Tag-Archive for » raising children «

Jun

This is a modified repost of a previous popular post here at the Queen Mommys Cafe:

Our girls, Curly & Georgie, are 4 and 2. Curly just graduated from Christian PreK right and loved it. Both girls are social butterflies (big surprise, right?) and both are very bright – when I can get their attention long enough, that is…

I still feel – even after posting this some time ago, that as part of the Mothering experience for me homeschooling could play a real part. And I still laugh. (Yep, call me Sarah.)

Who, ME? God – do you know who you are talking to here? Me? Miss Love it for 3 weeks and then lose it somewhere in the house? Me – miss plant the garden (late) and not reap all the goodies. Me – miss fall in love with a product only to toss it out 6 weeks later.

Me – Miss Love The Thrill of the New Experience, Tolerate It Until Its Gone. Really, Me? Every single semester with Liberty University Online I’ve threatened to quit. Seriously.

So I’ve been investigating, asking questions, reading curriculum reviews, and talking to some homeschool moms. I still have loads of information to share here about homeschooling – and have just put it off because it’s been a tad painful for me. My husband is a big proponent of education – the kind you get at schools and in colleges. And I’m NOT criticizing him – so everybody just calm right down.

Yes, my personality and nature would make homeschooling more work for me. That is very true.

And the days when I find an entire roll of toilet paper stuck in the toilet (Georgie), or oil crayon all over the playroom walls, floors, and even my prized hope chest (Curly) – I want to scream and pull my hair out and give up on the whole interactive motherhood adventure.

The truth is – I couldn’t possibly homeschool without my husband’s blessing or support. And this is not about raising cane to try to coerce that.

I laughed at the first notion of homeschooling BECAUSE I know myself and my tendencies. It’s not a small thing to take your child’s education into your own hands – when it can be so easy to relinquish it to “trained professionals” and just do my part when she’s home. Of course, I want the best education for each of my children, and I have questions about any kind of education for my daughters.

But I do think God challenges me – whatever the outcome – because He wants me to EMBRACE my role as Mother to my children. It is as much about committing to raise them up in a way that honors God as they learn and grow – whether they continue with their Christian education outside the home – or not.

My husband is not the bad guy – it makes him the Husband & Father he is called to be – and my role is to be the Wife & Mother I am called to be – whether my children get their education at home or in school.

And education isn’t just about book learnin’! =)

I feel absolutely – more and more and more every day – that my role in motherhood is even DEEPER than I imagined it to be – and even than I’m sometimes willing to be. I am constantly being challenged to let go of myself more – to let go of my desires and whims – and focus on raising them to love Jesus – whether or not I also teach them how to diagram a sentence or anything else “educational.”

So, while I won’t be homeschooling them next year, I am going to dig into being a better hands-on Mother and Leader and Guide and Trainer – because that’s what God gave them to me for…

Oh – and I WILL be talking more about homeschooling in the near future…

Category: Faith, Family, Home, Life, Parenting Tags: Godlay Motherhood, Godly Womanhood, homeschooling, raising children 3 Comments

Mar

Mommyhood

queenmommy

So I printed some coloring pages over the weekend to play with in between doing homework and running errands. Okay, I didn’t really “RUN” errands – but I am hobbling better every day and moving faster.

It’s amazing to see how much these “bumps” in life affect my kids. I don’t mean to say they shouldn’t be affected by life, it’s just interesting to see how they process these upheavals and changes in life. We’ve seen many twists & turns over the past several weeks, but mommy with a hurt foot, brace or ankle wrap, and crutches – really knocked them off kilter for a few days.

Last Tuesday, since Roy stayed home, he decided to take the girls out for a few hours in the morning. I was quite all right with that, but Curly had a really rough time. She wasn’t listening, she was talking back, and she was piddling around when she should have been getting dressed. I found myself sitting on her bed, literally talking her through putting on each piece of clothing as she argued with me over nothing.

It’s not like her to be quite so argumentative, and in the end, Roy & Georgie actually left without her. So while we were settling in downstairs, and she was crying out her distraught little heart, I got her to stop long enough to ask her why she didn’t get ready sooner.

“Because if I leave I don’t want your foot to bleed again,” she sobbed.

(P.S. – if you’re not a mom – every booboo requires a bandaid, whether bleeding or not, and in my case, she assumed my sprained ankle bled…)

She’s only 4, so she didn’t know how to say that she was WORRIED about leaving me alone.

sigh.

So, we talked for several minutes, and after I put the word “worry” to her feeling and we talked through it, out came the sunshine in my girl and we called Daddy who gladly returned to pick her up.

It was so simple really, and to be honest, if I hadn’t been forced to slow down (literally), I may have missed the clues she was leaving for me. She needed me to help connect her voice to her feelings. She is pretty sharp, and she says things all the time that make me stop in my tracks. But its really important for her to learn those words that describe feelings so she can talk to us about what’s going on inside.

If nothing else good comes of this sprained ankle, that little lesson taught me a lot. It also gave me a boost of confidence in mothering.

She doesn’t need me to do everything for her.

She isn’t helpless. But she absolutely needs guidance and direction and acceptance – whether she’s storming like a hurricane, or shining like the springtime sun… And while the screaming and backtalk needs correction, her heart needs understanding and acceptance.

It’s a fine balance, much like a tightrope some days, but I am grateful for God’s wisdom and clarity in dealing with these Mommyhood moments…