I see a lot of "stuff" in the online space about mom life. And so much of it is really, really great. Advice I wish I'd had when my now-adult children were still at home & we were still in the thick of homeschooling.
In some ways, I kind of felt like I was on my own. Going it alone. That was hard!
Now, yeah, I guess I did learn a whole lot via the inter-webs back in the day. But it's just all so much more accessible. Like, the gold is just everywhere for parents & homeschoolers. (And there is a lot out there that isn't gold, too... but that's probably a topic for another day's post! You don't have time for me to get started down that rabbit trail today.)
I like to research, I love to read, and I am not afraid to try something new - all three of those things served me pretty well during my 25 years of home education.
But not everyone likes to research and read and try new things. So, I may well be the odd-man-out, something of an outlier. I think that is part of why the ease of garnering other people's wisdom is so appealing to me!
When I want to learn about something, say, that has to do with my health, it is easier than ever to learn all I want (the hard part is shutting off the info before it becomes too overwhelming, honestly). And as I say connected with groups & people in the homeschool community, it's remarkable how much has changed in the few short years since my youngest daughter headed off to college. Teaching high school math is one example of how much easier it is to access help when you need it.
I see moms encouraging other moms in ways that bless me. I see young people developing their skillsets and growing and maturing in ways that give me great hope for the future of the world as it passes into the hands of the next generation. And I see independent thinkers springing up like weeds - and I love it!
So, why am I sharing all of this with you on the blog?
Over the weekend I had the chance to spend a lot of time with one of my relatives (who is actually one of my favorite people on the whole planet) and her teenagers and her husband. It was such a great time! Now, this particular relative is totally an independent thinker. She's got spunk, y'all. Spunk in the right ways; when it matters, she will go to the matt for what's right. Not every cause is her cause, but I'd say you wouldn't be wise in messing with this particular mama bear's cubs, if you catch my drift.
What kind of young men do you think she is raising? Wishy-washy, follow the crowd, cannot think their way out of a wet paper bag teens? Or bold, strong in their convictions, well-spoken, liberally educated, unmoved by peer pressure young men who can think for themselves?
You know which answer is the correct one; I don't even have to tell you!
Of course, I spent some time strolling down memory lane, remembering what it was like when we were young. This amazing mom and I kind of "grew up" together and learned how to stand on our own feet and think for ourselves in the same era. Looking back through the years, seeing just how far we have come and how our own way of thinking helped us both to mother our children in ways that allowed them to fully be themselves and to be people who think for themselves, and then looking ahead and seeing a glimpse of what kind of character they will bring to society in the near future...well, I guess I became all sorts of sentimental and super optimistic at the same time.
Being able to THINK is so much more valuable than we always bear in mind.
Not everyone can think for themselves, let alone think on their feet and make the right decision when the world around them is pressing for a different choice to be made.
When you think independently, you don't always have a lot of friends. You won't always be understood. You may have to endure questioning and ridiculing that others don't have to deal with. It can be hard. But it is also too important to let the "hard" of it deter you from the "right" of it. (I've mentioned many times that we need to be sure to choose our hard, or our hard will choose us; this is one example of choosing our hard.)
If you can do the work to help your children become independent thinkers, and you combine that with your own ability to reason well, and you add in the ease of obtaining encouragement and advice and wisdom via the online world...well, you're pretty well primed for success.
And if you've been around the blog for a while, you know that I've been a speaker at a bunch of conferences and summit for parents, but mainly for homeschoolers. It's not something that is ever going to stop being part of what I do to encourage parents and families. And I'm kind of getting excited about speaking events opening up in person again, to be honest! But as a mom who was so busy when my kids were home (and sometimes finances were a bit tight for us as a single-income family), I didn't always have the option of traveling to conferences and conventions. I'm guessing that other moms can relate. Having an online option is pretty cool and would have been so perfect for me on more than one occasion!
So, I am excited to share with you about an upcoming online summit for parents and homeschoolers that I get to speak at a couple of times. I didn't so much "pitch" an idea or a proposal of topics like I usually do; this time, I was asked by the summit's founder to speak on these two exact subjects. I was honored to be asked and also pretty happy that both topics are ones that get my blood pumping!
One is, of course, encouragement. Surprise, surprise! I've come to be known as the encouragement lady (and when I get fired up about God's Word or prayer or the promises God has made to His children, I've been referred to as the "preachy lady" ha-ha!). Here's a little description of that summit session:
The Encouragement You Need for the Work of Parenting Well, by Jan L. Burt
From her homeschool blog to her podcast to her private groups, Jan’s specialty is to encourage, encourage & encourage some more. In this session she will use Biblical texts and helpful tips & hints from her own experiences raising her five children. Sharing from the heart, Jan will leave you feeling encouraged and equipped for your task of parenting children who will be leaders in the future.
That is going to be a really awesome session!
But the other session that I was asked to speak about is this one:
We raise our children to one day be adults, not to remain children, right? It only makes sense that as parents we would “work backwards” and plan wisely in order to reach our goal of having adult children who are truly independent thinkers. Join Jan for this session and learn hands-on tips that she used in raising children to be adults who think well.
As an FYI, I don't pull any punches in this session. I speak the truth, in love and with great respect for my fellow homeschoolers, but it is the truth, nonetheless. This is no time to mince words; in many ways, our world is darker than ever before, and it is more vital than ever that we do the work off raising our children in the way they should go. This benefits all of society in the long run; the work you do each day is a good work, no - it is a truly great work. And it will have a lasting impact.
There is a way for you to watch my summit sessions for free (and of course there is a way for you to get a paid ticket with more access and benefits and freebies and all of that, too - I mean, you know how this online conference stuff works. But I also don't think you mind me telling you about both options, because I know that you understand that people like me who are in some type of ministry role love to give away as much as we can at no charge, but we also need to ask for a sale on occasion in order to pay the bills and be able to afford to keep up with the things of life.) So, either way, I'd be honored if you took a look at both of my sessions. But if you are interested in learning about raising independent thinkers, then this particular session will be helpful for you. I'll add the link to the summit site where you can learn more, if you'd like to, or where you can just sign up for the free or paid pass.
The price the week of February 7-13th is the lowest it will ever be; it bumps up again on February 14th and then again on February 21st. The free option is only available the week of the summit.
The summit takes places entirely online the week of February 21-25, 2022, and for those who are buying a ticket, a portion of your ticket price will go to the ministry Unbound.
Again, no pressure to buy anything. But I would like to thank you for reading the blog - whether you're brand new or have been reading for years, I am so thankful for every single reader.
You are doing an important work and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Your life matters tremendously, and the lives of your children do as well.
God is at work in this world, and I believe one of the ways He is really moving is among the younger generations. I can't help but be optimistic when I see what kind of young people intentional parents are raising. They are world changers, and so are you, because world changers are raised by world changers.
Keep on keeping on for the Kingdom, and know that I am always here, in your corner, cheering you on, rooting for you, pulling for you.
OH! I actually almost forgot (that sounds corny as I type it, but it is totally true - I really did almost forget this!). For anyone who buys a ticket to the summit via my link (you can find those all throughout this blog post and at the very bottom of the post) I am giving away a couple of things as a "bonus", I guess you might call it. First is a digital copy of my most recent book, "A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents" that you can print out and use to pray for your children. It has daily verses and a daily prayer and then plenty of space for you to write your own prayers and room to come back and write how the Lord answers those prayers. Looking back in the future, it will be a really awesome keepsake of how you prayed for your children and how God heard and responded to those prayers. Adn the other free item is access to a course I am currently putting together called "Psalm 91 - A Bible Study". This will be a course with video lessons, printable pdf content, and written lessons, as well as access to my private prayer group on Facebook. I will also do a few live vides in addition to the course. And for those who buy the course later, it will sell for $39. Combined with the price for the prayer journal on Amazon, the value of the free items I'm offering is $47. I'm offering this as an incentive to buy a ticket because I really want the content of the summit to get into your hands by any means possible, and the prayer course on Psalm 91 is one of the most important pieces of content I have ever created. I'd love for you to have access to it as well as the prayer journal!
To claim your free items, just email me proof of ticket purchase at JanLBurt@outlook.com (your order number or the email you used to buy your ticket is all I need to see!). I'll get the pdf prayer journal to you right away and add you to the private prayer group. Access to the course will be sent to you as soon as it is ready to go live.
I hope you are ready to have the socks flat blessed off your feet, because this summit and my freebies are the kind of stuff that will not only make your life better, but will make your children's lives better, too!
Hope to see you "in there" at the summit and in the prayer group!
Lord bless you!
~ Jan
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