Generational Vision and Distractibility

Dad called me the other day and encouraged me to remember that what I am doing at home will affect generations.  At Christmas this year, my Aunt Francie sat with 30 people...all her children and grandchildren.  It hit me powerfully.  My Grandmother birthed Francie, and Francie's influence extends through her 8 children to 30 people!!

So today I was really aggravated at having to remind my 7 year old daughter to check her paper AGAIN.  She has a terrible time to remember these simple things:

1. Eat
2.  Take dishes to the dishwasher.  Only 2 at a time
3.  Wash hands and face
4.  Put lotion on face.

I had been reminding her so much I was going insane!  Then a friend of mine with ADHD (who was a brilliant speaker to the junior high and the youth conference) explained to me that she and her daughter both totally depend on lists for things like morning routines and going out the door routines. She explained to me that its SO hard when you are easily distractible.  So my take away was that my daughter needs this and might need it her whole life.

But I was SO ANNOYED to have to remind her AGAIN to do her paper.  So then I thought, this child is ONE child, but she represents potentially 30 to 100 people inside of her.  How I treat her will affect how she raises them and how they raise their own children.  And it helped.  I calmed down because the consequence of affecting that many people negatively was so much greater seen in that way.

I'm reading Shakespeare with my first grader

Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit. A simplified version of the original...with Abigail...Comedy of Errors

The Big Mistake I made teaching First Grade

Last weekend Amy visited with her three kids for a few days...we had a 1,2,3,4,5 and 7 year old between the two of us. With all that distraction, a heart to heart is usually hurried. But over the course of a leisurely weekend, we enjoyed getting through not one but a few conversations.

As I listened to her share about her homeschooling and as she answered my questions...a new vision for my homeschooling came into view--one that would allow for me to be more connected to my kids and to my friends.

I realized that I covered probably two years worth with the intensity of my curriculum for Abigail's first grade. The cost was high. I ended up feeling like I had been cut off from a social life and she did, too. The little ones suffered from lack of attention and a mom who was trying to do too much. It wasn't my intention; I just followed the plan outlined in my book. 

Amy helped me see that schools are trying to account for every variation of child, and I don't have to--I don't have to follow the plan. I also realized that I had doubled up alot of my skills, removed the personal element, and done work ahead of time that we could do together. Since my revelation, Abi has had a half day of "official" school; but in our free time, she spontaneously learned to string and sew beads on her purse and make a working weather vane. I am more relaxed and enjoying my freedom...to call my friends and family and connect. AHHHHH... She really was an answer to my prayer.