Time Keeps Slippin’ Away

September 20, 2011 By 2 Comments

Have you ever noticed how quickly time passes when you’re having fun? Even when you’re working all day, every day, time just slips away. It’s fleeting…it’s so quick….it’s the blink of an eye. One day your little boy is 2, the next thing you know he’s almost 10.Driving Route 66 this summer really gave us the chance to sit back and not worry so much about time. Usually, when we travel, we’re on a major highway, zipping along as fast as we can go. We always have  a destination in mind and a time we need to be there by. Route 66 wasn’t like that, though. In fact, we struggled at first, especially my husband, because we both just wanted to go go go….but in fact, we’d planned to try to take our time and enjoy the sights along the way, even if it did take longer to get to California.

When Dan mentioned how hard he was struggling at first with just wanting to get on the road and go, I realized….as Americans, we don’t really know how to slow down. The opportunities present themselves every day, but we don’t know how to take them. We don’t know how to shut the door on work or responsibilities long enough to just sit back, look around, and enjoy the scenery. We have that funny feeling that rises up in our chest, urging us on and on and on.

Driving Route 66 helped us to sit back and see some of the most amazing things we’ve ever seen….things we’ll remember for the rest of our lives because it was time together, re-living history, but also because it was a back road….a slower pace….

Time keeps slippin’ away. Don’t forget the enjoy the scenery.

Filed Under: Conversations & Soul Food, Inspirational Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Homeschooling: Setback or Advantage

February 22, 2010 By 2 Comments

I posted a status on Facebook last week that basically said that sometimes in homeschooling, we have to take a step back and reevaluate, because who cares about a schedule, if learning isn’t taking place.  There’s a story behind that status, as there usually is.:)

In our homeschooling adventure, I’ve caught myself more times than not, wanting to follow a rigorous schedule, not listening to my gut that tells me we need to slow down.  We started a bit late in our history curriculum, so I had it all planned out that we would do so much a week and get “caught up.”  Not that we’re really behind, because with this particular course, it really doesn’t matter when you start, which is nice.  To me, though, it mattered.  Yesterday, though, God really softened my heart and gave me another homeschooling epiphane, and I actually listened this time….I’m so glad I did.  Jacob’s struggled in history just a bit lately; he did so good last year, when we took our time, and he just enjoyed every bit of it.  We’ve been rushing through, though, for about the last 2 months.  He had a sort of breakdown yesterday, after he couldn’t remember many things from the last chapter that we had covered.

It came to me then that, “Melissa, you have got to slow this train down….this boy isn’t learning the material; he needs more time, more projects to help him learn, more library books to go along with the course, etc.  It’s time to take a step back.”  I looked at Jacob, as he sat there crying in frustration, and I told him, “Jacob, it’s ok; it’s not your fault.  Are we going too fast through the material for you?”  That sparked a small conversation, and the light came back into Jacob’s eyes at that moment; the tears stopped flowing; and a bit of mother-son bonding took place, as he realized that it was going to be ok, that I wanted to know his thoughts.  I can’t explain the joy that brought to my heart and the peace.

I tell you my little story because I think sometimes with our kids, we rush around, trying to get this done and that done, especially in homeschooling.  All the while, they’re standing there, as if they’re in a crowded train station, watching the people and the trains go rushing by.  They’re not really learning, and they’re not really getting that quality time that they so badly need.  In this case, it’s definitely quality and not quantity that matters.  It’s taking time, as a parent, to realize that much learning may not take place, unless we let go of our own desires and give those desires over to God, letting Him take control of the situation, letting Him control how much we get done that day.  Even if our children learn one more tidbit of history or math or science than before….if they learned something of value in that time spent, it was well worth it.

So, my desire today is to encourage you to not worry so much about the little things….concern yourself more with the bigger picture.  Is learning taking place?  Is bonding with your child taking place?  Does your child still have that spark and fuel to keep learning?  If not, it might be time to take a step back and reevaluate….
Filed Under: Homeschool/Education Connection, Life at Home Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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