The Autodidact

I hear many moms new to home schooling ask where is the best spot to "do school" in the house and how to stock, decorate and furnish the "school" area. I tried using a spare bedroom when I just had 3 kids, and only one old enough to homeschool. But it was upstairs and away from the kitchen and laundry and I felt out of touch with the rest of my house and my duties. Later, when I had more children and no bedrooms to spare, I designated the dining room as the school room. I hung maps and a white board and time lines and we didn't even call it a dining room. But I just couldn't relax over dinner with all that stuff hanging around. I needed to decide where we would do school, but nothing seemed to suit me. And then I realized why. I had rejected the traditional model of education, but here I was trying to fit that model into my home. No wonder I couldn't relax! The school room is not a natural nor relaxing place to learn, and so my attempts seemed forced a

She dances around me as I kneel in the water, dancing circles around me. And she's laughing and squealing and looking into my eyes, looking deep into my soul. Her laugh is unfettered and real and from her very core, and when her eyes look into mine I see nothing but pure joy, complete trust. Her happiness bubbles up, not willing to be contained, like the bubbles she creates in the water as she runs around me. And she calls my name over and over in her little voice; it's a shout of unabashed love and confidence and connection. My hand reaches out to her to touch her as she passes and she screams in glee. "Mommy! Mommy!" She laughs my name. And I remember long ago a dream I used to have. It was during a time of sadness and emptiness; a time after losing a child and before having any living ones. In the dream I could hear a sweet, little voice calling my name in joy and gladness, and it filled me. I wanted to run to that voice and scoop up the child in my arms, but i

My husband is an avid gardener, and left to his own devices, he would happily transform our entire yard into a garden. But, with all our kids and a dog, well, it's not going to happen. But he loves his garden. It's high summer now in the Northeast, and his garden is lovely. Perfectly straight rows. Not a weed in sight. It's a work of art as well as a labor of love. My pictures just can't do it justice. But in the midst of it all is a strawberry patch. He put it in just for me because I wanted them. And I do manage to get the few that the chipmunks and children don't get. But it's a wild part of the garden, blocked off by a crooked wall made of old bricks and pieces of sandstone. One day, as I looked out the dining room window at the garden, I thought how it served as a picture of our marriage. I am not a stickler for detail, but my husband is. I like to start something and sit back to see what happens, while my husband likes to attend to ever

My baby is now three. She started her day off with her usual visit to my room. And then it was off to breakfast with her daddy. Presents, swimming at the pool, pizza and cake and just enjoying life filled her day. To have a three year old at my age is truly a blessing.

I had settled down with the 4 younger kids for a time of Bible study one morning. I had in mind the things we would discuss and the things I could teach them. Like so many other times, I had it all planned out: what I would say and questions I would ask. But sometimes, we get unexpected answers. Answers we never thought of, and we grown- ups are the ones being taught. We were talking about children obeying their parents and reasons for doing so. The answers ranged from "God says we should" to "Our parents are wise" to "We should obey our parents because... they're the Mom and Dad!" (I love 5 year-old thinking!) I was waiting for a particular answer, and I was not disappointed. Finally someone said: "We should obey so we won't get into trouble." Bingo. That's the one I was looking for. Because it's the worst reason of all, and I wanted to see if anyone of the kids had considered it. After I gently pointed out that avoiding puni

Another hot day at the pool with lots of kids shrieking and playing and splashing. She was in her 4th summer of life guarding and took her job seriously. These people, while she was in the chair, were her responsibility, and she guarded their lives attentively. But lately, she had been noticing some of the kids who regularly came to the pool came alone. They were obviously poor and maybe a bit malnourished. Some even showed signs of possible abuse. They seemed pitiful and unwanted and her heart went out to them. She taught some of them how to swim but her heart desperately wanted to do more for them. But what? What could she do? How could she make their lives better? And then one day, a busy 90 degree day, and the pool was full and the noise level high, she saw him. He was one of her students, one of the most pitiful. She was sure he was unloved and his parents didn't care about him. He had almost said as much at times when she was teaching him. She saw him and waved and he wav