...Children don't need, don't want, and couldn't stand six hours of teaching a day, even if parents wanted to do that much. To help them find out about the world doesn't take that much adult input. Most of what they need, parents have been giving them since they were born. ..They need access. They need a chance, sometimes, for honest, serious, unhurried talk; or sometimes for joking, play, and foolishness; or much of the time, to share your life, or at least, not to feel shut out of it, in short, to go some of the places you go, see and do some of the things that interest you, get to know some of your friends, find out what you did when you were little and before they were born. They need to have their questions answered, or at least heard and attended to--if you don't know, say "I don't know." They need to know more and more adults whose main work in life is not taking care of kids. They need some friends their own age, but not dozens of them; two or three, at most... Perhaps above all, they need a lot of privacy, solitude, calm times when there's nothing to do.
Schools rarely provide any of these, and even if radically changed, never could provide most of them. But the average parent, family, circle of friends, neighborhood, and community can and do provide all of these things....
I was really struck by this portion of the book. How true that kids really need access to our lives as their parents. How wonderful if we can share that with them. To answer their questions or at least attempt to. For won't this show them to never stop learning and asking. To always strive for knowledge in those around them; whom they trust. I know it's tough for us homeschool, stay at home moms sometimes. We are always with our children and often find ourselves needing reasons to leave them at home so we can have "our" time. But somehow wouldn't it be grand to change hats from teacher and caretaker, become friend and show them God's world outside of our home instead of leaving them behind because "we" need it. For our time with our children really is fleeting. Soon they will fly away and we'll long for all those opportunities we had when they were home. Let's not forget that! |
