Inspire, Fall 2000

Inspire 13 T rain A Child By Cessna Catherine Winslow hese commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 is a biblical command that holds deep meaning for Gary ’79 and Gaye Putman Welton ’79. They believe the principle taught in Deuteronomy is that if you want your children to follow God, you must make God a part of your everyday experiences. “Personally, I take this responsibility very seriously. We home- school our boys because we believe we can most adequately fulfill this parental duty at home,” Gary explained. Gary and Gaye have been blessed with two sons: Andrew (12) and Ben (9). “God has given parents the responsibility to educate their children. Certainly, parents can decide to delegate certain tasks to others, as we have done in swimming lessons, piano lessons, acrobatics, Sunday school classes, etc. Nevertheless, what happens in those classes is still my responsibility,” said Gary. When the Welton’s first son was born, Gary and Gaye had several friends who were starting their families at the same time. Together that group expressed their concern and interest in ways to raise godly children. “We shared ideas and had great, happy discussions—one topic being that of education. We all together became interested in home schooling when our children weren’t even a year old! As far as I know, even though we now live in various parts of the country, all of us are still home- schooling today,” Gary said. As a home-schooling parent, Gary has often heard other parents say, “I couldn’t possibly home-school my children. That’s too much responsibility on my shoulders.” Gary believes that view is faulty. “Regardless of where your children are attending school, their education is still your responsibility. We don’t believe that every family should make the same decision we have made, but we do believe that every parent should take personal responsibility for the education of their children as they seek to rear their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” he contended. To Gaye, one of the most rewarding aspects of home schooling is personally witnessing her sons’ enthusiasm toward school. “Our boys are so excited about learning,” she shared. “They tend to gravitate toward more serious reading. They love PBS documentaries.” The Weltons are able to tailor field trips to their children’s unique interests. “If we study what we’re going to see beforehand, they are enthralled with what we see,” stated Gaye. “Imagine being in a museum where a nine-year-old boy exclaims, ‘Oh, Mom! We have to go over there and look at those spinning wheels!’ There’s great joy in learning and sharing with them this way. T “