Way back in May, my husband and I went to the state homeschool convention.  As it happened, we entered the exhibition hall in the back instead of the front.  And the first thing we saw was a booth with a man representing a robot-building competition. 

What?!  There I was, in a room just full of homeschool books and toys.  And I was frozen at the first booth because my husband just wouldn't move!  Now I have nothing against robot-building or any resulting competitions. It's just that it felt as if I had been offered chocolate, then was told I had to listen to a lesson on nutrition before I could get it. 

Make no mistake, I wanted to physically pull him along.  I could visualize myself just putting my back into it, as you would in a tug-of-war, grunting all the way.  But I squelched my selfishness  and stood there with the man who graceously brought me to the event.

In the end, we walked away with literature and a determination on my husband's part to look into it.  While this activity is largely participated in by public schools, homeschools are welcome. 

A week ago Saturday, we traveled to the kick-off.  We were told the rules and picked up the robot kit.  Although "kit" is a rather loose way of referring to it.  When I say "kit," you might think of something you might get in a box at Radio Shack.  Oh, no.  It's not as sophicated as that.    The kids will really have to learn about this stuff to put their robot together. 

Now you might think the kids would be interested in this.  Sam used to love to watch robot battles on TV when those types of shows were popular.  And Matt loves the idea of robots so much that he takes empty food boxes and joins them to build pretend robots.  Yet the whole concept of this project is being met rather coldly by both of them. 

Maybe it's Sam's age.  He's 13.  Maybe he is just inclined to be resistant right now.  As for 10 year old Matt, he lost interest when we told him that he would not be allowed to put weaponry on the robot.  It's not a fighting robot.  The robot will have the task to pick up and deliver to a reception place a number of boxes and bottles.  These boxes and bottles have point values.  The robot which gets the most points wins.

For us, the whole point (tee-hee) is that the boys will have a project to work on with their Papa.  It doesn't matter that they are not interested in this.  They all need this male-bonding.

There already has been some gnashing of teeth over resistance.  Joe thinks they are dragging their feet in working on the project notebook they are required to keep.  Joe said it simple--they should do it or we'll resign.  Well I am determined to not let them quit!

Well it's not that simple.  Joe thinks if he tells them how to do it, they should then just go do it.  Keep in mind, he is trained as a scientist and keeps a project notebook as part of his own research.  I told him this morning that he is expecting too much.  I said it was as if he would tell Sam, "Okay, you have been watching me drive all these years.  Here's the keys.  Go to the store." 

The kids have to be taught.  I have not really stressed composition until this year.  They both (to some degree) have communication disorders.  I have been waiting until they matured a bit, and I have been taking it slowly.

Okay.  So I worked with them yesterday on this.  I asked, "What happened first?"  They wrote that down.  Then we discussed what happened next.  That was added to the paper.  And we discussed the next thing.  After I got them going, I told them to keep working on it.  Then Joe came in and read what they had.  On the whole, he was pleased with their start.  He told them it was good, but could be better.  He told them to keep working on it.

I just found out that instead of improving on what they had, Sam destroyed it.  He felt offended that Joe didn't think their efforts were excellent.  Sam said he figured what Joe had said was that it was not good enough, and therefore Sam thought that it should be totally erased.  This kid needs attitude adjustment.

Do you ever think that God puts hints in front of your face?  I have been thinking about what I heard on Tuesday.  Some ladies and I were talking, while we waited for our kids to be excused from PE.  We were discussing things kids should be forced to do whether they want to or not, for their own good (as our mothers used to say.)  It's a character issue.  We discussed, as an example, having to take piano lessons.  Whether or not a person ever plays piano again once they become an adult, they are likely to (grudingly) admit the lessons had been a good experience.  People have to unselfishly learn to do things whether they like them or not.  Sometimes a person doesn't want to work for a living.  But they have to, to support a family.  Sometimes we don't want to have to take care of a sick person.  But the sick person is family, and that's what you do. 

Sometimes you don't want to participate in a robot competition.  But you do, because it's something you and your Papa can learn about together. 

My role in this is clear.  I am the glue.  With God's help, I will hold them together.