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SPRING 2017 HOMESCHOOL IOWA 21
Her son, she now had five children, became more and more
frustrated in his lessons, and his behavior revealed evidence that
he struggled in other areas as well. He would no longer allow
his mother to teach him. His unhappiness infected the other
children so that the weary and physically weakened mother
mourned the atmosphere of her home, but had no strength
to initiate the changes that were necessary to restore her fam-
ily to life and love of learning. Finally, the father, out of his love
and grave concern for his wife’s health, enrolled their son in a
government-run high school. Believing her failure complete, the
mother cried herself to sleep every night for months, her sorrow
too deep for consolation.
A glimmer of hope finally emerged, however, when she
found that the works of Charlotte Mason had been reprinted.
She purchased a set of the six volumes and slowly began to
study, knowing she would find the answers for which she
searched. The study was laborious as she had not read fine lit-
erature extensively; the language and sentence structure were
demanding. But the mother persevered as she sensed she was
blazing a trail out of her grief, her insufficiency, and her igno-
rance. A kind and dear friend offered to read with her, and to-
gether they struggled through the rich and profound ideas of
Charlotte Mason’s work.
Change was very slow, and the younger three children
gained the major benefit of it. Efforts to encourage the sec-
ond child in the methods she was learning sparked a little in-
terest, but the transition was difficult to effect. Seeing that
school life was nearly over for her older two children, and her
opportunity to develop in them a love of learning was, in es-
sence, nearly gone, the mother turned the full force of her
attention to developing that love in her three younger chil-
dren. She did not possess the energy or the strength she had
before, but she was determined. Crying out to God for His
aid, one by one she applied the methods she was learning.
Reading Miss Mason’s works was becoming easier for the
mother as she grew in understanding and in knowledge. Meet-
ings were established so others could join in the study and, al-
though she still struggled in applying all she was learning, the
mother found she could encourage others along their way.
Many years of study and discussion have passed. Hours
and hours of study reaped wisdom and knowledge, although
the mother knows there is much more to learn. The mother’s
first-born, her son who refused to be taught, has overcome
throughmany struggles and is now a fine husband and loving fa-
BUT FAITHFUL AND TRUE WAS THE GOD UPON WHOM SHE RELIED,
REDEEMING THE TIME, RESTORING THE RELATIONSHIPS.
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