The other day, I gave my youngest son 7 math problems, a feat that I expected to be accomplished in just a few minutes. Of course, it ended up being much closer to 15 because he insisted on flying the mancala game pieces that he used for counting in the air, while making whooshing sounds. I had to bite my lip for much of that time, otherwise I would have blurted "No! stop pretending that those beads are space ships! Pay attention to your work! See? Your brother has already completed TWO pages!" All the while thinking "Why can't he just focus? What do I need to do to correct this?"
#homeschoolproblems
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| My crazy kid. He insisted on a bowl of milk with a side of fish for lunch. |
In this moment, I have come to realize that my ultimate job as a parent is to help my child flourish and rather than try to shape him into someone that he is not.
Both of my boys have an incredible imagination, and my youngest has the uncontrollable urge to make everything fun. It is so incredibly easy for him to get lost in his imaginary world of being a fighter pilot - a daydream that I am so quick to take him out of by nagging him to finish some very boring worksheet or change into some "real" clothes versus his costumes. He loves attending his lessons dressed as Batman, Wolverine, or any other number of superheroes.
