My local home school support group decided to go through this book on their Mom’s nights. Although I don’t usually go, my hubby heard them mention the book and told me I should get it and read it myself. When hubby suggests I buy a book, he doesn’t have to tell me twice! It was a short book and I bought the Kindle version, but I wasn’t disappointed. I related with almost all of the lies he mentioned. I may have hubby read the book himself just so he knows what goes through my head most days!! I highly recommend it.
This isn’t an official review, but more just my sharing a couple things I took away from the book:
1. It’s OK if my kids don’t excel in everything. They will become who God created them to be in spite of me. I need to try to give my kids the best education I can, but if my daughter has trouble with history, it’s not the end of the world. She just isn’t designed to be a historian. If God has designed her to be an artist, she’ll become that even if I stink at doing art projects. It was a very freeing realization.
“You are not responsible to make your child something they are not. You are only responsible to give them the tools to do what they were created to do, sharpening where you can, loving them unconditionally, and leaving a godly example for them to follow.”
My eldest son despises English grammar, but devours books about Great Lakes shipwrecks. He builds Lego creations that blow me away and builds plastic models I would never have the patience to do. That’s OK! I need to help him with his verbs and adjectives, but if he never loves it or excels at it, that’s OK. God just didn’t make him an English teacher. No problem. He’ll be giving lectures at some Lake Michigan ship museum by the time he’s 15 at this rate. Fine by me.
If I can’t teach my crafty daughter to knit and despise the thought of trying, I can find someone who loves it and can teach her. She can make me blankets when I’m old. She just won’t be giving any history lectures. And she might be late to her own wedding and forget where the church is, but that’s OK. That will be for her husband and her to work through at that point. 🙂
My youngest son? If we can keep him in one piece each day, we’re doing well. He’ll be a rock climber or a missionary in the Himalayas. Who knows.
2. “If you want someone smarter to teach your children, you can find someone. There is always someone smarter than you. BUT if you want someone better to teach your children, you will find no one.”
I struggle with this with my daughter in particular. She’s very different from me in personality and strengths. She wants a spa birthday party. I avoid spas at all costs. She wants high heeled shoes. I hate heels and wear sneakers. She loves to make crafts. I don’t do crafts. She wants to knit. I can’t knit. I love to read. She can’t stand to read. I’m organized and task-oriented. She struggles with focus and finishing basic tasks. God made us very different and I wonder some days if He messed up and gave her the wrong mother.
But no, God does not make mistakes. He put her and me together for a reason. I’m sure we’ll both learn a thing or two before it’s all over. I have to believe that I’m the best mother for her because God knows what He’s doing. Perhaps I should repeat that over and over again a few times. Daily. And yes, she’s having a spa party in a couple weeks and I’m going to learn how to make bath salts, whatever those are.
Amy Lynn Simon 