Recently Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker had an opportunity to sit down and converse with Todd Wilson of Family Man Ministries. We wanted to extend the conversation a little further, so we spent some additional time interviewing Todd. Enjoy reading a little about Todd and the project he is presently working on.
When did you start homeschooling?
We’ve been homeschooling from the beginning. Our oldest is 25...so you do the math. We’re still homeschooling our four youngest, and the youngest is 10, so we’ll be at it for the rest of our lives.
What motivated you to start Family Man Ministries?
For as long as I’ve been a dad, I’ve seen the need to remind dads of what matters most because we get easily sidetracked. When we started homeschooling, I noticed that homeschool moms need the same reminder.
You have a podcast, write books, speak across the country, and do a host of other activities. What part of your ministry do you enjoy the most?
I like encouraging parents. I never set out to be a speaker or writer or even a podcaster. I just like cheering on dads and moms. Of course, I like the perk of traveling the country with my family in our big RV, but at other times I like being home and just doing life with them.
You’ve written many books, but one of the first things you published was a book of cartoons. When did you first start cartooning? Do you still create cartoons?
My first book was Help! I’m Married to a Homeschooling Mom. It was written for dads, and I thought a few cartoons would help the dads through it. Little did I know, all they would read was the cartoons, so I decided to fill a whole book with them. After four volumes, we piled them all together along with some new ones into one big volume—The Official Book of Homeschooling Cartoons. It takes a lot of work to make a cartoon book, so I think we’ve got enough books, but maybe I’ll do a few more as our kids age, looking at things through the eyes of a homeschooling grandparent.
What has been your experience with your children using IEW in your homeschool?
I think we’ve used IEW with most of our kids. It has been a great program, and my wife has loved using it. Of course not all of my children write the same, but my oldest daughter has written several books (that you can find on our website), and IEW has played a big part in fanning her ability.
How many children and grandchildren do you and your wife have, and how old are they?
We have eight children, one grandchild, and one on the way. Our kids are 25, 23, 21, 19, 17, 14, 12, and 10 years old.
What do you see as the most pressing concern for homeschooling parents in today’s culture?
I’m afraid that the academic pressure felt by today’s homeschoolers is so much greater than it has ever been. It’s stealing our joy and heaping up our guilt. The pressure isn’t just from outside groups—it’s from homeschoolers and homeschooling groups. We started this journey because we thought it was going to be fun, but we quit smiling along the way.
If you could give one piece of advice to homeschooling parents, what would that be?
I would remind them of four truths:
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Home is the best place for your children.
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Parents are the best teachers of THEIR children.
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Every child is a masterpiece.
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The relationship with your child is the most important part of homeschooling.
Are you working on any special projects right now? If so, can you give us a hint about them?
Yes, we’re super excited about our newest project, The Smiling Homeschooler. What we’re doing is creating a community of homeschooling moms who can smile and relax. We’re fighting the idea that we have to follow someone else’s idea for homeschooling our children, and we’re hoping to make homeschooling moms AND their children smile again. We’re offering a weekly e-newsletter, a weekly podcast, and a great new and REAL homeschooling group over at Facebook. We’re going to change the way we homeschool. No longer are we going to blindly follow what experts might say. We’re going to encourage parents who know their children better than anyone to listen to God and homeschool the way they see best. I’m super excited about it! You can check out all the excitement at www.thesmilinghomeschooler.com and on Facebook.
Be sure to check out Todd’s new website. After all, we can all use a smile and some time to relax!
