Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Learning to Appreciate the Differences

As a mother, a homeschooling mother, I realize the ups and downs, pros and cons of this awesome task I have embarked on. To be the main educator/facilitator for my children. To be responsible basically for what, when, where, and how they learn. With that stated, it is not surprising that I am ofttimes hard on myself and always feel the need to do more, especially with my son. He is the third child, a boy, and just a unique individual so different in every way. I sometimes feel guilty that I didn't read him 50+ books a day (like with his sisters), live in museums (like with his sisters), take neighborhood walks almost daily to do our lessons (tally charts, bar graphs, probability, etc etc (like with his sisters), and the list can go on and on.
Though his education has been different he still has learned to read and is an avid reader. He enjoys visiting museums and still compares them even though he has not seen all the exhibits (several times), he still knows how to do all those math concepts (though I do not think it is as embedded just yet). Long story short he is not behind and probably a little "advanced" in most areas. And he has had meaningful experiences that I wish they had.
At his age I wish the girls were able to educate me on:
The Boy's first hive. This is is from a small swarm that he caught himself.
  • bees (a great deal about them, including catching a swarm and monitoring a hive). The girls still can't do this.
  • chickens (he mastered this before the age of 5, although we have not had any major difficulties. Praise God.)
  • healthy eating... Although he doesn't love veggies. He can tell you a great deal about them. The other day he realized it is the broody chicken whose eggshells are not thick anymore like the others and told me he thinks she needs more protein. lol! I do not necessarily agree with the specific diagnosis but he clearly knows that her diet is the cause of her issue. And went about trying to rectify the problem. Or when I went to a new grocery store and he said, "I hope they at least sell pesticide-free fruit."
The Boy and I harvested this from our yard.

I could go on and on with great stories about him and his skill set but,  this post is also very much about me. Their journeys are different and speak to where I was and am in my personal development. I am overjoyed to say that one is not better than the other, tho I do wonder at times. And it takes great moments like the one I had today, to help me appreciate where we are in our collective journey.
As I was in the kitchen hurriedly preparing dinner with food from our yard that he and I harvested together the previous day, while he talked nonstop, I peered out the window to find my son, third child, collecting eggs and tallying what he collected on the chalkboard. My heart melted with joy. For me it was reassurance that I apparently needed.

I pray the good times continue.

4 comments:

  1. Your children are treasures. I believe you're doing an inspirational job, and as they become adults, you'll see the evidence made more clear.

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    1. Stef, do you recall when Nasir was an INFANT and you gave me some eggs at Cordinces Park and told me you think I should get chickens AND I looked at you like you had lost your mind? Thanks for planting the seed.

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  2. The picture of Nasir tallying on the chalkboard is priceless! He caught a swarm of bees!? OMG!

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    1. If you would have seen him on the day he caught the swarm. My God! I wish I was able to video record that. I knew he could do it but the level of maturity, expertise, and lack of fear was... . Once again I am just thankful that I am so blessed.

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