Expo Did Something To Me, Part 1

My perspective has been greatly changed since being at the expo two weeks ago.  All of the speakers were good but one of the gentlemen there said something that has me re-evaluating everything we do and why we do it.

First let me say that the concept he was teaching on isn't foreign to me, but for some reason it made a more lasting impression on me.  It prompted me to think about all the areas of our Lovelock life that directly or indirectly connect to the principle of:  finding your child's bent and fostering it.

Again, not a new concept at all.  But on this day, this speaker and the whole lesson just got me really thinking about my kids and their individuality.  It also go me to thinking about my own bent and how have I, either fostered it or stifled it.

I am hoping this blog post, accompanied by other posts, will in fact make sense.  I currently have a lot of stuff floating around in this head of mine and while I can easily see the connection, I may not accurately get it out in an understandable post.  But I'm going to try.

When hubby and I decided long ago, before kids were even in the picture that we would homeschool we had very specific reasons.  None of those reasons included finding our child's bent and fostering it.  We had and still have excellent reasons, but the older I get and the older they get I realize it is about so much more than just what they are learning from a book.  It's always been about the Biblical knowledge (one of our biggest reasons) and about developing good character.  But over the years the burden weighed heavy that academically they must learn and the Bible lessons and character lessons didn't always get the time and attention they needed (I'm just being real here people).  Don't get me wrong they get a lot of Bible in their life and character development through daily life, but my original plan had a more structured idea of teaching those two things.  Just like the Bible and character lessons, developing their interests or their bent had to play second fiddle to the "this is required and we must get this done, the other stuff will have to wait".  Honestly, that takes the fun out of homeschooling and you find yourself in a rut.

Please don't take this out of context, I am acutely aware that solid academics are important and need to be taught.  But along the way the gifts and talents that God gave them need to be, must be, developed.  There is a vital reason that those gifts and talents were grafted into our children and who are we to decide that's not who they are or that something else would be better for them??

And that, folks, is the end of part one.  Part two will be posted in the next couple of days!