A very practical thing to be thankful for here on the farm...firewood. It is absolutely FREEZING tonight, and I'm so thankful for all the hard work that went into splitting and stacking our "heat" last summer. While I don't have any kiddos that love this particular summer chore, we are all very glad now.
"...that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." 1Timothy 2:2
There is a certain desperate chaos lurking around every farmhouse corner but my heart is for the beauty of that quiet and peaceable life. I am amazed at how quickly the month of December filled up with all manner of nothingness, but I'm feeling the distinct pull of being purposeful and deliberate with our life.
One of my friends has asked me about schooling the littles, and I just don't push them with heavy preschool/kindergarten curriculum. I can tell them that policemen are our friends...that God has ordained them for our protection...and that pretty much sums up social studies, right? I'm being a bit facetious, but it really doesn't require sitting on a rug in a circle, or at a desk. It's just talking along the way...it's looking for meaningful opportunities such as copying a scripture verse. I dot the letters, my five year old traces over them. She wants to practice her letters. Both she and her four year old sister ask for schoolwork, so we spend time
"with our school" but there's no pressure to push through a curriculum. We're working on learning our letter sounds, and after having the experience of teaching five children to read (all at different ages) I know she'll learn at the pace that God designed for her. No stress for her, no stress for me.
Which brings me back to living that quiet and peaceable life. Every mother wonders how we went from this twirling duo, (who knew they'd be doing this same thing down the center of the barn twelve years later???)...
...to this. Life is exciting, busy and our world is getting much larger. So when I feel the rising pressure, I have to reground myself in what is really important...that knowing Jesus as Lord is the most necessary accomplishment in life, that living a quiet and peaceable life centered on Christ is essential, and that the education of our children must not only reflect this, but all too soon, the "growing season" is coming to completion. So we master academics but lose their soul...will our years have been well spent?
Today I got overly frustrated (nicely put) when one middle child had an attitude about area and perimeter. I missed my moment of the gentle art of learning. Instead I traded that for apologies and hugs a bit later, and the truth is, next year at this time we will have mastered it and moved way beyond. It just wasn't worth it.
A rather long-winded answer to the question, but this little face gives me hope to repair my mistakes quickly and try to stay focused on the present joys of loving all my kiddos, delighting in our lifestyle of learning, and striving to live that quiet and peaceable life.
14 comments:
Oh, thanks for this post! And that picture of Josh and Jenna is precious! I love it!
*sigh* I could just feel the peace in this post. Thank you for sharing your heart. This mama understands.
I couldn't have said it better.
Thanks for sharing!
Paul
Oh Kathy~
You put my thoughts to words so beautifully. You are doing a fantastic job!
Relax and have a holly jolly time before Christmas is over.
You are in my thoughts and prayers!
Oh, dearest Kathy,
I think you've got it. You are not the perfect mama (none of us are)but you get it. If we keep our eyes upon Jesus, then quite rightly, the things of earth will look strangely dim. I pray for that kind of failing eyesight!
THANK YOU! I needed this today...this week. :) My heart longs for quiet and peace, my life is bringing little of that to me these days, I'm afraid. Finding the path to get me there has become a matter of fervent prayer for this mama.
Merry Christmas!
Valerie
Oh Kathy...what joy to know that you are allowing the flow of learning to just be.
Here in the cottage, I homeschool my two teenage boys. I don't do lessons per say, instead, I just guide them or nudge them in the right areas...and they pretty much do the rest.
Their love for learning is what I am after, not creating a hollow person filled with book learning but no soul!
Be blessed dear one,
M.
Charlotee Mason could not have stated all of this any better herself. What a lovely post. Thank you for sharing this today. I needed this encouragment as I have felt myself pushing my children to get "just a few more days of school in" before the end of the year. Its really not about them, me or curriculum...its simply less of us and more of HIM.
Oh my goodness...your philosophy for learning/homeschooling is so much like mine. Makes me 'homesick' to be teaching ... but we graduated our 'baby' baby in '09 after 16 total years of homeschooling our girls.
I'm also 'with you' in learning to put the older ones in the Lord's hands, anew, every day. :-/ Our 22yr old DD just moved into her 1st apt...I miss that face! They just grew up so very, very fast. I don't think our grown children realize that parents suffer from growing pains, too. Only our pains are from our hearts...hearts that are torn between being happy for their new stage of life & broken b/c we have all those wonderful memories of them at home w/fuzzy morning hair, sleepily eating breakfast while doing their morning devotions, noise, laughter, kissing boo-boos & watching them grow.
What treasured memories.
Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><
Kathy,
You couldn't have put that post any better - what beautiful wisdom. I would much rather have my children's hearts than all the book learning in the world. Their eternal life is so much more important in the big picture.
Many blessings,
Michelle
What a wonderful post, and so true! I make mistakes daily. I'm so glad that Jesus (and my children) forgive me :-) I so agree with the "teaching little ones" part of this post too. I think you're social studies lesson is great ;-)
Blessings,
Marcia
Thank you for taking time to write about this - it is always nice for me to be able to glean wisdom from a more experienced home schooling mother.
Love the picture of your twins - they sure do look alike there!
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas celebration with your family
God bless you
Renata:)
I just found your blog tonight. God must have showed me the way. I needed it and this post. I homeschool 5; my oldest who are identical twins have severe special needs making my next in line, my 6yr old technically the "oldest" cognitively. I have five under ten. two will live with me always and i have been, as you put it, missing the mark. We just moved from town to a 1 acre lot/house and added animals so my kids can have a bit of a farm experience, but I fear their mother has been chronically grouchy (nicely put) lately. Thank you for this post. For this reminder they are only little once. and what the mark we are striving for really is. God Bless.
Thank you Thank you!With Little Man going to school for the first two years. This is where he learned to read as well as home. Sunshine is still having trouble reading. Im going to sit back a enjoy this time with her. This post came at a wonderful time for me. Blessings!
Post a Comment