Wednesday, February 18, 2009

To Seed, or not to Seed

I'm dreaming of embarking on a gardening odyssey. Like any quest worth the name, there are some obstacles in my path to self-sustenance. For example, I live in a third floor apartment. And I have never in my whole life managed to keep a plant alive for any extended period.

But I want to try.

And information like this is helping me screw up my courage to take the plunge.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

They really are blank slates

I read this post a while back by Melissa Wiley, an author and homeschooling mom, in which she details how she felt compelled to teach her kids to duck after an incident with a soccer ball at a park:

Suddenly a cry rang out: “DUCK!” Every person in the vicinity ducked out of the way of the large ball hurtling toward our group. Except my kids. All three of them (there were only three at the time) LOOKED UP AT THE SKY. I kid you not. “Where?” cried Jane. “Is it a mallard?”

The fact that her children had no innate knowledge to help them distinguish evasive maneuvers from birds started her thinking about what other things she was just expecting them to know without teaching them.

I keep running up against this same thing as a parent. You'd think I would learn at some point. I guess in ways I am getting better. But I still find myself expecting William to know things that I haven't taught him. And considering that he's homeschooled and spends most of every single day with me, I can't blame anyone but myself for his lack of knowledge.

Kids really do come to us as blank slates, and we're meant to teach and, yes, train them. They can figure some things out on their own, but if left to their own devices all of the time, they usually don't end up where their parents want them to.

I need to remember if William is somewhere I don't want him to be (like in Talkback-istan) to ask myself, "Did I show him another way? Is he looking for a mallard because I never taught him to duck?"

Thursday, February 12, 2009

If you like books, proceed with caution

I'm one of those people who rereads books I love. But I also love finding new books to read. I used to randomly pluck books from the shelf at the library. I discovered Douglas Adams this way. But you know, when you do that, every so often you pluck a real stinker. And I have this weird hang-up whereby I am unable to not finish a book once I start it. So I am currently loving Reading Trails. It's kind of like randomly plucking a book from the library shelf. Except it's not random. And you can't get books from there, you still have to go to your library. But it's kind of like that. Somehow.

I like putting in books William or I have enjoyed and seeing what other books are linked to them. Directed randomness.

But if you really like reading, you are forewarned. It can be pretty addictive.