Can You Hear it?

A very dear friend of mine sent me this picture - I was yearning for the sight and sound of the ocean. He actually included an audio clip! When you grow up on Long Island, the ocean is not too far away. When you acquire the freedom of a license, Jones Beach is a frequent destination. Living as an adult in a state that lacks a shore line (ocean, that is, and on my side of the state), busy with the kids, the house, life, I have not seen, or heard, the ocean in many, many years. Thank you, Jim!

Out of the mouth of babes ...

Younger Twin (age 9): "Mom?"
Mom (that would be me, age does not matter): "Yes?"
YT: "Do you have fun?"
Mom: "Uhm, yeah."
YT: "I mean, do you like your life?"
Mom: "Well, yes, I do. I like being with you guys, and teaching you, and ..."
YT: Interrupting - "Yes, but do you have fun, and do you enjoy your life?"
Mom: "Yes ..."
YT: "Did you ever think you should, you know, have more fun, just in case ..."
Mom: "...In case of what?"
YT: "Well, you know, in case ...well, in case ... there is a god, ...but no heaven."
Mom: "..............................................."

There is so much in my head, yet there is nothing to say. I hate when that happens.

Just Because ...

The oldest twin has a heavy academic load this year. And she is thriving. I added Lively Latin to our Latin studies, and she declared today, "I love studying Latin". I worry I am giving her too much, but she is doing it all so well, and without complaint. Sometimes, though, I do long for the ease of days long gone, when she was younger, there was no portfolio to submit, and she ... she was so unburdened.

Divided we fall ...

I frequently read the boards at http://welltrainedmind.com/ . It is predominantly a homeschooling forum, although there are a number of after-schoolers, tutors, and others who post. It is a wealth of information for the classical homeschooler, which is what I would label myself, if I had to characterize my "style"or approach to academics. (Actually, I am a classical, Charlotte Mason-inspired, eclectic homeschooler, striving to keep to the tenets of the Latin-Centered Curriculum. There. I think I got them all in.) During the past few months, however, discussions on the general board have turned repeatedly to the world of politics. This is an election year, and we are facing many troubling situations in our world. So it is not surprising that these discussions get heated. But, what does surprise me - and saddens me - is how ugly they can get. If I have to fault our leaders for one particular thing, it would not be their poor management of the money that actually belongs to the people of this country. And it would not be the war on terror, which, I believe, was long over-due. Rather, it would be their failure to unite the people of this country. The divisiveness is crippling us. We need a srong leader who seeks to bring the people of this country together on the issues, not confound us. I am not troubled by the presidential candidates because of the color of one or the age of the other. I am troubled by the lack of clear, concise answers to the issues that need to be addressed now. I am so tired of political grand-standing, the pointing of fingers, and the lack of maturity. We should not have to guess about who represents the best leadership this country has to offer. It should be a goal we all aspire to - including the d$mn media - to find the single most qualified person, who encompasses all the characteristics our previously great leaders demonstrated. We have the benefit of hindsight. We can look back at leaders like George Washington & George Bush, and all those in between, and find what they did right -and remember what went wrong. This election should not be a cr%p-shoot - "let's hope the best man wins, 'cuz there ain't that much to choose from". Unfortunately, this seems to be the opinion of far too many people. And I can not say I am surprised. It is hard to make a decision based on "facts" when facts are few & far between. Or "facts" differ from one news channel to another, or one paper to another. Our history lesson the other day focused on the beginnings of the Associated Press in this country. It related how the newsmen of the day prided themselves on honesty and integrity - oh, how I long for that in today's world of sensationalistic journalism! My father loves the New York Post, which I find rather distasteful due to the sheer number of nearly-nude woman that grace many a page. If you have to turn the newspaper over so the little ones don't see it, it should not be called news - and it should be sold enclosed in a plain brown wrapper!

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...

That is what we did today - we exercised our fundamental right to take our learning outside. We took some books and spent our day at my sister's house, enjoying the cool, brisk weather of Autumn. What a wonderful feeling to know learning can occur anywhere. Our nature studies are really paying off as the children now really see trees and leaves, notice their differences, and can explain some of the whys concerning their appearance. We had already captured on film some of the glorious fall foliage when it was at its peak. Today we just enjoyed the crispness of fall. My oldest daughter enjoyed reading to her baby cousin, bundling him up for a wagon ride, and feeding him lunch. My sons tumbled in the leaves, chased each other, and just loved running free. My seven-year-old chastized her uncle for smoking cigarettes. And we learned about the beginnings of the United States Post Office, courtesy of Sonlight Core 4, worked on math, did some chemistry reading, and watched a video on United Streaming, explaining the path a letter takes on its journey from sender to recipient. All in all, a very good day.

Through the years ...

Over the years, I can look at my children's development and temperament and see that they have always been pretty much how they are today. My oldest is a loner, very willing to help out when asked, unmotivated on his own, but polite and kind. My daughter, 10, is driven in all she does. Whether it is the three dance classes she has each week, or the work I give her academically, she seeks to excel. She is a dynamo at cleaning, very organized, and extremely helpful. She is also so intense - too intense, at times. She knows how to have fun, inspires others with games and challenges she creates, and is althletically gifted. But the intensity - at age ten. Oh, my.

Then there is the younger "twin". Not really twins, of course, the 10 & 9 year old have just always been close. They have always been the best of playmates, the best of friends. But, lately, I guess the inherent male/female differences that come between the genders at times have caused a - well, a tiny crack to appear in the surface of the seemingly perfect relationship these two once shared. Where my 10 year-old girl is intense, her 9 year-old brother is not. He is as laid-back as can be without being unconscious. (I believe this is a trait inherited from his father.)
He is disorganized, sloppy, and unmotivated. And all this with a smile on his face, and a lack of concern over these less-than-stellar characteristics. His sister is his competent partner - she will provide for him, and she will look out for him. There is no need to trouble himself with remembering his shoes for tap class when, of course, she will. There is no need to remember where he put his Game-Boy, because she knows where to find it. It was not until recently that I noticed these "assumptions" beginning to bother the older twin. She is no longer doing for him without scolding him for not doing for himself. And she gets annoyed at his laziness. She even made herself a name tag that read, "Hello! My name is "Someone'", because when I ask for "Someone" to help me, it is always assumed she will respond.

My problem with the younger twin is that he is extremely bright. Extremely bright plus unmotivated is troubling to me. I do not push him, at least not yet. I do give him lots of excellent reading material, and allow him to do a great deal of his work orally. (He is a lefty, and a boy, so he has those two strikes against him.) I can allow him greater flexibility because I home-school. I in no way allow him to slack-off academically. I am just biding my time, hoping to allow the natural spark of curiosity to drive him on. I just do not want to push him so that I make him resent academics. Right now, he loves to read and memorize esoteric facts. So, that is what I let him do. This approach has worked before - just read up on some of the most inventive people throughout history. Or just ask the younger twin - he can name them all.