Almost eight years ago, when I was expecting my first child; I asked my husband, "What will this baby call me? Mama, Ami, Mom, Ummi?"
His response was immediate, "You will be Ami-Ji," he said, "and I will be Abu-Ji."
I was amused. Kids adding the honorific, Ji? Babies say what’s easy for them, they didn't go about speaking in such polite manners.
Anyhow, I decided to humor him and stuck with it.
My first son did not call me Ami-Ji. He babbled, mama mama and I did not religiously correct him every time like his father did. Whatever was the first thing he spoke was original and endearing to my ears.
Fast forwarding to my choice to homeschool. It met its fair share of criticism and I bent backwards trying to prove everyone that it was the best by throwing myself into grooming and developing my son in whatever way possible. I learnt, unlearnt and relearnt everything I knew and believed about learning. I spent nights after nights organizing and arranging the best Pinterest-perfect activities but even then my insecurity of everyone’s opinion made me unsure if I was doing it right for my son.
Then came the sort of day I used to dread. We had a rather rude guest over who didn’t believe in our choice to homeschool. Determined to show us how much we were depriving our son, he asked our boy, "Don’t you want to go to school like other kids?"
My son paused his play and frowned, "I already go to school."
"Oh really? What is the name of your school?"
“Ami-Ji Homeschool.”
I was shocked.
I went from being Mama to Ami-Ji just for my homeschool!
I stopped answering from that day. My son took that job. Anyone who quizzed and questioned, he responded with sound confidence:
My Ami-Ji homeschools. I want my Ami-Ji’s homeschool. Yes I have many friends and I can make some new ones too without school.
To those who don’t know me, I’m Amna and I’ve longed to blog my homeschooling journey and share what I’ve learnt, unlearnt and created in the five years of my homeschool. I’ll take up the handle of Ami-Ji Homeschools to connect with moms around me, sharing and guiding how I took charge of my kids learning, inshallah.
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