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@Farmhouse_Schoolhouse

Something happened in the doctor's waiting room a few weeks ago and I've been turning it over in my mind ever since. My son was sitting in a chair reading a book, when a stranger came and sat down beside him... Stranger: "Do you like reading? My son: "Oh, yes. I love to read." Stranger: "I should get parenting advice from your mom so my kid will love reading." My son: "Oh, no. My mom hates parenting advice. She loves reading though." Stranger: "I was hoping for some good advice." My son: "Just love reading for yourself." Stranger: (laughing) "Ok, where do I start? What book? You like Diary of a Wimpy Kid?" My son: "Um, no, I don't think you should read someone's diary like that. I think you should read 'The Wind and the Willows.'” He rambles out a general premise for a solid thirty seconds and continues: My son: “...then if you visit with the story enough you'll see parts of yourself and maybe you'll know what to do next. Ratty and Mole and nature are great like that." 🌿🍄🌻 The stranger laughed and said, "You are so cute," which immediately killed my son's desire for further conversation. He returned to his book. A day later he brought it up and asked, "Was that supposed to be funny? I don't know why any of it was funny." I asked him, "What did Wind in the Willows tell you?" Turns out, somewhere along the way, my boy became a close reader of books. Not because of book reports, not because of special programs or curriculums, but because he found a story that he really loved. He found a story he loved and he read it often. In the grand scheme of things, he hasn’t read that many books by himself. He’s only read a few. But he’s really lived with those stories and it’s made all the difference.
Many hours of training and tending and shaping and instruction and follow up and repeating and reminders and reinforcement went into this one moment. It doesn’t (and didn’t) happen overnight. There is no suitable replacement for faithfulness or diligence. It takes a lot of work and that work isn’t always, shall we say, visually appealing? This is not simply a picture of three brothers reading, washing and cooking together. It’s a past, present and future all at once. You see, I look at this and remember the broken glasses and the dishes stored away while still a bit dirty. I remember the minor floods beneath the sink. I remember the overly salted food, the shrill voice of the smoke detector echoing down the hall, waking younger siblings from their naps. I remember my grumpy moments and theirs, I remember nagging instead of reminding and how hard it was to work through that. I remember the congealed egg yolk on the tile floor and the failed chore chart. I remember the letter tiles scattered around the dining room, the hours spent listening as words were sounded out oh so S-L-O-W-L-Y. Even today, after I took this photo, I looked over one boy’s shoulder and helped him sound out a long word. The youngest looked up and asked “does it look clean, Mama?” I responded, “Almost there!” Then the boy at the stove smiled and said, “I think I seasoned it right!” Many more hours are before us yet. Further faithfulness and diligence are required. The work of many yesterdays, the encouragement of today, and the work yet to be done tomorrow. This picture reminds me to stick with it! There ain’t nothing instant about this instagram.
We are home. We are tired. We are thankful. We are soaking in the goodness of tea cups and biscuits, familiar stories and glorious unfiltered sunsets. We are grieving for the Bahamians and all that they are enduring. Taking the next few days at a slower pace to help the boys recover from the stress of evacuating and the anxiety of wondering whether or not the storm would ever reach our shores. If I need a day (or two) they most definitely need a day too. Thankful once more for the flexibility and gentleness of homeschooling which makes more room for our strengths and frailties. ❤️
Trigger warning: This post is about a choking incident that happened in our home. —————————————————- Today, while I was on the phone with a friend, I walked into the kitchen and found my boy bent over and purple. He was choking. While eating his breakfast and reading Calvin and Hobbes, he laughed and a large piece of granola became lodged in his throat. His baby brother sat frozen in his chair, a spoonful of cereal halfway up to his lips, his eyes wide and staring at his brother who could not breathe. I spun him around and proceeded to do the Heimlich maneuver. After several tries the piece dislodged and he drew in a big gasp of air. I don’t think I will ever forget the look on his face when I walked in the room. I’m so thankful that he is ok. I have been shaken all day as I look back and remember it. Friends, I had never thought to put a “what if someone chokes” plan together. His big brother wasn’t in the room when it happened. The next youngest was in his room playing. He was alone with the six year old who had no idea what to do. Today at 10AM, we put together a “what to do if someone chokes” plan, personalized by age. I’ve pulled out our safety cards to review this afternoon and refresh our understanding of what to do in case of an emergency. If you’ve never had a conversation like this with your kids, even if they are older children, today is a great day to have one. ❤️
The beach was nearly empty today, save for our family and an elderly lady. I sat on the beach and read a few more chapters of David Copperfield, which had me smiling and crying, while the boys played and wrestled in the waves. Before long the woman began swimming closer to the boys and eventually swam into their midst with a huge smile on her face. An hour later she gathered her things to leave and stopped by my nest of blankets and books for a chat. She talked about her travels to the Mediterranean Sea, the Dead Sea, the Pacific Ocean, and many other places, before she spoke of home. Home was clearly the dearest place in her world. “I just love watching your boys play and laugh together. I felt like a little girl for a moment when I saw into their game. A little girl surrounded by all my brothers one more time. What a gift it was to be with brothers again.”
He finished kindergarten at his own pace, in his own time. He finished with joy. He finished with a heart full of stories and memories. He finished with the feel of sea water, mud, tree bark, fur, flower petal, grass blade and morning dewdrop on his fingertips—the feel of nature engraved within his cellular memory. He finished with eagerness for more. He finished knowing that he is not his labels. Now he’s hungry to draw a blue jay just right. He wants to read Hiawatha just like his brother. Next he wants to learn all about baking bread and about Paul Revere. He wants to crochet a hat and learn more about the violin. The light is still in his eyes, in fact, he’s radiating light. He’s beaming. He’s encouraged. I’m so thankful we get to do this. I do not take a minute of it for granted.

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