Sunday, August 26, 2007

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like... A New School Year!

YES! A new school year is about to begin. It is one of my favorite times of the year! School starts tomorrow. Tomorrow!!! I know, I know. You all are just as excited as I am. And the boys... their excitement can't be described. They are so thrilled that they have been rendered virtually speechless. Literally. Especially when I told them that we'd be having our annual 'planning meeting' tomorrow morning at 7:30 after they'd had breakfast and made their beds. Oh to see the shocked looks on their faces. It was priceless.

As they digested this news, I could see their wheels start to turn. Soon I was rewarded with their loosely thought out arguments like how could I, a mere schooling-at-home mother, imagine that they needed to get up at such an (and I'm quoting directly mind you) "obscene" hour??? How could I make them actually get up early enough to watch the sun rise? Or better yet, to watch their poor friends, who actually have to go to school every day, get on the bus??? Cruel, aren't I? *rolling eyes* I happened to mention that they normally get up that early on their own, that they know a planning meeting comes at the beginning of every school year, and that in fact our planning meeting had to be productive and reach a conclusion in time to take Matthew to work for the day where he'd be earning money while his friends were in class. Ah, money. Okay, everything is all right with the world once again.

As the day has gone on, I've seen them quietly planning between themselves for the planning meeting. It seems that they've decided what devotions we'll be using (one decision down), they have each chosen an instrument for the year (second problem solved without my even suggesting it as a necessity to a well-rounded education), and they've both decided that my idea of health education (they've seen the Christian sexual education books I've purchased sitting on the table) isn't what they want to hear this year so they are going to loudly protest at that moment in the meeting. I can handle that. I'm not sure I'm ready for them to learn all of that anyway. After all, I didn't learn it quite that early and I came out okay so it must work to wait.

A lot of things work better when you wait. Like tomorrow's meeting for instance. If I'd had this meeting last week without preparing them, they'd have had to make all of these decisions while I watched. They probably would have argued a bit, wanting to make it an authentic meeting and all, and they'd probably have stretched it out until it was time for Laura to wake up from her nap, virtually ending our meeting before it was supposed to end leaving far too many things for another meetings agenda. Instead I told them at breakfast today what was ahead in their week and gave them time to ponder it. Indeed it is good to wait. Tomorrow's meeting has just a few topics left for discussion. Surely we can do that in just a short amount of time.

I think I'm getting smarter at this parenting thing. And I'll keep thinking that. At least until tomorrow mornings meeting.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It is always good to get the kids involved in their own education. Yeah, you go Supermom !! as for the "S" education.. you are raising boys. Good, Christian boys, but still.. an overview isn't too early. and since they will be having body changes going on soon, to know ahead of time is much better than being surprised by it all.... but that is still your personal choice. You can call it Science if you want to as well. Which musical insterments did they pick??