• Sep. 16, 2007 - Some random thoughts
Ok, I'm sure that we are no exception---most of us who choose to embark on this homeschooling adventure do so with the hope and plan for our children to not only become rounded academically but also to become men and women of character and selflessness. I am constantly struck as to how some of the older homeschooled kids I see are so selfless and giving of their time and energy to others. I don't know about you, but I am a very very self-centered person. I struggle to die to self constantly. Well, one of my dear friends also has a husband gone in Iraq for one year and she has two teenage girls that come and help her from time to time and they will stay 2-3 weeks on end. These girls are amazing. They work so hard and they have great attitudes about working. They make meals for the kids, play with them, clean and even help with some of the teaching while Kim gets a few things done here and there. These kids are 13 and 15. Well, I was around them yesterday and had a thought--when *I* was that age all was so silly and selfish. All I cared about was being pretty and finding a boyfriend and being popular. I would have been willing to help someone for a time.....but my attitude would have suffered greatly and I would have become sully and irritable after a short length of time. I was a ROTTEN babysitter when I was a kid because all I cared about was talking on the phone and watching TV. :(
So Kim and I were talking about this yesterday--what it was like to be the product of a "me" generation and how much that has affected and poisoned our mindsets as adults. We talked about things that we could do to make the trend stop HERE and NOW. More than ever, I'm encouraged in homeschooling and keeping my babies out of the influence of selfish, silly kids. I mean, their mother is selfish and silly enough......:( By the grace of God, and in spite of myself and my own upbringing, God is working through my past experiences and my prayer is that He helps me to train up these ladies I have been trusted with to be ladies that honor Him above all else......above rubies, I should say. I often wonder how we have been so very very blessed to be given these 4 daughters to raise....it's humbling, really.
So, to conclude my rambling spaghetti thoughts......We aren't bound to the way we were raised or to our pasts and how they shaped us. God can still use these things to make us into the women (and men) he wants us to be as well as help us to train our children to be people that will honor Him. I feel like I've been given a new lease on life.
Blessings today, everyone |
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• Sep. 20, 2007 - Untitled Comment
I think homeschooling teaches unselfishness, because it requires flexibility and cooperation. Sometimes school has to be postponed because someone is sick, or maybe a child doesn't get as much time with mom because she has to spend extra time with another child teaching them a difficult subject. Many homeschool families live on tight budgets, so their children don't get everything they want. By living in the reality of everyday life, our children learn that the world doesn't revolve around them.