The
TOS CREW Blog Cruise question this week is:
What do your children want to be when they grow up and what are you doing to help them pursue their field of interest?
When my children were little, I had BIG dreams as do many moms as they hold their little babies and look into their innocent eyes. I dreamed of lofty things like doctor, lawyers, Indian Chief...mother, father, teacher, preacher, singer, dancer...well, you get the idea~I DIDN'T KNOW what the future would hold, but I did have some idea that our future would be tied very tightly to our past~and just what we did and do~day by day...tht would equal OUR FUTURE...
Sooo when they were little toddlers and so active and energetic, I would take them to story time at the local library that had a park just across the parking lot~it was shaded with tall, tall pine trees and had picnic tables and benches along with all kinds of climbing and pay equipment~it was fenced in and safe...a GREAT place to spend the days away~library and then play...before naps and meals/clean ups...I believe it was in this environment that the love of books and reading began~blossomed with an eye to the future and desire for MORE...today...
A love of books and STRONG reading skills has to be, BESIDES the love of learning, the greatest academic skill a person can CULTIVATE...oh my! And this is an area we have pursued with passion~all of us...save one...and I'm still working ON HIM...lol...but we have invested our time and energy in a vast collection of books and reading activities as well as goals~each summer my children have participated in the local library summer reading program~You can imagine what this did to my daughter~HER DRIVE to win along with her love of books took her to hold the county we lived in~to have read the MOST books ever~over 1K..NO LIE...and today, she boasts a reading rate of somewhere between 800-1K words per minute..and she WORKS at this...reading IS a huge key to her successes~I certainly don't read that fast, nor type as fast as she does...never will...but my son who has struggled with reading reads, but at a much slower rate~unfortunately he HATES to read~but we continue to persue this for him~
Soo I had to ASK THEM what they WANT to do...
GirlTHINGOne says, "I don't know, exactly. I want to write a couple of books, and make big money." Okaay~GREAT...but...of course she talks about everything from law, doctor to...uh...coffee shop proprietor...LOL...WHO KNOWS what will become outta this...LOL...she's putting tools in her arsenal for live~she's driven~she has stick-to-it-NESS~soo what ever it turns out to be~it will be something else! I'm sure!!
BoyTHINGone won't even talk to me about it~"It's none of your business," he's said...OKAY...well, yeah. Maybe NOT, but dude, as long as your plans are to GET OUT of my house at some point and support yourself in an honest and meaningful say~GO FOR IT....The choice IS yours...with love, Mom.
As the Mom of teens, life can sometimes be on the rocks~meaning it isn't always fun or easy~but their dreams are theirs~and it ultimately IS up to them...As for what I'm doing TODAY~I'm refraining from ... uh...lol... and letting them continue to 'live' here and mature..so that they WILL be grown UP...(just kidding!!) But seriously, I have enrolled them into the Virtual Academy k12 school and working to support htem in their journey hof homeschooling~which is QUITE different from what we've done in the past. They had expressed a desire for a diploma so I am supporting this~also they want college~I probably will go back to work to support that too~in fact~our whole lives are changing. With the improvement in my health and their change of methods for dreams (me totally schooling verses this online academy) things are definitely different~DIFFERENT..and changed~for the better...
Son HAS GOT to get it in gear...and let me say this...LOL...this ole fat mama is a believer in LOGICAL NATURAL CONSEQUENCES: son will be old enough to get a permit soon...right??? Oh yeah, and of course HE WANTS to drive. What 15 year old doesn't want that privledge?? Well, this will bring about a NEED for car insurance right?? Pricey~right??? Okay...Dad won't PAY for car insurance~UNLESS the kids have the good grades discount...KWIM???? LOL....NOWWWWWWW you get the picture...
When my son was little...very little...he put red fingernail polish ALL over his door knob to his bedroom AND on the wall~'gorgeous' art that HE was soo proud of...well, instead of taking it off right away, I left it...for a god wile and said, "Mama doesn't like that~boys paint ON PAPER!" and showed it to him whenever I was in that area of his room...well, fortunately he NEVER did that again...and a little paint took care of it...I've done this sort of thing over the years~my daughter cut her hair~SHE WORE IT for a looooong time..my son saved off his eyebrows...HE WORE IT...for a very long time...uh...seeeeeee the pattern? LET THEM experience the consequence as much as it's safe to do...then teach around it...so I'm NOW allowing my son to find his way in his schooling~I've taught HOW and WHY~now HE HAS to DO...b/c I can't for him...and if I did~what a cripple I'd be creating...
I have GREAT FAITH and believe they are going to do VERY well~and in God's time and way...who knows but the LORD how it will all turn out...I'm trusting HIM in this...one day at a time~
The CREW is buzzing about this Ck it out~and let me know what you're up to or what you think~BE BLESSED!!
2 comments:
:) Logical consequences are great - though the kids don't always think so.
It's been fun to read your adventure with the virtual school!
We use logical and natural consequences around here too. We had a bon fire to clean out the garden a couple weeks ago. I kept telling the kids to stand further back. One daughter had a "sun-burn" and the son synged the front of his hair. He wanted a haircut right that minute. He's still waiting. Maybe I'll get to it this weekend :)
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