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Has your light burned out?
1 year ago
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
It takes a Dad sometimes
This year my husband has gotten involved with our kids education more, by holding weekly mentor meetings with our children. This has been a blessing in so many ways. My boys are getting older and looking more to him for validation and an example of what they could grow to be. They crave his respect and his time. While I am still the primary teacher, and he rarely participates in lessons, his time with them each week is something they look forward to, and knowing they will be accountable to Dad for what they did that week makes them want to do well. I have walked in on these meetings a few times and found them engaged in animated conversation about magnetic polarities as my son reports on what he did in science, or about building character and following through on what we say we will do, when Dad notices someone is being lax in that area. I am grateful to feel that he is part of the team and that our homeschool is important to him; his support in this area is so valuable. He was not without reservations when I first decided to homeschool, but he has always tried to support me and give me confidence, and he has increased in his confidence that homeschooling works over the years. It is a great blessing to feel that I am not alone in my efforts now, and that he will back me up not only in the areas of discipline but in education, too. I am excited about the future as we grow together in teaching our children.
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3 comments:
You are so lucky to have the support of your dear husband. I look forward with hope that someday I too will have a partner in the joy of educating my children. It has been hard pulling the weight alone and sometimes all us moms need to keep us moving is a pat on the back to keep the momentum going.
Sandy, I do feel lucky/blessed. I can empathise with you in how you are feeling too. I remember wondering if this day would ever come, and at first it always seemed like I had to prove myself to a skeptical husband, despite his willingness to go along with our grand experiment. Over the past 10 yrs, baby steps have brought us to this point. I hope this will happen someday soon for you too! In any case, I commend you for persevering even when your support system is limited. It isn't easy but the fruits are sweet.
I am doing a bit of research on "attachment parenting" and it seems that this has been our way of raising our children all along. We just didn't know that it had an official name. :)
Anyway, I have always believed that children need to be very close to their mothers in the beginning of their lives (boys, especially) and as the boys get older, the dad is needed more. Not just on an education level but also in a role model/reaffirmation kind of way. It is great that your husband is eager to help. He is forming memories for your children that will carry over into their own families.
As for those who carry their own weight. WOW! Good for you. Don't underestimate the influence of church leaders, family and close trusted friends. They can help fill in where a male role model is missing.
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