Social Butterflies and winks!

THE.BIG.QUESTION

Every one's greatest concern when homeschooling...

Can you guess? 

Is it on the tip of your tongue?

Is it forefront in your brain?

It is the question that no one is afraid to ask.

It is a bombshell...(not really, but it sounded good)

How will your children learn social skills if they are homeschooled?

Actually, two of my children are complete social butterflies.  One does not mind social situations and the other, we have not figured out yet.  She is after all only six months old.  Jay and Lucie Rose have never met a stranger.  The love people, love to talk, love to interact, and just love to be the center of attention.  I honestly have no idea where either of them get it from.  Contrary to popular belief, we do not stay cooped up in the house twenty-four/seven.  We get out and go.  All three of the older kiddos are currently playing soccer.  I love soccer.  Lucie Rose seriously looks like a gnat on an elephants rear wearing shin guards, as she runs across the field.  Well maybe she flutters and swirls and turns cart wheels.  Not much soccer playing going on in her vicinity of the field, but you gotta start somewhere, right? We play baseball, basketball, and soccer.  It seems like we are always on the go with sports.  Then there is Homeschool Co-op, 4H, kids in the neighborhood, church, and several of my friends have kiddos the same age as our sweetlings. We have a LARGE and in charge extended family and there are lots of cousins. Needless to say, there are social opportunities at every turn. 

I am here to tell you not going to "school" has not stopped my kiddos from bringing home, let's just say, interesting conversation starters for Jamie and I.  Just Sunday, Jamie and I had to intervene in a situation between the boys.  Turns out one had said something to the other about making out with his girlfriend.  For real???? We had a long talk with them about what making out meant (they played dumb at that point) without going into detail.  It was an opportunity to learn for all involved.  You just can not shelter them from those type of things no matter how much you want to.  And believe me, I want to.  We are so totally not ready for those kind of talks with them.  All of that to say, socialization is not an issue for us. 

Homeschooling means you have to make other opportunities for socialization.  You have to be willing to be "on the go". I do not want my children to be reclusive.  Shoot, I do not want to be reclusive.  I will say this...after Eli died, being reclusive was all I wanted.  I wouldn't have cared one iota if we never left the house.  Luckily, I had some wonderful family and friends who coaxed me back into socialization.  There are always circumstances and situations in life when you would rather not socialize, whether you homeschool or not.  Unsocialization is certainly not exclusive to homeschooling. 

So maybe that is just an excuse anti-homeschool naysayers use to give it a bad name.  Let me be the first to tell them...you gotta get a new excuse.  That one just doesn't cut it anymore. 

Here are some pictures of our social butterflies in action.

Such a camera hog!  She was supposed to be following the ball.  Instead she follows the camera (sigh).





For those of you who follow my blog, you know I love a good God wink.  For those of you who are first timers, you might be wondering what a God wink is.  Let me explain.  Soon after our fourth child, Eli died, I began noticing little things that brought me closer to Eli.  Most mothers who have lost children will tell you they have had similar experiences.  The night Eli died a thunderstorm popped up out of nowhere.  Thunderstorms always remind me of him.  It seems when I am particularly apprehensive about him or a situation, a thunderstorm will pop up.  I blogged about thunderstorms two days before Eli was born.  They are special and I call them a wink.  Rainbow babies are babies born after the loss of a child.  When we had a going away/baby shower for my friend Christi, who lost her son three days before we lost Eli, we experienced a double rainbow that evening. I was holding Amelia and she was pregnant with her rainbow baby...our double rainbows. There have been lots of these winks.  I love them.  They make me happy. They make me smile. 

Lots of background there, I know.  We have had another unique wink.  Amelia is our six month old baby girl.  She is the sweetest, most laid back baby that was ever born.  She has brought so much happiness back into our house.  Never will she replace Eli but she still has been a balm to our wounded spirits.  I was combing her hair the other day and I noticed a cowlick in the crown of her head.  Actually, I knew the cowlick was there.  I just had never before noticed the shape of the cowlick.  I thought maybe the shape was just a one time occurrence but it was there the next day and the next.  It has been about three weeks now and the cowlick is still the same shape. 

It's a heart!

Yep, another wink folks.  Those winks mean so much to me.  There is a great deal of comfort for me in those God winks.  I think He knows that. 

Then you think about it like this.  How awesome is our God that He would take the time to send little ole me a wink! My Father makes me feel loved!

Much love,