Category Archives: Learning

She’s a reader! For the homeschooling mom with young ones

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This post was originally published August 23, 2005

I had one of those “homeschooling is working” moments while on the Cape last week. Susan, my seven-year-old and eldest child, came into the kitchen of our rental house looking for something, pacing back and forth, a look of frustration on her face. My husband and I asked her what she was doing.

“I need to read words, Mommy!” she announced, talking with her hands for emphasis. You can see a new grown-up tooth peeking though where a baby tooth had not too long ago fallen out.

This is the child who cried when I asked her to sit and read a few pages to me from a Christian Liberty Nature Reader. Getting her to read anything other than a My Little Pony book is quite the chore, so for Susan to be searching for something to read was wonderful to hear. And it wasn’t mommy-imposed reading.

This is one of the reasons why we homeschool, isn’t it? To be there when our children discover the magic of losing themselves in the pages of a book. Watching her triumph over the difficult math problems. Taking an interest in what turns into a life-long love affair with anything be it science, history or the arts.

Susan’s proclamation of her need for words is going to fuel me to keep going this upcoming school year. I need to remember it when I don’t feel like teaching a tough subject or when the children campaign for a school-free day when we need to get the academics done.

My girl is a reader. Not just a reluctant reader plodding through a page, but a lover of words, lost in the story. A compulsive reader. Knowing I had a hand in making that happen is a wonderful gift.

Sewing lesson

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When Peter was a baby, I signed up for a beginner’s sewing class. I always wanted to learn how to sew beyond a basic hem so I could make my own curtains, slipcovers and clothing, but I’m a dolt when it comes to operating a sewing machine. When I found the newbie sewing class for making a lap quilt, I jumped at the chance.

My plan was a good one, except for one thing – my children. Susan, 2, and Peter, still nursing, needed constant attention. My day was filled with diapers, making meals for little hands and keeping up with the toddler. Have you ever tried operating a sewing machine while nursing a baby? Maybe some women can, but I’m not that gifted (or flexible).

When Susan and Peter were finally n their beds at night, the last thing I wanted to do was sew. I wanted to flop on the sofa and relax. Sewing is not relaxing to me. Sewing is work, especially when you get frustrated with the machine because the stitches are too loose. (Or too tight. I never did figure out how to fix it.)

The weeks passed, my quilt never materialized, but I faithfully went to that class week after week. And you know what? It never bothered me that everyone else made amazing quilts. By the end of the eight weeks I knew what I really needed and it wasn’t learning how to sew.

I needed to get out of the house. I needed to put on a bit of make-up, change into spit-up free clothing and do something not related to babies. I loved being with all the other women in the class, even if we didn’t have a lot of time to talk. Looking back now six years later, I wonder what I did during class time. I should have been sewing, but I wasn’t. I most likely was trying to start a conversation with the gal sitting next to me.

Having a human connection is more important than being able to make slipcovers for my sofa.

I think that’s one of the reasons I enjoy this blog. It gives me a chance to talk with all of you, my unseen friends, especially if you are a home school mom like I am. We need each other. We need to encourage one another. I love being home with my children, but I need that time away from them to chat with all of you.

And maybe someday one of you can help me learn to sew.