Lincoln Log Quiet Time

G-man decided to build during quiet time today. After a few minutes he excitedly called, "Mommy, Look!" When I went to look, this is what I saw. A complete log cabin with deck, bench, and TV set. I was amazed as he has never built such a well-planned-out structure before. They are usually a lot more abstract. :-)

Homeschool Meetup Group

We've been to 2 homeschool meetups, and I'm really liking it. There are some really fun ladies there and lots of kids, several being right around G's age. Last week we went roller skating and had a lot of fun! G loved it! I am so pleased with his social growth just since we've been checking out homeschool playgroups. He used to be such a leg-hugger, but now he's running (or skating/tripping) up to people and saying hello and asking their names. It's so great to see him growing like this.

This was G's 3rd time skating, I think. The last time being about a year ago. At first he wanted to hold on to me, but when he figured out that I would not be towing him around the rink all day, he quickly let me go and declared, "I don't need you." His improvement was amazing! He started out slipping and tripping all over the place, falling every couple of steps, but by the end he was doing SO much better. It was fun to see his improvement over such a short time.

The Question of "Weirdness"

A few days ago I was asked a question pertaining to homeschooling: "Are you worried that your son will turn out weird?"

It got me thinking...I guess it depends on your definition of "weird". I suppose what the asker meant was, am I worried that my son will be a social outcast for life because of homeschooling, that he will always be a step behind in jokes, slang and slurs? I'm not exactly sure what other homeschooling stereotypes are out there that people are worried about and think that I should be worried about. Perhaps it is believed that people who homeschool actually stay home and keep their kids from the outside world altogether. In reality, we do more social extra-curricular activities even at this stage of the game than I ever did going through public school (where socializing is largely discouraged, or at least it was when I was growing up. Do children still get in trouble for talking in class?). These days there are so many great ways to get involved with the local homeschooling community (which is a rapidly growing group), it is a rare thing to find a family who keeps their children cooped up at home, not allowing any outside contact.

The more I think about it, though, the more I realize that yes, my son will be weird. I take "weird" to mean outside of the norm, strange, different, even extraordinary. There is no doubt that he will not be an ordinary child. Even now at the age of four, he is not ordinary but a bit weird. He's got a large vocabulary, can comfortably have a conversation with people of all ages, and is reading. As he gets older I EXPECT him to be weird, and I will be proud of him for it. In observing the ordinary children of today, I see disrespectful individuals who are hungry for attention. They hate school and ridicule anyone with a love for learning or who does well academically. They are bitter and resentful, and they embrace evil.

So, I am looking forward to seeing the "weird" man that my son will become outside of that influence. If being "weird" means that my son will love and seek after God, love and respect his parents, be compassionate, have a high self-esteem, be well-educated and able to think independently of the crowd, KNOW what is right and stand up for it, be able to carry on intelligent conversation, be able to relate to people of all ages (not just his own age group) and have sound reasoning skills, I say, I hope he's as weird as they come.