Three Rings

I recently lost a ring that I purchased while on vacation with a friend during our senior year in high school. My finger did not feel or look right without my ring but I wanted to find just the right ring to replace it. Yesterday I found the ring. Three actually. I was at the store to purchase a couple of things, armed with some birthday money just in case I found something extra. While looking at earrings, this set of rings caught my eye. I added the set to my purchase. When I got to the car, I took the rings out of the package and placed them on my finger. It instantly struck me that there were three rings for my three girls.

One ring had a smooth, polished finish. The largest of the three, it reminded me of my oldest daughter. She has an amazing innocence and a simplistic view of life. Fashion, boys, makeup, and popularity are things her peers think of often, but she is a free spirit. She is more content to dig in the dirt, sleep in late, and spend time with her younger sisters.

Another ring is a slightly thinner band made of a braid. This is my middle daughter. Although she is tiny in stature, her personality is bold and a force to be reckoned with. She will not be left out nor forgotten. She is a complicated person, always keeping those around her on their toes.

The third ring is a tiny band with bumps around the circumference. The first thing people notice about my tiniest girl is her curly hair. It drives me nuts because it is never in place, just like my curly locks. Like her oldest sisters, she will leave an impression on anyone who crosses her path.

I think I found the perfect rings with which I can adorn my finger.

No Apology Necessary

My 8-year-old daughter told her babysitter's teenage daughter that she didn't have to listen to her because she is not the boss. Well, actually she was the boss at the time because the babysitter left momentarily and left her daughter in charge. My daughter apologized when the babysitter returned. When I found out about it, I told my daughter that she needed to write a letter of apology to deliver tomorrow. She expressed her opinion that she has already apologized and is finished with the situation.

After some time sitting on her bed thinking, she now sees things my way and is writing her letter. Ugghhh...

I love my children, I love my children, I love my children. That statement was for my sanity.

I suppose God feels the same way about me on a regular basis. I do something I know I should not do and then do the least act I can to remedy the situation. I feel like it should slide, just this time, and He says no, not good enough, go back and fix it.

It's amazing what we can learn from our kids.

Choosing an Education

I have always wanted to work with kids, and by the end of high school I knewI would end up teaching. For many years I was against homeschooling and private schools. I felt that it is most beneficial to all of our children if we all supported public education. If we as parents poured ourselves into public education as we often do into homeschooling and private schools, then public schools would be so much better. I became enlightened when my own daughter was in first grade.

I have always known my chid is intelligent aand the school confirmed that when we received a letter inviting her to participate in GATE for the following school year. By that time, I had already begun the process to enroll her into CAVA, a charter homeschool program. It was not that I didn't pour myself into her education nor did I dislike her teacher. I was frustrated that my child spent all day at school, studying reading, writing, and math and came home with several pages of homework every day. I wanted to spend time with my daughter at night doing something other than homework. I did not understand why there was no time for social studies, science, art, or music.

I considered transferring her to another school in the district where I substitute taught on several occassions and liked what the teachers got into their classrooms. Around the same time, I spent some time with a friend who homeschools through CAVA. It is the best of both worlds. This public school allows parents to teach but provides all of the curriculum and materials needed, including language arts, math, history, science, art, and even music. There are many families that use this program and they meet regularly to meet the social needs of children. The children have time to do things other than school.

Without hesitation, I enrolled my daughter and she will successfully finish second grade with CAVA. When I say that is an individual choice, I don't just mean for each family, but each child. I would not consider homeschooling my four-year-old until she is at least in first grade. I know that she needs to be in a classroom, even if she has rough days dealing with the other kids. She needs to learn to be part of a group, follow directions, and other social skills that she would not get in a homeschool setting. And then there is always our baby who may do something entirely different from the others.

For more info on CAVA, click here.