I've really enjoyed working part time at the Waldorf camp this summer. It's been so refreshing hanging out with kids and just talking. I haven't really interacted this much with kids since having Emma, and that seems not quite true since I'm always around children. But, without their parents being close by, children seem to talk more openly. What they say to me makes so much more sense now, that I have a child of my own. It was if I couldn't communicate fully with them before. and now, after having Em, I have learned their special language. Maybe I was trying to hard as a teacher, but now as a parent, I just am.
The one thing that strikes me the most in interacting with the children, is just how invaluable and precious they are. They are just such beautiful little angels and it's so sad to see them when they are going through difficult times, such as divorce. There still seem to be a high rate of divorce these days. That really surprises me, because I thought that it couldn't get any worse than it was when I was in school. I seemed to be one of the very few in school with parents still together. One little girl, age 6, really started talking about her parents and their lives, but then all of a sudden, shut down, and said she couldn't talk about it any more. That seemed like such an adult thing to say, yet what these children are experiencing is far beyond what they should have to deal with at their age. It's so crazy because in an age where attachment parenting is such a huge and popular style of parenting, we can never really fully protect our children from life, real life, in all it's harshness.
Josef and I been going though some parenting decisions of our own lately. I just finished reading a fabulous book called The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling. Reading this book has made me completely gun hoe about homeschooling. And Emma couldn't be in a better community when it comes to learning and socializing. We are already members of a number of different Yahoo home schoolers listserves and it's nothing but positive stories and such great support. Here, in the homeschooling community of Austin, there are co ops, clubs, classes that parents can plan and teach for small fees, field tips, playgroups, theaters, and part time schools that have classes two or three days a week. There are just so many options for us, which is terrific! And because there are so many options, we have confirmed our dedication to homeschooling. I want Emma to have the complete experience which also means taking classes from other teachers and learning together with others as well as with Josef and me. My view of homeschooling is that I want to give her something that regular schools can not:
A love for learning and discovering.
** Is anyone else having problems uploading their pictures. I thought it was my service problems, but the pictures still do not look quite right! Somethings up with the pixels***