One of the challenges of the homeschooling lifestyle is that we mamas tend to have our kids with us wherever we go, whatever we do. On the bright side, this means we are forced to develop coping techniques!
I had to return to the Minute Clinic bright and early this morning (influenza ---> double ear infection ---> turns out I am allergic to antibiotics in the penicillin family!), but my husband was unavailable to watch the children. I am maintaining my really stubborn position about use of electronics in public places, so I gathered up a bag full of books to take with us.
(We went to a restaurant for dinner on Friday night and I managed--just barely--not to have a coronary from watching how many families were sitting there with individual iPads or other Internet devices for each child at the table, to zombify them so the adults could eat in peace without having to discipline. Of course, the adults tended to be on their own smart phones as well, so they weren't disciplining themselves either. This culture is going to implode.)
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| Tacky the Penguin, Mary Poppins, Encyclopedia Brown, Spot |
There are plenty of times our family is not an inspiring example in public, but this morning went so well.
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| Mary (6) has read the first two of four books of Mary Poppins in the several weeks since Christmas. |
We crowded into the examination room, which is the size of a walk-in closet, all five of our family plus the Nurse Practitioner and the NP in training. I set the three bigs on the examination table with their books and the toddler in a chair with his book and they read.
Well, right there, the NP kept interrupting our appointment to ask about that they're reading, actually reading! And who are these children? Wait, wait a minute, do you . . . homeschool? (Why yes, we do.) So, then she began asking about curriculum choices and we talked phonics and how much we dislike whole language.
We had a great visit, the kids were awesome, and my allergic reaction should be gone within a few days.
Go, team!
(Please help me not to despair when we go out another time and are completely embarrassed by our behavior.)
How wonderful!! I can practically see you bursting with joy at your little bookworms! And I hope you feel better soon. God is good for blessing you with such a sweet, idyllic moment right when you're going through such an icky situation. -Emiliann W.
ReplyDeleteThose are the best days when it all goes so well! I hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the culture....Have you seen Wall-e? Prophetic, I tell you.
How nice to have a win in the public behavior department! I love those. It's not random, though. Your very careful foresight and planning had a lot to do with it!
ReplyDeleteAnd yow, about the penicillin! So sorry you're ill.
ReplyDeleteThat is a rare sight with the books!!!! I hope you are better soon! I went to a high school music concert recently...parents and students were looking at their phones...even the principal! What saddens me even more than restaurants is parents on phones at playgrounds missing precious moments...but I need to get off mine more, too (at home)...glad Lent will be here before we know it!
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