Bigger Things

Never have I been more grateful for a timely post than I was when Sarah shared yesterday in Sometimes, I Feel Like Quitting.


After watching our 3-year-old running around in circles for a full 5 minutes my husband looked at me and asked, "Are you sure you shouldn't just plan to put him in school when he's 5? He's going to be really hard to teach."


I laughed and brushed him off with a quick joke: "He has two more years to shape up."


I know my husband is just joking, but it is certainly true- Ezra is going to need some totally different teaching techniques than his older brother and I'm still trying to figure out where he gets that crazy supply of energy that wakes him up at 6:30 a.m. smiling and ready to tackle the day. And this isn't the first time someone has mentioned this particular fact to me. Ender appears to be a pretty "easy" kid because he has a laid back personality and Ezra is . . . well, three. Doesn't that say it all?


Have I worried about how to teach him? Short answer: Yes. Do I hope he'll mature a lot in the next 2-3 years? Yes. Am I planning to ship him off to school? Not a chance.


Really what I think when people bring this up to me is how much more Ezra needs to be home, particularly in the first few years of his education. He will need more room, more time outside, more of a chance to experiment and learn hands-on because he is such a physical kid. We don't homeschool because it's easy or fun or always a lovely day- we homeschool because there are more important things than the little details of education.


Sarah's words are so much more eloquent than mine:

I believe in home education because I see incredible value in the child living and learning in the context of family life. Because I want sibling relationships to be stronger than peer influence. Because I want my child to love learning, long after graduation. Because I know that my most important job is to guide these children to the doorstep of Heaven, and I'm convinced that will be a heck of a lot easier to do if I can stand by their side for a good long part of the journey.

                                                                                               ~Sarah at Amongst Lovely Things


We have far bigger things to do with our kids than learning to read, write or add- we have been implored to guide our little ones to God. As Sarah said, how much easier if we're walking with them for much of that journey!

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