{"id":392,"date":"2023-03-11T16:15:10","date_gmt":"2023-03-11T21:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mistydawnfarmfl.com\/?p=392"},"modified":"2025-05-06T15:31:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T19:31:59","slug":"your-home-is-a-greenhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mistydawnfarmfl.com\/?p=392","title":{"rendered":"My Home is a Greenhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u00a0 Do you know what a greenhouse is? It\u2019s a climate-controlled place for young plants, where they are sown, germinate, and tenderly cared for. They are given exactly what they need to grow, and to strengthen and prepare them for the harsh elements of the outside world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0 As a home school mom, I get asked about my kids\u2019 worldly exposure (or lack thereof), and how I expect them to be able to exist in the world if they grow up in a bubble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  It\u2019s not a bubble. It\u2019s a greenhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gardener and the Seedlings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

  Tender young seedlings need protection and proper nourishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  It is up to the gardener to give them just enough light, just enough water. If properly cared for, a seedling will grow strong, with a thick and healthy stem, that can withstand the storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  When a tomato seed germinates, it is at its most tender stage. Exposed to direct sunlight, it will wither. Given too much water, it can drown. Dense soil, the roots can\u2019t grow properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  The gardener knows that eventually, the tomato plant has to move outside into the elements. It is their job to prepare the seedling. But too much too soon will damage it. Too little too late will weaken it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  The greenhouse provides light and warmth for the growing plant. A shelter from the storms, a place to be fed and nurtured and prepared for what comes next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   As the seedling grows, it is exposed to more. But the gardener decides when and how much. They tend their plants carefully, fertilizing them, trimming them, watering them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good gardener will slowly expose their plant to wind, by opening a window or two inside the greenhouse. A little wind helps strengthen the plant\u2019s stem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  When the seedling grows larger, the gardener starts to prepare it for the move outside. A little at a time, the gardener will set the plant outside into the direct sunlight. Just for an hour or so. This step is repeated every day, and the time spent outside is lengthened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Eventually, the seedling is strong enough to last an entire day and night outside. It\u2019s then ready to move out into the garden. It was given everything needed to prepare it for this move. It was fed, grown safely away from bugs and pests, strengthened, and is now ready to take on the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children are the Seedlings, My Home is the Greenhouse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

  My home is like the greenhouse, and my children like the seedlings. I am the gardener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am the one who is responsible for preparing them for the outside world. To raise them to be strong, capable, well nourished, Godly men and women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Too much exposure to the world too soon will damage them. But too little too late will weaken them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the greenhouse to balance and control the environment, the seedlings will flourish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  I am the gardener. I control the greenhouse. As the gardener, I keep out the pests, I pick the fertilizer, I open the window, I determine the strength and ability of the seedlings and what they\u2019re ready for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Children are the seedlings. Their hearts are tender and innocent. They aren\u2019t ready for the harsh elements of the outside world. They need time in the greenhouse to be nourished, to develop deep and mature roots, and a firm and steady stem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  So no, I\u2019m not raising my children in a bubble. It\u2019s a greenhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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