EVERY parent has asked this question in one way or another.
As a mother of two boys, I certainly have.
Whenever I read stories about school bullying, violence, or students hurting one another, my heart immediately goes to my children. I imagine them walking through school hallways, sitting in classrooms, or riding home after classes, and I cannot help but pray, “Lord, please keep them safe.”
Perhaps my fears are shaped by my own childhood.
During my early elementary years, I experienced bullying. A group of boys would threaten to hug or kiss me against my will. They laughed while surrounding me, and although they never physically harmed me, I remember feeling trapped, embarrassed, and afraid.
Another time, someone destroyed the little school garden I had carefully planted and placed a large wooden cross in its place. I cried because I had poured so much effort into it. Looking back, those moments may have seemed small to others, but to a young child, they felt overwhelming.
Those experiences stayed with me.
Now that I am a parent, I sometimes find myself wondering: What if someone hurts my children? What if someone humiliates them? What if they become another child who is afraid to go to school?
Recently, I was deeply saddened after hearing about the tragic shooting incident at a high school in Tacloban. As a parent, stories like these remind me that children today are growing up in a world that can be both beautiful and broken. While such incidents remain rare, every tragedy is enough to make parents pause and ask how they can best protect and prepare their children.
There are no easy answers to that question. Every family faces different circumstances, carries different responsibilities, and makes different decisions based on what they believe is best for their children.
For our family, that journey led us to continue homeschooling.
Our homeschooling journey did not begin because we were against traditional schools. In fact, it started because our eldest son had a heart condition that made homeschooling the most practical choice during that season.
As his health improved, we realized that homeschooling had become more than a temporary arrangement, it became part of God’s direction for our family.
Homeschooling is simply another way of delivering education. In the Philippines, families can legally homeschool through programs that follow the enhanced DepEd curriculum, ensuring that children continue to meet the national learning standards while receiving instruction in a home-based environment. The learning goals remain aligned with DepEd; the difference is mainly in where, when, and how learning takes place.
Every family is different.
Some parents faithfully serve God by sending their children to public or private schools, where children flourish under dedicated teachers, develop valuable life skills, and build meaningful friendships. Others, like our family, believe that homeschooling is the best fit for our current season. Neither decision makes someone a better parent. Parenting is rarely one-size-fits-all.
For us, homeschooling has given us something we deeply value: time.
Time to answer difficult questions. Time to observe our children’s hearts. Time to disciple them intentionally.
More than academics, we treasure the opportunity to point them to Christ every day. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 reminds parents:
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on 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.”
However, I still accepted the fact that one day, my children will leave our home and make decisions without me. I won’t always be there to answer their questions or protect them from every danger. But if these early years have helped them love God, trust His Word, and seek His wisdom, then I will know that our time together was well spent. In the end, the safest place for our children is not where they study—it is in the hands of the God who loves them even more than we do.
