Hi ladies,
Sensitive topic here. A dear lady called me recently. She is in a major depression and feels that she must make school plans for her children this fall.
Anyone here faced a major depression? What did you do? How did it turn out?
Blessings,
Christine

Hi, I am new to this but what exactly do you mean by "school plans?" Plans to put her children in some sort of school instead of homeschooling because of the depression? Thanks.

Hi Rachel,
Welcome to the board! Please tell us a little about yourself and your family.
The term "homeschooling" encompasses a lot of different kinds of arrangements, doesn't it? This can be co-ops, one mom helping to teach another mom's kids, part time attendance at a school, or ..... Sometimes life throws us curves that we need to be flexible to meet. For example, last year I was diagnosed with a heart condition and several other things. I needed time to rest and reflect. I kept my two teens home full time, but sent my two youngest to a learning center that a lovely church lady was doing in her home for several hours a day. Then they would come home and do some more work with me in the afternoon. It was the break we needed and SUCH A BLESSING. Things are better this year, but I thank God for that alternative for that stressful period of time.
My point is that if illness or depression causes us to take a different path for a season, that's OK, don't you think? I love the flexibility we have to do the right thing for our children - that "thing" may look different every year.
Please share more with us of what you're dealing with.
Blessings,
Christine

quote:

Originally posted by christinefield:
Anyone here faced a major depression? What did you do? How did it turn out?
Blessings,
Christine

I became very depressed after two miscarriages in a row and subsequent pneumonia. I even began to doubt my very salvation. I threw myself into God's Word. A dear older lady actually tutored the children for me a bit, I stayed in bed, allowed my Husband and children to cater to me, kept my Bible open, and prayed and cried for two months.
To the outsider, this doesn't sound healthy but it was such a time of growth and recovery for me. We didn't need to go anywhere, the children learned to do housework, began to really see the value in an unborn baby, and when I became pregnant again, They all began praying for the health of the sweet baby. How encouraging to me to hear the prayers of my Husband and children for me and my baby!
They saw their prayer list slowly being answered and how HE has been faithful to give them the desires of their heart. They learned to pray.

Quiver,
Wow. I wonder if you kept a journal of your thoughts and prayers during this time.
Lady, you've got to WRITE!
Christine

Christine,
That is so very kind of you to say. I feel wholly inadequate to ever write as an authority or an encourager. Up until last year, my Journal has pretty much been the notes in the margins of my Bible.

I have a dear friend who was hospitalized with premature labor and later birth of her precious twins. It was a harrowing time for her with the babies' lives in the balance. After she was life-flighted to Little Rock I gave her my Bible, with all it's intensly personal notes, to give her couraage and comfort and peace. The babies were born early and perfectly. She called me a few days later to tell me they had totally changed their minds about the sterilization they were considering. It wasn't my notes, it was the power of God's Word.

I now have a sporatic website/blog but I tend to get so busy that I don't post my really important events or passions. I didn't even mention my 20th anniversary this year which, by the way, was fabulous!

Thanks for your encouragement, Christine. Maybe someday....

This message has been edited. Last edited by: quiverofeight,

I wondered if we might take this thread in a little bit different direction. Into depression as a family and including childhood depression.

I don't know why it just hit me when reading this thread but I think Quiver's deep spiritual wisdom has kinda made me reflect on WHY we decided to HS in the first place.
As well as some depression that I've seen my 6 yo. boy Luke go through off and on.
I am pretty convinced he was saved at the young age of 3 1/2. I had a miscarriage and was grieving for a good 3 plus months he is a sensitive personality and very close to me. He asked a lot of questions and even voiced insight to what was happening in our family, he gave me a lot of encouragement and was there to give me hugs (that he initiated) and remind me that Jesus was taking care of our little baby in heaven ~ the best place to live and we could all meet baby there someday because Jesus made it possible by giving his life for ours.

Prior to the m/c we had spoke regularly about Jesus 'dying' on the cross but not as much about the home he has prepared for those that thank him for his sacrificial death. Luke really wanted to know about heaven during that time ( of the m/c) and we would tell each other the story of salvation over and over and added and he 'rose' on the third day!

All that to say I KNOW that our home is lacking spiritual encouragement and has been for over two years.
Without going into a long story we came to a crossroads in our regular attendance of church ( really for the right reasons as the church itself was having real leadership trouble ) Then we moved and continued in the same denomination and things still didn't seem right we started seeking fellowship in other area churches and even driving some distance regularly but alas it was not to be a longtime fellowship with any of these churches.

So we said we'd try home church for awhile since when attending a fellowship regularly we always struggled with time to have family devotions and spiritual time and knew we needed to grow in leading our own family verses doing church and church ministries. All very true and noble BUT the pressures of life with no friends and family to help even occasionally took over and our spiritual family time was having a lot of ups and downs.
After the last church experience my husband in particular has lost the enthusiasm for spiritual things that he once had.

We have all had a level of depression. But I really miss that little boy that used to ask so many spiritual questions and beg for bible reading.

I have relayed some of our struggles in getting started with our HS as motivational problems but I KNOW they are spiritual problems.

And I think my son's attitude change can and will be remedied with putting our spiritual lives first once again.

I'm very convicted to start tonight with reviving our spiritual lives. And excited to see how this WILL spill over into our every day activities.

Thanks especially to Quiver for being transparent and sharing so much here.

Please pray for us. Michael, Jacinda, Luke, Timothy, Lina and Sophia

I don't have time to write much this morning but please don't put me on a pedestal. (Oh, the pressure!! ) I'm only sharing my struggles along with everyone else. Maybe I just have more time to post and flesh out my thoughts.

Just thinking out loud here... I've seen depression in one of my children too, could some of if be the child reflecting me? Many times when I see a problem or a character flaw in a child, I have to work on myself first. And *Ouch* does that bite. Parenting sure involves growing up myself!

Trouble getting HS started.... LOL! can we all relate? Satan doesn't want us to homeschool our children so he throws roadblocks in our way. Just like he doesn't want us to have daily devotions,or go to church... All these struggles! This is why we mst put on our armor!

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Eph 6:11-13

This message has been edited. Last edited by: quiverofeight,