Whale Time

Unlike most parents who get the weekend off, I am on a 24/7 shift. I do not have the option of quality time for Jed. 

Instead, Jed and I have lots and lots of "whale time". A baby whale spends two years beside its mom, just moving placidly through the waters. They do everything (which is mostly nothing) together. In this way, the baby whale slowly but surely grows to maturity.

Deuteronomy 4:9, 6:7 Watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

On Young Adult Book Covers

Everyday, media overloads young kids with titillating and sexy images. I cant afford to play ostrich and bury my head in the sand. So, I fight fire with fire. 

At Fully Booked, I picked up a young adult book with a picture of two torsos semi-naked. This book was displayed a few steps away from the children's section. I showed the book to Jed and said:

"Hey, Elijah, look at this book. They look like they are about to have sex."

"Moooom..." (long-suffering sigh!) "Remember what I told you?"

(We had a discussion on picking the right code word to use in public. Jed chose a good one.) "They look like they are about to PROCREATE."

(another long-suffering sigh! Jed knows this is one topic I dont drop easily) "Here, let me see. Not yet. He still has his pants on." (Pause.) "They dont look like husband and wife."

"You know I'm praying for your future wife, right?!"

(side hug) "Let's go home, Mom."

No to Addictive Videogames

Often, just knowing that someone else faced the battles we are facing now is enough to give us strength to continue to fight the good fight. 

Telling stories of my childhood failures is a magical parenting tool. It encourages Jed, reminds me to be patient and opens up moments of dialogue.

"Did you have any addictions when you were young?", Jed asks. 

"Books. When I was your age, I let a potful of rice burn that I was supposed to watch because I was too focused on a book. An addiction is anything that stops us from doing what is right."

"But, I like building stuff.", counters Jed

"I know you do. Nong Undo has already bought you a saw and you can learn to build real and useful stuff. Start with a desk and three chairs for your cousins."

(So, now, we will try a new subject in homeschool - CARPENTRY. Which is really just another way to say No to Addictive Videogames.)

Link Love: Harvard University on Skills That Make an Educated Person

Here’s Harvard University’s list of skills that make an “educated person”:

The ability to define problems without a guide.
The ability to ask hard questions which challenge prevailing assumptions.
The ability to quickly assimilate needed data from masses of irrelevant information.
The ability to work in teams without guidance.
The ability to work absolutely alone.
The ability to persuade others that your course is the right one.
The ability to conceptualize and reorganize information into new patterns.
The ability to discuss ideas with an eye toward application.
The ability to think inductively, deductively and dialectically.
The ability to attack problems heuristically.

This is why I homeschool.

http://joshkaufman.net/what-must-an-educated-person-know/