I'm reading!!!

Homeschooling is like a roller coaster ride for me. There are some days that I think it might make me crazy. And then there are days that make it totally worth it, like today...when Seth totally clicked with the reading thing. He'd been doing great with letters - names and sounds, but the concept of blending them together just hadn't connected. That was a few months back. So I just left it drop, and kept on working on the individual sounds. Today we went back to blending them together, and he got it immediately. It was the coolest thing when, after reading about 6 words Seth exclaimed "Hey wait a minute! I'm reading?? I'm reading!!" Seeing his face light up far outweighed all the moments when I think "My life would be so much easier right now if all my kids were at school for 7 hours every day!!" (And believe me, I regularly have those moments!)



I am loving learning to know my kids, the way they think & work, and figuring out (with help, of course) what is best for them, creative ways to help them, etc. I don't always enjoy the negative, or not-so-fun aspects, but even when they have major problems or issues we have to work through, I am so very thankful for the opportunity and relationship to be able to walk them through things. I am learning myself, and therefore trying to instill in them, that it is not a grade that matters, but rather the importance of and love for true learning. I'm endeavoring to teach them to be open to people and ideas, and to learn to weigh things for themselves - to seek out God and His Word to find things out and make decisions based on that.

I know I've said before that I am definitely not a 'militant' homeschooler; I will be the first to agree that it is not for everyone. But more and more I am gaining confidence that it is the right thing for us. I am seeing and valuing the opportunities it affords me. I hope to never fit the 'stereotypes', :o) but I'm learning to get past opposing opinions as I grow in the confidence that God has chosen Todd & I to parent these precious gifts he's given us, and He will give us the ability to make good decisions in raising them as long as we seek His guidance ourselves. (There was a time I was completely opposed to homeschooling - I was sure I could not do it! "Pray about it ? Why? I've already decided a 'no' on that one...") I'm also learning that their spiritual health and well-being, and raising them to walk with God, is more important to me than having a full social schedule and lots of friends (though they actually do have both). I think I'm learning to trust God more to take care of all the "what if's?"... it's a nice feeling when I actually stop obsessing, fighting with myself, arguing/questioning God and just rest in Him.

(Wow, all that to say that Seth learned to read! Guess I got a little long-winded, huh??)