Tuesday 15 January 2008 - I Knew He Was a Smart Kid
I'm guessing that most of my faithful readers (all 2 or 3 of you) do not make it a habit to regularly check my sidebar descriptions for changes and updates. There isn't often a need to do so, and you'd likely have to be little on the bored side if you did it more than once in a great while. So I am thinking that noone has actually noticed that Biz' sidebar description has changed twice in the last month. (And if you're wondering who "Biz" is, well, for heaven's sake, haven't you EVER read the sidebar?)
A few weeks ago, I finally, reluctantly made the change I had been putting off in hopes that it would not be necessary after all. Biz had announced in November that he'd decided to leave his college at semester's end and "take some time off" to look into other schools, and maybe travel a bit in the meantime. We were not too happy about this for many reasons, as you can imagine-- throwing away $11,000/yr in scholarships, non-transferable classes, too much idle time, and especially the possibility of simply not going back to college anywhere. But as any parent of a 20-yr-old knows, you can give your opinion, and there is not that much you can do beyond that besides pray. We did pray, and asked him if he had prayed, and expressed confidence (that we didn't really feel!) in his ability to make good decisions for his life. And acknowledged to ourselves that perhaps we really didn't know best, and nevertheless hoped he'd change his mind.
But sure enough, at the end of the semester, he turned in his laptop and dorm key and said sayonara to school. And shortly thereafter, I sadly resigned myself to the task of changing his sidebar description from "college jr at a nearby christian university" to "college student taking a semester off". And I hoped that's all it would be.
On January 7, when his former classmates were back in class for the 2-week "J-Term", he wasn't. So that was that… except that it wasn’t. Because he was thinking. Had apparently been thinking for quite some time. And later that day, after returning from taking Fuzz over to my mom's, he told Huz he had decided to return to his college for second semester.
I am pretty sure that if we had been continually trying to tell him what to do, he would not have been free to do that thinking. So hooray!!! We let him go, and he came on his own to the decision that we wished he would make. (Well, "on his own" with help from the Lord, I'm sure!) I knew he had a good head on his shoulders!
I do not know all the factors that brought about his change of heart. He had been with some college friends that weekend, and perhaps that helped. But from what Huz says (I was in PA at the time), the clincher was a casual little chat with my mom that morning. She and my Dad had been praying as well, but did not think they would get a chance to influence him. Then lo and behold, he showed up unexpectedly on their doorstep to deliver his little sister, and stuck around for a few minutes to chat with Grandma. She told me later that after he left, she thought to herself, "Oh, I talked too much." But whatever it was that she said, it must have been just the right thing, because a few hours later, my husband called her up saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
God can be really cool sometimes.
So Biz is going back to school, but not back to the dorms; he moved into a house with two buddies that same day. We had known that was coming since August. I'm OK with it; not thrilled, but OK. It is a whole lot different from officially residing here but being in the dorms when school is in session. It does seem odd that he has officially "moved out", but he had pretty much conditioned us for that by rarely being here even when he was "home" on break. I think he had already mentally moved out, and we had begun mentally moving him out as well. At Christmas time it already seemed more like he was "visiting" than "being home". That seems sad, but on the other hand, that is the way life goes; kids grow up and leave home, and that is a good thing. As long as I don't think too hard about it, it actually isn't as huge and emotional a transition as I had thought it would be. (Or so I say now, but maybe I am in denial.)
But where did he spend his first Sunday as a non-resident of our household? At our house for dinner, of course. He came by "to get the rest of my stuff" but stayed for the afternoon. And, kindhearted boy that he is, he didn't take everything. He left some of his dirty laundry by the washer for us to remember him by. On purpose, I think.
Anyway, it was my happy privilege that night to change his description back to "college jr at nearby Christian university". And even though you probably hadn't even noticed either change, I just had to tell you about it anyway. |
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This is a sidebar. It is full of all sorts of fascinating stuff... bloggy stuff, family stuff, homeschooly stuff... It's almost (but not quite) as interesting as the blog. So read it.
About This Blog
My posts may be funny or thoughtful or boring;
they might have you laughing or thinking or snoring.
But this blog is worth reading and never ignoring.
You'll find yourself loving it, never abhorring.
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"Hubz" (48): Self-employed entrepreneur who works from his shop next to our house. Has I-don't-know-HOW-many businesses simmering on one burner or another. Tho' a talented woodworker, he currently works mostly with plastics, designing & building displays. Enjoys building creative furniture for the kids when time & energy allow. Hobby consists of taking kids on dates; eats & sleeps in his spare time.
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And the kidz...
"Biz" (Son 22):
Recent college grad, living with friends. Deciding whether to teach English abroad in the fall or buy a house. Enjoys reading, writing, computer & video games, music, hanging with friends, travelling. Occasionally stops by the house for a good meal. :-).
*Homeschooled thru 6th grade, plus 8th grade.*
"Cheez" (Daughter 18+):
Recent high-school grad, working full-time this summer. Hopes to eventually write and travel, perhaps at the same time. Enjoys reading, writing, superfluous vocabulary, and the piano. Definitely her own person.
*Homeschooled thru 8th grade.*
"Spaz" (Son 13++):
Highly sociable, sensitive, makes friends with anyone. Struggles with ADH issues, but charming & loved by many! Plays rocket football in the fall and watches pro & college ball all winter. Loves to read, learn, make up his own arrangements on piano, tease his sister, make interesting things out of Legos, and :P play video/computer games.
*Has always home-schooled.*
"Fuzz" (Daughter 10++):
Artistic, musical, highly creative. Sweet, sensitive, very "on top of things", routine-oriented, stubborn. Great policeman & back-seat driver! Loves piano, reading, drawing, making stuff, creative playing, and anything "Little House". Asks great questions & makes great observations.
*Has always home-schooled.*
Cheez, Fuzz, Spaz, & Huz (2006)
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Over 16 years of homeschooling, I've evolved to a less formal, Charlotte Mason-ish eclectic approach with a more-or-less classical bent. (Isn't that clear as mud?) My goal is to �light the fires� of learning and creativity in my kids. I emphasize history & literature because we enjoy them, and I incorporate informal language arts into much of what we do.
Er, yeah. That's how it's SUPPOSED to go. The reality of it is...
After 16 years of homeschooling, I have yet to really figure out how to do it. So we muddle along, overemphasizing history and almost sort of neglecting science, and I spend way too much time making plans that we don't stick to anyway. We read a lot, and we like words, and we don't manage our time very well, and sometimes I yell.
And here's how quizilla sees it:
Mr. Potato Head:
"You have your ideal of how things should look, but you're flexible enough to allow for change. You are not bothered by changing methods, mid-course if necessary. You use an eclectic combination of curriculum sources."
Um, yeah, that works, for the most part.
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Posted by 
That's great he decided to go back to school! Yay- I'm sure all of you played a part in that decision.
*sniff* I don't want my babies to grow up! I'm going to be a mess when they do!
Love, Alyssa