My intention in writing this post is two-fold: 1) to educate/inform those who are less familiar with homeschooling, and 2) to encourage those who are already homeschooling.
If you were to meet my children anywhere - be it church event, Gospel concert, Wal-Mart line, library, etc - no matter your age, my extroverted children will strike up conversation and my introverted children will grin big at you. My oldest, Rebecca, has "the gift of gab." (And, I totally believe that God means this gift for use in His Kingdom!) She can easily talk to anyone about any topic that seems interesting at the time. I know that this characteristic has caused some adults to feel sorry for her, thinking something like, "oh, that poor girl is really lonely." Sometimes I sense that this is what people are thinking, at other times the older person has spoken it.
What a sad place that this world has become - that older people no longer feel the sense of honor that their age brings them! We WANT our children to freely converse with adults (with our supervision, of course!) because they will learn so much from them! It is not a sign that my kids are sick because they WANT to talk to adults or to do nursing home ministry! It is a sign that this world is sick that most children do not want to be around adults and older adults!
Yes, my kids love to run and play. Yes, they enjoy playing ball with kids their own age. However, they also have the ability to mingle and/or play with children that are not their own age, adults and older adults. This is not a sign that we are doing something wrong, or that my children are not socialized. This is an indication that my children are interacting with people in a perfectly healthy way... though I admit it is certainly "abnormal" by 21st century standards.
My kids are friendly, but not starving for attention. If you come to my home and you do not bring kids - then, my children will visit with you in a very grown-up manner. I consider this to be a GOOD thing. And, if you come to my home with 1 child or with 10 children, my kids will probably spend more time with the children than with you, the adult. And, I consider this to be a good thing as well.
To any adult who knows me personally and knows my kids in "real life" - Be not alarmed that my children interact well with adults. They do spend time with other children. They do get to play kids' games. They are also being taught to speak with adults and older adults. We think we are blessing them by teaching them to value people in all age groups and not just their own.
If you were to meet my children anywhere - be it church event, Gospel concert, Wal-Mart line, library, etc - no matter your age, my extroverted children will strike up conversation and my introverted children will grin big at you. My oldest, Rebecca, has "the gift of gab." (And, I totally believe that God means this gift for use in His Kingdom!) She can easily talk to anyone about any topic that seems interesting at the time. I know that this characteristic has caused some adults to feel sorry for her, thinking something like, "oh, that poor girl is really lonely." Sometimes I sense that this is what people are thinking, at other times the older person has spoken it.
What a sad place that this world has become - that older people no longer feel the sense of honor that their age brings them! We WANT our children to freely converse with adults (with our supervision, of course!) because they will learn so much from them! It is not a sign that my kids are sick because they WANT to talk to adults or to do nursing home ministry! It is a sign that this world is sick that most children do not want to be around adults and older adults!
Yes, my kids love to run and play. Yes, they enjoy playing ball with kids their own age. However, they also have the ability to mingle and/or play with children that are not their own age, adults and older adults. This is not a sign that we are doing something wrong, or that my children are not socialized. This is an indication that my children are interacting with people in a perfectly healthy way... though I admit it is certainly "abnormal" by 21st century standards.
My kids are friendly, but not starving for attention. If you come to my home and you do not bring kids - then, my children will visit with you in a very grown-up manner. I consider this to be a GOOD thing. And, if you come to my home with 1 child or with 10 children, my kids will probably spend more time with the children than with you, the adult. And, I consider this to be a good thing as well.
To any adult who knows me personally and knows my kids in "real life" - Be not alarmed that my children interact well with adults. They do spend time with other children. They do get to play kids' games. They are also being taught to speak with adults and older adults. We think we are blessing them by teaching them to value people in all age groups and not just their own.
2 comments:
Great post. After all when you are an adult, you are around people of different ages.
I think your Rebecca and my Abbie would get along really well. They would have A LOT to talk about....
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