Schools have always been a hot topic for parents. For several reasons over the last year, including the pandemic and concerning curriculum choices, many parents are revaluating their school choices or feeling pressured to make the right decision now more than ever.

Is school choice important? Yes. Is it ultimate? No.

There’s a parent out there that needs to hear that today.

Parents put way too much pressure on themselves to make the right school choice for their kids. What a privilege it is that many of us even get to choose. Many parents are in situations where they feel like they don’t have a choice. Wherever you are in the process of choosing “the right” school for your children, take heart!

Here are three things that helped me as my husband and I wrestled through this decision over the past few months. 

What is right for other families is not necessarily right for your family.

Every child, every parent, every family dynamic and current life situation are different. There are so many reasons why families make the school decisions they make. These reasons range anywhere from financial and job situations to individual children’s needs to personal convictions and everything else in between. Hear me clearly. There are many good reasons to choose public school. There are many good reasons to choose private school. There are many good reasons to homeschool. 

It is not helpful to make blanket statements about what parents should do, say, believe, choose and so many other things. That’s true about most things when it comes to parenting but it’s definitely true about school choices. Statements like “If you’re a Christian you should ______” can actually be harmful. Every family has to make their own choice based on their own situation and it will be the right decision for them.

You can change your mind!

Your school choice does NOT have to be forever. If you start out in public school and it’s a horrible experience, you can pull your child out at any time! If you start out homeschooling and it’s awful, enroll the kids in school, mama! You are not a failure if you change your mind next week or next year. How freeing this realization was for me.

God is bigger than your school choice.

He is all powerful. Trust him with your children (Isaiah 26:3). You’re not going to “mess up your kids” because you sent them to public school, private school or because you homeschooled them. How naïve we are to think that if we control and orchestrate our child’s life just perfectly, that they will turn out just like we want them too. How little we believe God to think that we, as mere humans, could completely mess up His plan for our child’s life. I’m not dismissing the fact that we are called to disciple our children. We should absolutely take that role seriously because our children’s eternity is at stake. However, God can use any situation, any school, any mistake to draw our kids to himself.

Pray. Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5). Seek counsel from others if you feel the need. But in the end, make your decision and trust God that it’s the right decision for your family, for this season.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13