There is a child in my house who has a hell of a time sitting still. Actually, I have a couple of those, it is just that this one is "school age" and therefore is expected to sit nicely on her behind and do...stuff.
I am a bi-polar homeschooler. I have days when I remember that I keep my kids at home because I like them and I have fun teaching them. I remember that I am giving them the gift of a childhood not lived sitting at a desk, the freedom to learn at there own pace and follow their unique gifts and interests. And then I get on Facebook or go to a friends house and see the test scores and worksheets and nicely completed, holiday appropriate crafts on the fridge. I have a mini freak out moment and make my kid-who-hates-sitting glue her butt to a chair and crank out handwriting worksheets.
Today, I read this.
I love when science backs my play.
Reading this reminds me that the reason I love our family's choice to homeschool. I love that I don't have to make Little Miss Wiggle Butt perform to some standard set buy a dude she will never meet and who couldn't give a rip about the things that are important to her. I have the ability to RESPECT my kid, and where she happens to be in this moment, and it is good.
Today was freak out free. We played princess zookeepers and had a great conversation about why the lions and the giraffes needed separate play-dough cages. We discussed herbivore and carnivore and put crowns on playmobil people. Outside we talked about why it isn't cool to chase the chickens or give them too much scratch. We practiced letters on a white board with crayons and did math with cubes on the floor. And we played. Lots.
Part of my brain will always wish that raising my children to be self sustaining, happy adults was a liner process that was chartable with standardized test and check lists. But humans are not that way. We don't all grow up to be the same person and so our paths will never be the same as anyone elses. So today, I managed to live without the lists or mini freak outs, but I make no promises for tomorrow. Or next week.
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