What are they?

Children, what are they for? Show, convenience, a check on the ol' list, or are they a gift?   A blessing from God, a crowning achievement, do you want a quiver full or just one?
Sometimes I wonder, what parents have children for.  Sometimes it appears that they have become more often than not a check mark.  Some thing to show off to your friends and then shooed off to play. Ignored until it is to late.  Until parents can not understand why they hate mom and dad.  Everything has been given to them, everything, newest toys, best clothes....Everything they need is given, but is it really?  Has time been taken, life lessons been taught, love been given abundantly, their worldview set in place?  Have you ever seen children that look lifeless? The ones that seem to be missing something yet you can not quite put your finger on it.
     How do you ensure that the important things are taught and the material things are not? What do you do to have balance in your children's life?  How can you not look at the amazing gift laid before you and continue to live like you did before children?  The gift given is treated like everything else, it is nice but there is more and better things out there.  Every time you pass up time with a child for things of ol' you teach an important lesson.  Maybe it is one you don't even mean to teach.  Mommy and Daddy look out for mommy and daddy.  Why don't you entertain yourself.  If that statement offends you maybe you need to check out the heart.   One amazingly important gift I received from my parents was that, time spent with us (my brother and I) was far to valuable to pass up.  What did that mean?  My dad, gave up baseball, golfing, and skiing, by himself.  He did attend all our sports events, take us camping, hiking, biking and eventually skiing.  Did he give these things up totally?  No but for a season (20years) he did.  Did he say we were cramping his style? No.  My mom, she worked but, only part time and made it to all our field trips.  She was the mom's group you wanted to be in.  She was the cool mom.  She also made time for us too.  Both of them did something, most of us miss out on, investing time into our children's lives.  They did and still do have a standing date every other Saturday, they bowl together.   They had a balance.  Do you have one?
     Some of us might be thinking well you have it wrong sister I do everything for them.  I run them in twenty different directions seven days a week.  Really wow, super mom.  When do you have family time, where is your down time.  While I agree children should participate in activities do you draw a line or run like a crazy woman? Do you see each other in passing? Hey love you bye.  Communicate more by phone and messages than in person?  Maybe you are thinking my children wouldn't know what to do with themselves if we didn't have anything going on.  Have you tried?  Have you said today we are going to entertain ourselves without the usage of Wii, PS3, TV or computer, today we are going to play bored games or be outside?  It might  mean  unplug everything. Let them find something to do, let you find something to do.   When is the last time you had a conversation longer than "How was school?" "Fine."
     What about their worldview?  Who is shaping it?  School, friends, sports teams, magazines, Hollywood, or you?  How do you make sure that you are the one forming it?  Children, your gifts, need special time and attention.  They need it invested every day.  It might mean forgoing a reality show, or a golf game, maybe a ladies night out.  
       Mine are gifts entrusted to me for a time, a blink of an eye, a shadow in a lifetime of light.  Do you think of yours this way?  Can you not wait to see them in the morning? Smiling and saying good morning mommy?  Do I do things perfectly? No.  It is a daily, will I chose to invest in the most precious gifts bestowed in my life?  Yes, I will.  Will you?

Why aren't you ready?

"Mommy, I am ready, why aren't you?" asked my Son this morning. You here in Alabama it is a beautiful day and it will beautiful all week. So yesterday my sweet husband asked if we all want to go camping.  It was an outstanding YES.  My youngest woke up with the sun and got dressed all by himself and put on his camping clothes.  Hence the question, why aren't you ready Mommy? What could be more fun than spending a couple of days outside with a campfire, tent, a dog and 5 sleeping bags I ask?  Nothing! I say.  Let the fun begin. I love the new trails and fun to be had on each adventure we take.

It is complete!

Ahhhh, I can now breathe, well for a minute anyways. My two school projects are complete, my lesson plans and report card. This afternoon was productive and my lesson plans for the next nine weeks are complete. It was a weight, a daunting task, that takes time, but it is some thing that must get done.  Was it really, painful and daunting? No, in fact, once you do it a couple of times you get in a rhythm and it is not.  Time, consuming, yes, but once it is done, you are finished. Actually, I even had an enjoyable conversation with my Husband while filling out the next nine weeks.  I find it is much easier to do the nine week quarter thing rather than an every week or every semester.  It is just one less thing to do during my week. I find that filling out a whole semester at time, makes my lesson book look messier because of all the changes I make or when life throws in a curve ball and adjustments are required.
Yesterday I completed the report card.  Which I have tried to make as painless as possible by, tailing grades at the end of each week and not at the end of nine weeks.  It is better to take mouse size bites than an elephant bite.  9 numbers for one subject seems much more palatable than 45 numbers per subject.  So all and all life its good and God is amazing.

It might as well just be an F

"It might as well be an F," she said pouting. "It is a B, B's mean great job, but A's are for Excellent jobs." Myself and Husband told her.  To the left you see my daughter, in the white.  She is one of those just gifted people.  The kind that get A's by just showing up. She is learning that just showing up is getting a little harder the older you get. 
You see, you can show up, but if you show up and not put your heart into what you are doing, is it still excellent? Or if you show up 10-15minutes late are you trying your best to be on time.  Are you sending the message, I respect my bosses or I am more important to you? These things are graded too.  While Academically they may not mean much, but socially and character wise they mean the world.  Usually during a conversation about home schooling, the subject of socialization comes up. How do your children interact with others. Where do your children learn these things?  At home.  They learn how to talk and treat others.  You see if you choose to use your words unwisely and tongue improperly it is corrected.  It is also praised when done in love and kindness.  You only have one family, and we are training them for their own family, what it looks like to be a mom. What does a dad do. How do we treat ones an other.  You see, you don't have to leave or send children away to teach them these things.  Home is perfect, in fact then you have to spend less time explaining what the new potty word on the play ground or school bus is.  Yes, but what about other children? How do they learn to play? That is what siblings are for or again the photo on the left is for.
What about real life? What is more real than having assignments, due dates and a time to be in your appointed place of business? When you choose to be late for school or not complete a task on time, you are learning that just like in the real world there are consequences for that too.  It might mean an F or extra home work.  It also means when you do your work diligently and cheerfully there will be a reward too.  Like wow, super job, amazing work, see I knew you could. 
Even though it is more painful to give her a B then she thinks.  It is also how she will learn to grow as a person.  So while it may feel like an F right now.  Our thank yous, are just around the corner. In a couple years anyways.