and i'm starting to feel like i need to switch things up in school to keep it exciting.
it is far too early to be having that feeling!!
anyways...we did math on a dry erase board...somehow, a dry erase board can make anything fun!
i even quizzed them on the presidents, and just had them write their answers on the board.
they loved it.
even though it is a little tricky with a lefty!
for riley, we broke out the play money and did our math with that.
hopefully i can get rid of this feeling and just get into the swing of school.
as i have been thinking about school, and what my kids are learning, and in talking to my amazing sister
i have been re-evaluating my goals and purpose in parenting and in schooling.
while some mothers are shoveling information into their kids minds...
like latin, among other things
i am not taking that approach.
not that i am not putting information into my kids minds, obviously that is what the point of school is.
learning.
but doesn't it always go back to everyone's purpose?
to bring glory to God?
so i need to be thinking, how can i best equip my boys to bring glory to God in their lives.
while latin is nice and all, i don't think that practically speaking, when aj and ry are out on the soccer field...
latin is what is going to be coming in handy.
you know what will?
a little something like respecting them that have the rule over you
or, think of others as better than yourself
or discipline your body like an athlete training it to do what it should
what i love about the Bible (in case you didn't know...i love the Bible :)) is that is so real and practical.
it is not a book full of rules or stories that drag you down.
it does the exact opposite. it gives help, it gives hope and it gives life!
it is also so easy that even a 9-year-old can understand it.
and here's proof.
i was using aj's Bible tonight in church, and i opened up to this..
literally brought tears to my eyes
he is reading his Bible, and underlining what he needs to remember!!
he understands that he should live like timothy,
and that listening to christian music will affect him in a good way.
that is so what i want.
and i literally felt like God had purposefully made me forget my Bible so i could see aj's!!
all the time that i can get discouraged and feel like i'm not doing a good job homeschooling, and then i get a reminder like this.
this is what i want.
i pray over my boys every single night after they are asleep.
i pray for their purity
i pray that they will never doubt God's love for them
i pray that they will be unselfish
i pray for their future wives, that they will stay pure
i pray that they will have discernment
this reminded me that God's Word is what will do God's work.
NOT me! although i am so grateful that God is allowing me to raise these little boys to become young men of character.
aj and riley are getting it.
they are understanding what it is all about..
hmmm....i wonder what the latin root of understanding is :)
Awesome, Shell! Great reminder of what is TRULY important in our quest to be parents with Godly kids! I am so proud of AJ -- you and Ad are doing a great job! :)
ReplyDeletelove you!
wow...awesome post. what an amazing and godly mother and teacher you are. i have so much to learn from you! i loved those pictures of the boys. can never see too many pictures of them. how precious is aj's bible!!! brought tears to my eyes too. i love him so much. what a sweet and godly boy he is. keep up the good work in all youre doing. love you!
ReplyDeleteyou're the best. love your boys.
ReplyDeletesuch a wonderful Mom you are!! Your boys are blessed to have you. Love this post, as usual!!!
ReplyDeletePS: doing Latin next year, though...but I DO agree with your main points about what's important in homeschooling as believers!!! ;)
Dear sister in Christ, serioulsy, that made tears come to my own eyes...These moments are gifts from the Lord, to keep sowing those seeds and we do get little glimpses of that fruit of our labor...
ReplyDeleteLOVE it!
ReplyDeleteAs my husband and I have homeschooled for 20+ years, our goal has been that our children would grow up to love and serve the Lord. That's it. We don't have amazing career goals in mind (although we know they will have amazing careers). We don't focus on "going to college", although we know that some will choose to further their education at the university. We don't focus on all of the "extras", like Latin.
No. We focus on ...
1. Loving and Serving God
2. Reading
3. Writing
4. Math
5. History
We encourage our children to pursue their dreams and passions, as we are confident that those dreams and passions have been placed on their hearts by God.
We encourage our children to "go into the world" and see where the Lord might lead them to minister. And ... our 3 older daughters have already ministered in Haiti, Senegal, The Gambia, India, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Bangladesh, Germany, Czech Republic. We are in AWE of the places that the Lord has lead them. We did NOT raise them up to be missionaries (that was NOT our focus), but we had them read many biographies of ordinary people doing extraordinary things for the Lord (part of History class), and we encouraged them to seek the Lord for where He might want them to go, what He might want them to do.
Our 3 older sons have not chosen the missionary route (besides 1 son that spent 1 year ministering in Ammon, Jordan). But, they too have followed the Lord's leading. The eldest son served our country in the army for 4 years, and is now in retail management. Our 2nd son will graduate from the university in March, and then go straight to Officer Training School for the Navy. And, our 3rd son is a Jr. at the University, studying to be a high school English teacher. None of these are paths that we would have imagined for each of these sons. However, we encouraged them to seek the Lord for His will, and this is where He has lead them.
We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our 3 younger sons and 3 younger daughters.
Keep up the good work! I hope this has been an encouragement to you.
:) :) :)