Contented Journey: Happy At Home

Lead your child out into nature. Teach him on the hilltops and in the valleys; there he will listen better. But in these hours of freedom let him be taught by nature rather than by you. Let him fully realize that he is the real teacher, and that you with your art do nothing more than to walk quietly by his side. Should a bird sing, or an insect hum on a leaf, at once stop your talk. Birds and insects are teaching him. You may be silent.

-Arnold Gesell

I believe a child needs time alone, free to be by himself, to just be himself. Clara is truly happy to be by herself playing with a rake in the sand, or a cup in the water. She tells stories to herself from the pictures in her books. She cuddles her doll and places it in the baby cradle after tenderly kissing its forehead. She'll sit alone and suck her thumb while caressing her blanket, her blue eyes thoughtful, her expression relaxed, her whole body in a state of quiet contentment.

Often I have thought how delightful it is to have her at home all day. I do not believe she would be better off at preschool, even for a few hours a week. I have heard it said that group therapy may be good for adults, but it is not usually best for little children. Learning to relate to a few people who are important to them, usually their family, is best for a child.

I am not worried about socialization. Being truly sociable is the ability to feel concern for others, to treat others as you would like to be treated, to be a real friend. Children should have opportunities to help others, to give of themselves in tangible ways. This can be done while they learn to help around the house with the smallest of chores... by sharing a favorite toy with a sibling, by helping Mama unload the spoons from the dishwasher, by picking up their toys.

Last weekend marked 2 years since my mother's passing. One thought that continually came to me was, "You will not always have your mother with you." My dad still has his mother. My husband still has his mother. Yet, I do not. God, in His wisdom and love, prepared and completed her heavenly home, and called her to it. My children are not guaranteed to always have their mother with them as they grow up, though I pray I will not be called away "early." Each day is a precious gift to love them, teach them, and train them. They grow so quickly!

I remember when Clara was a baby - it seems like only yesterday....