Lots of squeals and giggles - punctuated by temper tantrums and arguments.

"Stay on the bench until you can tell me what you did wrong," I heard an extremely calm mother say to her little girl.

"I didn't DO anything wrong!" came the child's indignant reply.

The mother held her ground and left the child to think on the bench.

I sat down on an adjacent bench. - My 13-year-old was clearly one of the oldest "children" there. We had come for lunch and to simply spend time with friends. This is one of the excellent benefits of homeschool - the joy of spending time with children of ALL ages.

(And to be honest, my 13 year still loves to run around the park. We have to let them be little.)

I caught the patient mom's eye and told her she was doing a good job... her child's persistence and strong will WILL most certainly become an asset, I tell her. (I'm seeing it now in my own 16-year-old. ) We exchanged a few words and she went back to watching her other three children, one of them an infant.

This mom had her hands full and was doing such a beautiful job.

I had a few minutes to myself before a friend of mine arrived with her children. I looked around the crowded park, thinking how 13 years earlier I used to come to this same park with my infant and very active three-year-old in tow.

My, how times change.

It seems that we can always see more clearly in hindsight. Some days I wish I had a do-over with my children, and other days I have great peace knowing God ordained our days as He saw fit.

To the mom at the park - if you would have had time for a leisurely cup of coffee and a chat, I would have shared these thoughts with you.

Cherish This Time

Right now you don't even have time to think about cherishing this time - but one day you will be so thankful you were present with your children. You will be thankful you sacrificed a "career" to stay at home with them. Your family will benefit in untold ways from you putting their needs ahead of your own.

Those sticky kisses, bear hugs, endless stories - and yes, even the temper tantrums - will be gone in the blink of an eye.

Cherish this time.

Stand Your Ground

Parenting isn't for wimps. It's not always easy to stick to your guns and make your persistent, screaming child stay on that bench because she misbehaved.

Consistency is one of the biggest gifts you can give your children.

Setting limits will make everyone's life more peaceful and productive in the long run.

Too many parents are trying to please their children instead of train their children.

It was wonderful to watch you in action at the park.

Play WITH Them

Sometimes we get so caught up taking care of our children that we forget to enjoy them.

Be sure to let your hair down and play with your children. (I engaged in a game of chase with some young friends and was ASTOUNDED that I went down the slide much slower than I used to!)

Blow bubbles. Jump rope. Run in the sprinkler. Play soccer.

It's good for YOUR soul, too.

However... Give Them Time to Play Alone

Another gift you can give your children is the ability to entertain themselves.

Give them plenty of time and space to use their imaginations - to be bored.

Please don't fill their days with endless activities. Just because everyone puts their child on a soccer team at age 4 doesn't mean it's best for YOUR children. There are many good activities out there - just be aware that your children only deserve the BEST.

Don't feel the need to keep up with all of the other moms at the park. This will be tough, but teaching your children not to follow the crowd is perhaps the greatest lesson of all.`

Teach them how to WONDER.

Prepare a Feast of Beautiful Things

Less is more. Surround your children with things of beauty.

Fine art, classical music, beautiful literature, walks in nature - you have such an opportunity to fix a beautiful table of goodness for your children. How will they know how to create beauty if they have never SEEN it?

Please don't give them a tablet or phone when you need a break.

Garbage in, garbage out, remember?

Motherhood is a Noble Calling

Please don't EVER forget this.

Our world tells us it is not important for a mother to invest in her children full-time.

We are told we don't know enough about our own children to educate them. We surely need "experts" to help us with that.

You know your children better than anyone else. YOU are their best advocate. God has called YOU to be a mother to your children, and no one else is more well equipped for the job.

There will be days when you don't feel this is true. This is why you need to surround yourself with like-minded moms. Stay in God's word. Encourage others.

“The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom. ”

— -H.W. Beecher

So mom, I hope you know you are valued. I hope you know you are doing something of eternal significance.

You're doing a GREAT job.

You might also like:

The Homeschool Trap

Homeschoolers: Stay in Your Own Lane

When you're fifteen, the world can seem to be mainly about you. It makes sense. So many changes! But, it's also a time when, if you're brave enough to look up, you might find that the world is about something even bigger. And it just might beckon you to step into it and make a difference.

Here is a his-story of Memorial Day from across two families, through the eyes of one fifteen year old girl.

Among the Poppies A Memorial Day Story.png

This post continues our emphasis on STORY in your homeschool - enjoy!

Why does it always rain on holidays?

"Seriously," she thought, "why does it always rain on holidays?" Her grumbling continued as she thought of the upcoming field-trip planned by her parents for this holiday. She just didn't get it. Didn't we just celebrate Veteran's Day? What's the big deal? She'd much rather curl up under her blanket today and read.

But, no. The entire family would pack up and head to the town square where some kind of flag thing was happening. "It's a flag ceremony," her Dad reminded her. "Raising the U.S. flag quickly to the tops of flagpoles, slowly lowering it to half-mast, and then raising again to its full height at noon. The lowering of the flag at half-mast is meant to give honor to the fallen soldiers who have died for their country over the years. While re-raising the flag is meant to symbolize the resolve of the living to carry on the fight for freedom so that the nation's heroes will not have died in vain.", her Dad went on, reading from the website on his smartphone. Abby just sighed as she thought, "Details."

She pulled on her rain boots, grabbed her umbrella, and followed the rest of her family to the van. "This is going to be a long day," she said under her breath.

Why all the crowds?

Abby couldn't believe what she saw. It was standing room only on the town square. And on a holiday, no less!

She took in the sights, following her parents to seats among the folding chairs. She decided to take the seat towards the end, where she might excuse herself to walk around when this got boring. Which it promised to do. She was promptly asked to leave the end chair open for late-comers. "Great," she thought, "Now I'll be seated next to a total stranger. And they'll want to talk. About this."

It wasn't long before the seat was taken. But, to her surprise, the person who took the chair look to be her age. She was quiet and held a piece of paper and a small bouquet of red poppies. Her curiosity was piqued. The girl was solemn. And she seemed to be alone.

Red Poppies

The scene continued to interest Abby. Because of the red poppies her seat neighbor held, she now noticed them worn on many lapels. Another curiosity. After many speakers, older men recounting lost friends or family, the girl next to her stood and went to the podium.

She took the paper she'd held in her hands and began to read. It seemed to Abby that she could do little else, for tears came down the girls face. In a brave voice, the girl read a brief statement, "I am here today to honor my father, Chief Warrant Officer Michael O'Riley. He was killed in combat in Mosul on April 21, 2015. My hero."

She proceeded to read this poem:

In Flanders Fields

BY JOHN MCCRAE

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Something bigger

Abby now knew what Memorial Day meant. It meant sharing more than just the history of a long-forgotten war. It was the mutual sharing and remembering of the sacrifices experienced by those who serve. And their families left behind.

She pondered, for the first time, what the word serve meant. Then, she turned around in her mind that those in the military are often called "in the Service." Because, to her, service meant there was someone who was served. She wiped her eyes. There, among the poppies, she realized she was the one served.