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This cool cat is no longer a first grader. oh dear.
And that other cute cat, he is now on his way to first grade. oh wow.
They had Cat in the Hat Day at school awhile back to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday. They came home from their day at class SOOO excited to show off their handmade costumes! I love that they go to a charter school that brings literature and science to life, and where they can be set up for success with math and language arts while not being shoved into a cookie cutter mold.
However, in the spring amidst all of the excitement and relief that comes with completing the school year I am reminded that I am their primary educator and their mom. In the end we are the ones day in and day out working hard and learning together. No one gives the home school mom a giant gold star at the end of the year and amidst the pats on the back for the kid’s job well done, there is the necessary documentation and constant looking ahead to what will happen next year.
Feeling overwhelmed and uncertain of what we had accomplished and what the summer should hold my husband helps me refocus. He reminds me that the state’s formulas showing where they excel and where they need to work extra hard are not the truest barometer of their struggle or success. What God is doing in their hearts is the real deal. And that testing and refining and growing of their character comes in a million different ways, some so very hard, confusing and patience trying, and some glorious, shining little bits of what life is and always should be. My wise man reminds me the reason I do this is so I can be present for all those moments, but our God is the true architect and I can trust Him with them.
So we will still snuggle and read, count in the car and add and subtract as we eat. But summer will be full of all the things summer should be full of! Snuggling in bed till “late” in the morning, swimming and surfing, dirt biking and hiking, campfires and beach cottages, putting the workbooks and schedules away and enjoying lazy days full of meandering play. Because a new school year will come soon enough but little boys that want to build and dig and run for days won’t be little for long, and I don’t want to miss these precious sunny days.
