Full blown learning...

I'm quite confident in my parenting, I've made plenty of mistakes, sure. My very first parenting mistake happened on April 7, 1993. I was a single, sixteen year old, living with my parents and putting a healthy future together for the baby within my womb... I was due later in the month, fearing the pain of delivery. Ha! Silly first timer, I had no idea labor and delivery was the easy part. So, there I am at my obstetrician office, they were concerned- pre-eclampsia was taking hold. Not knowing the details, in a world where the internet was just getting a grip, I was too exhausted to haul myself and my belly to the library. I obediently did as I was told, I picked up a prescription and went home to bed rest. The next thing I remember is my mom asking for details about my appointment, I was groggy and filled her in... she realized I'd been prescribed sleeping pills. I was sleepy and horrified, I'd just given my tiny perfect baby a sleeping pill! Mom took the next day off to go back to my appointment the following morning. I asked the midwife why I was given sleeping pills. To this day, her reply pisses me off. She said since I was only 16, I couldn't possibly understand the danger that I was in, that my unborn baby was in, and since I was likely to ignore bed rest requirements she figured she'd just knock me out. Never mind the fact that I'd attended every appointment, and had spent the previous nine months doing everything possible to ensure a healthy baby. (I was induced that day...!)

Umm. No. That one sentence has shaped much of my approach to parenting. Basically, I will trust nobody blindly. I was young, that can't be debated. However, I was filled with a desire to provide this baby with the best- I had every intention of going straight home and would not move again until my appointment the next day. That was 22 years ago and that was the last time any of my kids were given a medicine without me researching it.

They say it takes a village, I agree. I am the only person in that village that loves my children beyond words, nobody is as fiercely in love with those kids as I am. (Of course daddy, but I'm thinking back to that situation where it was only me and my baby.) I love village assistance, but it will be preapproved.

I might be rambling, sorry. My blog is in no way one of those organized, beautifully created blogs. But here it is.

So, the village. I'm getting there, promise. I do have a point.

I love to see my kids experience life. That is part of the joy I find in homeschool, I get to experience life with him, it's no longer me trying to find out what they did at school that day, it's us experiencing life and learning together.

The other day I posted a picture on Facebook. Hubby, Cajer and I were running errands and stopped by the transmission shop to check on our truck. Cajer wanted to look around so we were... I snapped a pic of... well, here, look:

I didn't think much of it, we carried on with our errands. A friend commented that she'd never let her boys stand there. (Side note: this friend is great- I tend to only keep Facebook friends who I know and like!) I was caught off guard, why on earth would she not allow her boys this view? She wasn't the only one to voice this opinion. And I love when friends respectfully chime in, as I'm all about reevaluating my decisions as a momma. So, for further input, I posted the picture in 2 homeschool groups I'm a member of on Facebook. Umm, wow. 

Group 1 is a happy, go with the flow, child led learning group. Most people agreed that they'd allow their kid to explore from this angle, providing it was a safe situation. 

Group 2 is a huge group with many, many strong opinions. Overall, opinions were split roughly 50/50. Some people virtually high fived me for allowing him to enjoy a fun experience. The other people are quite likely googling me still, in an attempt to notify DCF and have my child removed from me. Yeah, the post ended up being shut down, it got rather heated. 

I love to see my kids learn, I LOVE to provide exposure to the world, assuming it's a safe situation, a safe environment. I do not see the harm in allowing him to view the truck from this angle. Two mechanics and his daddy, who was a mechanic for many years, were within feet of him. He spent approximately 20 seconds looking at the truck before he went to examine everything else before we left. 

He would have been safest had he remained buckled up. But come on! He wants to see the world. Hear it, smell it, feel it. That is contributing to his life, allowing freedom to learn. What would he have learned sitting in a seat? 

On that note, I guess that's why I love homeschooling. Because really, how much can anyone learn while sitting still in a seat? 

Here is my oldest. He was also given freedom to learn... at this point, momma isn't by his side, but I have to trust that his guardian angels don't mind the overtime. He has years of experience to guide him, I believe that those experiences (the good and bad!) help him throughout his days. Some kids learn from reading about gravity as they remain seated. I've got some like that. On the other hand, my first born and last born require real life experience to learn. An effective lesson on gravity for those two boys looks something like this, followed by a splash and the cold, refreshing water of the river. Personally, I do ok learning via book, but these two boys have taught me so much about life and LIVING it.