If there was one book that I believe is a "must-have" for homeschoolers (besides the Bible, a dictionary, and an atlas), it would be The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer.  I have read that book cover-to-cover several times, and still refer back to it often.  When I found out that the author was going to be in Cincinnati for a homeschool convention, I decided that I HAD to go listen to her speak.  I had expected to get a lot of good educational information.  I hadn't expected to leave with a renewed enthusiasm for not only homeschooling, but parenting in general! 

My 10 year old has never been openly defiant.  With the exception of some sibling rivalry and the normal sinful human nature, she is, in general, a well behaved child.  Lately, however, we have been experiencing some tension.  She has begun to question EVERYTHING!  "Why do I have to ...(fill in the blank!)"  Now, I tend to have a lot of patience with my two year old - I realize that he is still in the "training phase" of learning his boundaries.  I thought that I was over that with Rachael!  However, after listening to Susan Wise Bauer, she explained that the questioning phase (or logic stage as she calls it) is a normal and positive step.  She explained that before this time, Rachael was accepting what I said as truth without thinking through whether or not it made sense.  The problem with that, is that she was also accepting whatever ANYBODY ELSE said as well.  (Boy, am I glad that Jeff & I have been the ones responsible for her education!)   She said to use this time to teach her to discern truth from fallacy.    I'm sure none of this information is new to "seasoned" moms, but for me, it was a real eye-opener!  What a great time to start a true, inductive Bible study!