As the blog title suggests, I like football. There are a lot of reasons to like football, but the truth is that I like football, because my dad liked football. He transferred his love of football and other sports to me. I remember sitting on the couch with him and watching football. I asked questions and he would answer. He explained how a team gets a first down. He showed me the different signals for the various penalties. He taught me the difference between a 1-point conversion and a 2-point conversion. He explained every position on the field. I probably drove him crazy with my questions when he was trying to watch the game, but I don't remember him seeming annoyed or impatient. He wanted me to know about and share in something that he cared about.
It strikes me that the Christian discipleship of my children should be a lot like watching football with my dad. I want to transfer my love for God to my children. Metaphorically speaking, I want them to sit on the couch and watch the game with me. I want them to see how much I love God and to want to know all about Him. I want to encourage and to patiently answer their questions. As they grow to adulthood, I would love to hear them say that they love God and that their love for God has a lot to do with the fact that their parents loved God and enthusiastically shared that love.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Noah's heart...
My son, Noah was born with a life-threatening congenital heart defect called Transposition of the Great Vessel (TGV) or Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA). Essentially, his aorta was where the pulmonary artery was supposed to be and visa versa.
Skilled doctors diagnosed his condition very shortly after birth, and a skilled surgical team repaired the defect and put the vessels in their proper places when he was five days old. Needless to say, we were and are grateful.
This is on my mind because on Friday, Noah had his bi-annual check-up with his cardiologist. Everything looks great! He's healthy and his heart is working as it should be.
I'm writing this because after Noah's surgery, I spent a lot of time on the internet looking for online support groups and the like, where I might meet a mom who could tell me that her little boy had the same surgery as Noah, and now he's 12 years old and plays little league and is a "normal". I wanted to be able to connect with moms who had been through what I was going through.
So maybe there's a mom out there Googling "Transposition of the Great Vessels" and maybe you found this blog. If so, please feel free to contact me.
Skilled doctors diagnosed his condition very shortly after birth, and a skilled surgical team repaired the defect and put the vessels in their proper places when he was five days old. Needless to say, we were and are grateful.
This is on my mind because on Friday, Noah had his bi-annual check-up with his cardiologist. Everything looks great! He's healthy and his heart is working as it should be.
I'm writing this because after Noah's surgery, I spent a lot of time on the internet looking for online support groups and the like, where I might meet a mom who could tell me that her little boy had the same surgery as Noah, and now he's 12 years old and plays little league and is a "normal". I wanted to be able to connect with moms who had been through what I was going through.
So maybe there's a mom out there Googling "Transposition of the Great Vessels" and maybe you found this blog. If so, please feel free to contact me.
Hi, I'm Kim and I'm a homeschooler--pt. 2
I daresay, that every homeschooling mom has heard something like the following: "Oh, you homeschool? I could NEVER do that." I find this assertion, both amusing and dismaying.
I'm amused because the statement assumes that I have some sort of special ability, skill, or character. The truth is, I'm just a mom. I'm really not trying to be humble here. I don't have a degree in education. I haven't read dozens of books on education, though I have read a few. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not a particularly patient person. I'm also not one of those creative, fun, moms. I don't do crafts! I yell at my kids too much. I often wish I had more time to myself. I want to be organized but fail miserably. I'm a regular mom, with regular struggles, trying to be faithful to God as I raise my kids.
I'm dismayed because this statement shows a fundamental misunderstanding of education. We think that the process of educating our children is completely separate from the process of parenting our children. Education, we think, is something that professionals do. It needs to happen in the context of an institution with certain guidelines and structures in place. How can I homeschool if I don't have a place for a "school room" in my house? How am I going to make my 6 year old son sit still for 6 hours while I teach him? How can I possibly teach my child algebra when I never understood algebra? I don't have a school room, my son almost never sat still when he was 6, and still doesn't at 11, and I'll worry about algebra when we get there--which is coming faster than I want to admit. Regardless of these facts, learning happens. Sometimes the learning comes easy. Other times, not so much.
Sometimes the assertion that "I could never homeschool." is followed by something like, "My kids drive me crazy." or "My kids don't listen to me." Guess what? My kids drive me crazy sometimes, and they often don't listen to me. This is not a good thing. This is not something I should settle for or avoid by spending less time with my children. This is something that we need to work on. I need to be more patient, and gracious with my children. My children need to learn the blessings of submitting to parental authority. This is more likely to happen through practice and proximity.
There are certainly obstacles and challenges inherent in educating children at home. There are also obstacles and challenges inherent in educating children in an institution. I choose the former.
I'm amused because the statement assumes that I have some sort of special ability, skill, or character. The truth is, I'm just a mom. I'm really not trying to be humble here. I don't have a degree in education. I haven't read dozens of books on education, though I have read a few. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not a particularly patient person. I'm also not one of those creative, fun, moms. I don't do crafts! I yell at my kids too much. I often wish I had more time to myself. I want to be organized but fail miserably. I'm a regular mom, with regular struggles, trying to be faithful to God as I raise my kids.
I'm dismayed because this statement shows a fundamental misunderstanding of education. We think that the process of educating our children is completely separate from the process of parenting our children. Education, we think, is something that professionals do. It needs to happen in the context of an institution with certain guidelines and structures in place. How can I homeschool if I don't have a place for a "school room" in my house? How am I going to make my 6 year old son sit still for 6 hours while I teach him? How can I possibly teach my child algebra when I never understood algebra? I don't have a school room, my son almost never sat still when he was 6, and still doesn't at 11, and I'll worry about algebra when we get there--which is coming faster than I want to admit. Regardless of these facts, learning happens. Sometimes the learning comes easy. Other times, not so much.
Sometimes the assertion that "I could never homeschool." is followed by something like, "My kids drive me crazy." or "My kids don't listen to me." Guess what? My kids drive me crazy sometimes, and they often don't listen to me. This is not a good thing. This is not something I should settle for or avoid by spending less time with my children. This is something that we need to work on. I need to be more patient, and gracious with my children. My children need to learn the blessings of submitting to parental authority. This is more likely to happen through practice and proximity.
There are certainly obstacles and challenges inherent in educating children at home. There are also obstacles and challenges inherent in educating children in an institution. I choose the former.
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