recognizes her as an expert in the field of special needs homeschooling for her years of experience she’s shared via multiple books and articles. Christine is an excellent speaker, writer and communicator, and a good friend to parents everywhere. I personally am grateful for her transparency and kind friendship she’s blessed me with over the years. I feel like sitting down and talking with Christine is like relating with a best friend or a sister. I love this dear lady!
-Gena Suarez, Publisher, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Christine Field uses her experience to bless others. She has given our readers at hedua.com practical advice for their homeschool journey. Additionally, Christine is helping adoptive parents. Stephanie McBride, one of our review team, says of Adoption Boot Camp: “As the mother of two children through adoption, I know that the adoption process can be overwhelming and lonely. Adoption Boot Camp felt like having a good, more experienced friend sit down and chat over a cup of tea.” I believe many people will find help through Christine’s writing.
-Rebecca Keliher, President/CEO, Home Educating Family Association
Praise for A Field Guide to Homeschooling
This is a valuable book! Not only has Christine read widely and done a superb job organizing the available information on home schooling – she’s a home schooling mom herself! A great book to give to those who are ready to make the decision to home school – but need answers, resources, and a little encouragement.
~Rob Shearer, publisher, Greenleaf Press
This informative, well-documented book will be very helpful for parents who are considering homeschooling. The author has done an excellent job of combining research with practical advice.
~Dr. Mary Hood, “The Relaxed Home Schooler”
Christine Field’s in-depth research, personal experience, and readable text puts us in touch with the hearts and minds of key individuals in the home education movement.
~Valerie Bendt, Bendt Family Ministries; author, How to Create Your Own Unit Study, The Unit Study Idea Book, and For the Love of Reading
Homeschooling begins the day a child is born, whether parents realize it or not … Novice home schoolers will find this book an invaluable resource. Veterans will be encouraged and reminded why they began homeschooling in the first place.
~Martha Ruppert, editor BASIC Digest; Conference speaker
Christine opens your eyes to the legal issues and statistics surrounding homeschooling …
~Katherine von Duyke, editor, KONOS Helps!
Praise for Should You Adopt
With sensitivity from personal experience and insight from professional expertise, Christine Field offers sound advice to those parents considering adoption…I highly recommend this excellent resource as a guide for anyone who needs an answer to the question – Should You Adopt?
~Jayne Schooler, Family Ties, Author of The Whole Life Adoption Book
Praise for Life Skills for Kids
A comprehensive treasure trove of ideas I intend to use in my family.
~Debra Bell, author if The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling
Teaching children important life skills is one of the greatest things a parent can do for a child. Life Skills for Kids is a wonderful resource for every parent’s library.
~Kathy Peel, president of Family Manager, Inc. and author of Be Your Best: The Family Manager’s Guide to Personal Success
Every family should read this book! Christine has provided dozens of practical steps to help us equip our children for life. This is a book that I will be referring to for the rest of my parenting years.
~Jonnie McCoy, author of Frugal Families
Life Skills for Kids is easy to understand, with uncomplicated principles that promote success as soon as they are practiced! For any mom who has dreams and goals for her child, Christine provides the directions necessary to reach those goals.
~Ellen Banks Elwell, author of The Christian Mom’s Idea Book
Christine Field has done it again! Life Skills for Kids reflects the simple, practical lessons she (and her husband) have gleaned from organizing and raising a homeschooling household with four children…Christine has thoughtfully laid out a topical list of skills along with practical suggestions on what to do and say in order to effectively equip our children. Parents should read and reflect on these chapters together – they (and their children) will be richly rewarded.
~Rob Shearer, publisher, Greenleaf Press
Not only is this book excellent for parents … it is also an excellent resource for all those who want to teach life skills to their students. It is a very comprehensive curriculum guide for equipping children for the real world. If you are one who lives life with purpose, you will find this an excellent source for instruction.
~Emilie Barnes, director of More Hours In My Day
Is your child really prepared for life? You may think so until you read Life Skills for Kids. Christine Field takes you step by step through a carefully thought-out series of Maxims of Maturity (MOMs), helping to guide parents in teaching skills to their children in fourteen crucial areas. This book is well researched, practical, and best of all – doable.
~Rhonda Barfield, author of Eat Healthy for $50 a Week
In an era of rapid and radical cultural change, many Christian parents have developed blurred vision when it comes to family life. Life Skills for Kids is a corrective lens that will help them see clearly that God designed children to grow best at home with their parents. Christine’s practical insights not only restore visions for why, but bring into clear focus how to restore home life to the center of your child’s life. Read and see!
~Clay Clarkson, Executive Director of Whole Heart Ministries and author of Educating the Whole Hearted Child
Praise for Help for the Harried Homeschooler
Christine teaches us how to teach our children while keeping our sanity!”
~Jonni McCoy, AUTHOR OF Miserly Moms, Frugal Families and Miserly Meals
This is a work of impressive clarity, overriding intelligence, and magnificent common sense. Not only is Christine Field a pleasure to read, she has something powerfully useful to say. Trust me, the time you spend with this book won’t be wasted.
~John Taylor Gatto, author of numerous books, including Dumbing Us Down, A Different Kind of Teacher, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Homeschooling
Bursting with warmth, wit, and wisdom, Help for the Harried Homeschooler provides practical help and encouragement for homeschooling moms.
~Ellen Banks Elwell, author of The Christian Mom’s Idea Book
Christine Field has done it again, producing a practical, down-to-earth, helpful, and well-organized collection of fifteen all-you-need-to-know chapters in Help for the Harried Homeschooler. This book is sure to be a great encouragement to novice and veteran homeschoolers alike. I’ve homeschooled for nine years, and I learned a great deal in my reading of Christine’s book. I highly recommend it.
~Rhonda Barfield, author of Real Life Homeschooling, Eat Healthy for $50 a Week, and 15-Minute Cooking
Posing problems, suggesting solutions, compiling other authors’ sage advice, citing personal examples and biblical answers, Christine helps homeschooling moms find practical solutions to organizational, time, and stress-related problems.
~Kym Wright, author of Women: Living Life on Purpose and the Learn and Do Unit Studies
Help for the Harried Homeschooler provides valuable encouragement for the vital endeavor of homeschooling. Christine is as helpful as an understanding friend at your kitchen table, making difficult tasks seem achievable. In these pages, veteran and novice homeschoolers will find new resolve to joyfully educate their children.
~Martha Ruppert; homeschooling mom and author of The Dating Trap
Christine has put together myriad helps that would take years of experience to realize. This is a great blessing for the new and overwhelmed homeschoolers, including fathers.
~Dr. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute
Praise for Homeschooling the Challenging Child
In Homeschooling the Challenging Child, Christine Field has produced another masterpiece, a super-informative how-to book that not only educates, but also inspires. This book provides fascinating research, insightful analysis, and helpful anecdotes, sure to be a tremendous help to any parent of a challenging child. Highly recommended.
~Rhonda Barfield, author of Real-Life Homeschooling: The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home, Feed Your Family, and 15Miinute Cooking
We heartily recommend Christine Field’s book Homeschooling the Challenging Child for parents working with children who have learning delays. We found this well-thought-out resource easy to follow and easy to understand. Thank you Christine for your organized book written from your heart!
~Tom and Sherry Bushnell, authors of Christian Home and Special Kids and directors of NATHHAN/CHASK
Wow! I can think of dozens of great reasons to read this book. The best reason is that it will help countless parents who have challenging offspring to survive childhood without loss of life or limb! Filled with very practical advice from a mom who has walked the walk, this book will become your new best friend. Christine provides godly counsel to families navigating the often precarious waters of parenting challenging children. She helps us to see the blessings and guides us as we tackle the obstacles. I will buy this book for my homeschool group and highly encourage every support group leader to do the same. This book will provide comfort and wisdom for many stressed-out homeschool parents!
~Maggie Hogan, speak, author of Hands-On Geography, and coauthor of Gifted Children at Home and The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide
A must have for all homeschooling families! We can all find help in Christine’s advice, whether you have a disabled child or just a child who knows how to push your buttons, this book is for you.
~Jonni McCoy, author and founder of Miserly Moms
A refreshing revisit to the domestic issues of homeschooling, Homeschooling the Challenging Child addresses the various hurdles of training and teaching your child with an emphasis on special-needs learning. Whether your child is a “challenging learner” or not, you’ll find Christine’s book logically progressive, practical, and most of all, encouraging. From one who’s “been there” and still doing it, Christine Field, a true and humble comrade, is a special-needs homeschool mentor to parents everywhere. Highly recommended for any homeschool reference library!
~Paul Suarez, Publisher, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Homeschooling bring many challenges to twenty-first century parents as we learn to unselfishly serve our children’s educational, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. When you add to this already monumental mix, a child who is challenged with special needs, it can become terrifyingly difficult, discouraging, and draining. For these parents who are struggling in a storm-tossed tempest – who have seen the clear signs of disability in what should be everyday accomplishments – Christine Field’s book will be a buoy and lifeline of hope, practical advice, and first-hand experience. The transparency and humility with which she shares points unerringly to the throne of Grace, where “we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” I highly recommend this valuable resource.
~Diana Waring, international homeschool speaker and author of Reaping the Harvest: The Bounty of Abundant Life Homeschooling
In this book Christine Field discussed how to homeschool a challenging child. What is a challenging child? Essentially, she says that any child who demands special effort or dedication is a challenging child. I like that definition, because many of the children who are held up as examples of the success of homeschooling can be challenging.
There are several things that make this book valuable to homeschoolers. First, Christine Field dispels a lot of myths that seem so prevalent in the homeschooling community. Second, Field dispels the myth that you should not make use of the evaluation services provided by the public school system or the child psychology community. Most importantly, the author dispels the myth that learning disabilities are discipline problems.
Of course, Christine readily admits that many discipline problems are incorrectly labeled as learning disabilities. As a result, she stresses evaluation as the key. She stresses that you must learn what the problems are before you can address them. To that end, she gives specific suggestions on how to evaluate your child and even refers you to other resources that have detailed evaluation tools such as personality tests. As she says over and over again, the more you know, the better you will be at making an informed decision on how to homeschool your challenging child.
Field gives specific suggestions on how to approach discipline, daily routine, personality issues, and learning programs for a challenging child. When I got done with this book, I felt as if I had been at a weekend seminar that was full of panel discussions between experts in childrearing, experts in education, and parents who had personally dealt with the struggles of raising challenging children.
If you want specific ideas on how to evaluate your child as a unique creation, how to help your child develop into an adult that will be pleasing to God, how to develop a homeschooling program that worked for your child, and how to deal with the emotion and stress that results from doing so, you should definitely read this book.
~Dr. Jay L. Wile, (former) president of Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc.
