We've been doing this homeschooling gig for over 14 months and it's taken this long for someone to ask me why you weren't in school. We were at Winn Dixie a few weeks ago and an elderly lady (I only include this description because I don't believe homeschooling is as understood or accepted by grandparent-aged folks as it is by younger folks) looked at you. Then looked back at me. Then looked at you again. Then narrowed her eyes and asked "Why isn't she in school?" [I assume she thought that because you didn't look sick and I clearly wasn't dressed for an office job (unless some company's dress code is non-excercised-in exercise shorts and a t-shirt?) that there had to be some strange reason why you weren't in school]. I smiled at her and told her I homeschooled you. She looked a little confused, almost like she couldn't decide whether to respond with a "How nice" or an "I'm sorry." Instead, she just said "Well ... ok then." I laughed (on the inside, of course) and you and I walked out of the store, headed to spend Girl Time (the time after school is done and before we pick Charlie up from preschool) at the bookstore. You may not be in 'regular' school, my peach, but what we do works for us. And I'm tickled to get to spend quality time with you.
I read something by Lysa TerKeurst a few years ago about things she always prays for her children. One of them was "I pray they always get caught making the wrong decisions." I liked that. I liked that it wasn't "I pray they won't make wrong decisions", because let's be for real. You'll make wrong decisions. I'm guessing you'll make plenty of them. But I want you to get caught doing them so that they won't be done in secret, won't be kept from Daddy and me, won't give you a false sense of security that comes from unconfessed sins. So I've been praying that prayer over you and Charlie for a while now, and it paid off last week. I had been playing with Charlie when he quickly walked off to find something. Right then, I overheard you telling something to somebody that you had no business saying. No business at all. Ten years ago, I would have chalked it up to a coincidence. Now I know it was the Lord answering my prayer. It was a great (and of course teary) teachable moment. Moments like this are a huge encouragement to me as someone who questions every parenting move she makes.
You were sick over Halloween. I'm so grateful that neither you nor Charlie get sick often, particularly because the level of whininess when you're sick is off the charts. You had a fever and had zero energy. I knew you must have felt bad because you didn't even fuss when Charlie got on his costume to go trick-or-treating with Daddy. You just lifted your head up from my lap, half-smiled at Batman, then laid your head back down. I put the bowl of candy on our front porch with a note that said "Please don't ring the doorbell - our daughter is sick" so I wouldn't have to asnwer the door. There are some sweet kids in our neighborhood because 1) I heard some of them comment on how sad it was that you were sick on Halloween and 2) there was still candy left at the end of the night. So there wasn't a kid who dumped the whole bowl into his bag. Charlie brought back a pretty good haul and made sure you saw there was some pink Starbursts for you. You've got a sweet brother. And he has an amazing sister.
Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy
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