Quote for today, the first day of School for so many children in our land...

John Holt from "How Children Learn":

Birds fly, fish swim, man thinks and learns. Therefore, we do not need to motivate children into learning by wheedling, bribing or bullying. We do not need to keep picking away at their minds to make sure they are learning. What we need to do, and all we need to do, is bring as much of the world as we can... into their lives; give children as much help and guidance as they ask for; listen respectfully when they feel like talking; and then get out of the way. We can trust them to do the rest.

Ahhhh, yes. Children WILL learn. We simply need to *be* with them as their journey unfolds. Perhaps that's the biggest challenge for us as parents. ;D

Today marks my dd's first day of kindergarten. But we choose to homeschool. So she was sound asleep as the school bus rumbled by at 8:03 this morning. Actually, the puppy & I were the only two awake in the house - all other family members dozed happily. And here, on her first day of kindergarten, she's got chicken pox, so even if she WERE going to a brick-and-mortar school, she'd still not've been able to attend.

While the car was in at the shop today, we were planning on playing on a nearby playground. Until we arrived, that is, and found it crawling with preschool-aged children, infants, and mothers... one of whom may have been pregnant - who knows. So rather than infecting them all with pox, we continued walking down to the extra large grass soccer fields, where the puppy could run off-leash. I don't know why I foolishly assumed a playground beats a soccer field for entertainment value. Seriously. The kids ran and ran, being chased by the puppy until all 3 practically collapsed in a sweaty, panting heap at my feet. They hid behind trees on the perimeter and played hide-and-seek with the puppy. They played tag with the puppy. The creativity that unfolded on that field was a sight to behold. Whereas I can see in retrospect that the more we give our children in terms of material objects, the less they require the use of their imaginations. Unecumbered by material items, children can unbridle their imaginations and creativity. Life Lesson learned: always give children a blank canvas to paint on, not a paint-by-number.

It was curious while we were out, how people reacted to my daughter`s obviously visible chicken pox. Some were very respectful in that they brought it up to her, but didn`t step back in horror. It was more of a `well, everyone gets it - we`ve all had it ourselves` - sort of attitude. Accepting of it... and her (she`s feeling a little self-conscious at the moment). Others, like some of the other shoppers in the grocery store, gave her (and me) looks of horror and fear. No kidding. Perhaps these were adults who had never had it, or had no idea what these sores on her face were. Or maybe they were just confused why my obviously school-aged children weren`t in school during school hours on this, the first day of school. Who KNOWS what was going on in their heads. Nevertheless, when you see a child with obvious sores, and you don`t know what it is, show some compassion and ask the child or their parent, if your curiosity simply won`t rest until you know.

Reminds me of when she was an infant. She was born with a severe left club foot. Treatment involved weekly full-leg casts from 5 weeks until 13 weeks. I remember walking through Costco, with her facing outwards in a Snugli carrier, and getting the most EVIL looks from people that I had somehow broken my infants`leg at such a young age. But they didn`t have the decency to talk to me. They simply glared as they walked by. It`s taken me a long time to develop skin thick enough to not be bothered by other people`s glances in my direction. I don`t do it consciously; in a flash of an instant I can read your face and know what your unspoken opinion is on me and whatever I`m around). Instantly. A gift, definitely, but also sometimes a curse... especially if I let others`opinions of me dictate my emotions.

Anyways I`m digressing quickly here, the more tired I get. Have a jolly good evening and we`ll see you around. :)
~n~