If success was measured by a mother's ability to homeschool her children while her husband played a passive role, then my wife would receive a gold medal. Sadly, the realization of my shortcomings came only very recently, when I awoke to discover that my oldest child was now in the fourth grade. (Seems like only yesterday when I was changing his diapers.) Scratching my head, I concluded that God had blessed me by working wonders through my wife, even while I slept.

But the presence of God's helping hand upon the undeserving is nothing new. Centuries before Christ Jesus walked upon the earth, a group of recently freed Hebrew slaves lumbered through a wilderness where they complained practically every step of the way, failing to appreciate the blessings that were given to them. However, rather than punishing them beyond their capacity to endure, God provided for His people, giving only enough food to sustain them while they slept in the ignorance of their deeds.

In the same manner, while I was sleeping in the ignorance of my poor deeds, God was providing for my three young boys by supplying them with a food they greatly needed--the active love of a mother. However, though adequate in many circumstances, such food was incomplete, lacking the pizzazz that only I could give.

Seasonings, such as the math "tricks" that I knew, were never tasted. Spices, such as the stories from history that could pique my children's interests, remained untouched. And the flavorings, such as my Biblically-based observations of many of the world's troubling events, were never savored.

Like most fathers when they first decide to homeschool their children, I had the desire for my children to have opportunities that far surpassed the ones offered in public schools. In this pursuit, I sacrificed our family's ability to earn more income by encouraging my wife to spend countless hours instructing our children. Yet, as the sands sifted through the glass of time, I failed to realize a serious error on my behalf.

I became passive in lending a helping hand.

This mistake, I have been told, is common with fathers who choose to homeschool. Many fathers take on the responsibility of providing for the family, while mothers tackle the *more important* task of instructing the children. However, despite being a member of the majority, my actions were wrong. There was nothing fair in leaving the task of molding my children to one person, even if that one person was my wife.

But, by the grace of God, I was awakened when I was struck with the thought of considering myself from my children's perspectives. After speaking to my wife, it appears that her prayers were a major factor in setting off this alarm clock. I asked myself what my children saw in me, their father, during the course of a day.

Was I the man who was absent many hours of the day? Was I the one who returned in the evening, tired from work and moaning for rest? Was I the one who failed to ask my children what they learned? Was I the one who seldom lifted a finger to help in the learning process?