It is really very fun
Spending a lot of time in the sun
All the little trees
Come alive with small bees
The big old barnyard cat
Gets very fat with tiny rats
The little dwarf bunny
Acts like sweet, sweet honey
Is it time to plant the seeds?
Yes it is so lets pull weeds
And while you clean the horses leather
You start to put these things together
Living on a farm
Can do no harm
I was at a meeting today in which someone from the local stood up to promote an after school program for middle school kids. She stated that a recent study indicated that middle school children are most likely to get into trouble between the hours of
How did we get so far away from what is important? Raising our kids, Helping our Neighbors, Being with Those We Love. The chase of the mighty dollar is keeping both parents working outside the home, and working for longer hours, and kids left without much adult interaction.
While I applaud this woman for caring enough about our youth to do something about it, I couldn’t help but feel that the end result is actually worse. It is one more step in the direction of completely turning our kids over to the machine, to overscheduling their time, and to keeping each member of the family scattered to the wind. After school problems are only a bandaid. They don’t fix the problem….. latch-key kids created by a consumer-driven society.
You know how it is when you wake up in a different bed and spend a few moments floating in confusion? Then, it comes to you…… “Oh, I’m in a motel in Saskatchawan.” or what ever it may be. Well, life as a gypsy is similar. We wake up in the same bed, more times than not, as we sleep in our RV. The excitement comes when we pull up the shade and look out the window. This is particularly true of my kids. I can almost see the anticipation of Christmas morning on their little faces if I can manage to open my eyes before they open theirs each morning.
Yesterday morning, I was in that hazy state between sleepiness and wakefulness when I heard the shade roll up. Then my daughter exclaimed, “OH, Look Outside!!” I thought to myself (my eyes were still closed at his point) “Snow. We’ve had the first snow of the year.” But then, I hear “KITTENS! There are little baby kittens.
Oh, no. While, the gypsy-ish lifestyle is coming to a close for the time being, we are still not able to take on an additional pet. One cat is enough. My children though, seem to have a special affinity toward animals. How will I tell them they can not keep the babies?
Our home on wheels is currently parked at my mom’s house. I have a little chat with her about the kittens. Where did they come from? Do you know who they belong to? Turns out they are wild. Not welcome… and this is not the first litter to show up here. My kids are outside, petting, holding, and growing increasingly concerned because they are shivering. I go to them.
“Kids,” I say. “You may hold and pet the kittens, but you may NOT bring them inside and you may NOT feed them. Got it?”
I go in for coffee. They stay out to cuddle.
Fast forward an hour. My mom comes inside. She has found some kitty food secretly stashed for the kittens. Hmmm. Wonder who did that?
I sit.
I think.
The scenery has changed. I set my kids up for failure. I asked them withhold love and concern. Now, they have not obeyed me. If only I had seen it sooner. If I had had more energy at the moment and been more mindful, the outcome of this little kitty find could have been so different. Rather than saying “NO” and walking away, I should have helped them figure out what they COULD DO for the kittens. Take them to town and give them away? Take them to a shelter? Instead I gave them an hour alone struggling with their big hearts and freezing kittens and no guidance. The view outside of my window has changed.
I recently received some books I ordered for the kids, and as a gift, the company (Sonlight) included 10 bookmarks – each with a goal. This got me thinking about the goals I have (not) set in the monumental task of raising my kids. I have this vague idea about what I want to accoplish, but I don’t think I have ever actually solidified the idea into words. My kids are away for a few days, so that gives me plenty of time to re-group, re-evaluate and get to items such as putting my goals to words. I asked my mom the other day if she had a goal in raising my brother and I. Turns out she did. Her top priority was to raise us to be independent people.The goals on my new bookmarks are as follows:
1) I don’t know. The bookmark is off in a book somewhere.
2) Create a learner’s heart, enthusiasm & excitement for learning – a desire to discover.
3) Encourage children to honor God’s “Great Commission” by acquiring an international perspective and a godly heart for the world.
4) Inspire students to honor Christ boldly – in speech and conduct.
5) Train children to become engaging and effective ambassadors for Christ.
6) Teach students not only biblical content, but how to listen as well – to understand first and judge second.
7) Teach students, through experience, that God is faithful; they can listen to other perspectives without falling into sin or having their faith destroyed.
8) Inspire students, by example, to do thorough, competent research… to fulfill the work of true scholars.
9) Create a love for quality literature – books that cause students to think deeply, feel passionately, and prepare themselves for action.
10) Raise “culturally literate” students.
Wanderlust | 
10 29th, 2007| 
