I want to go to school.

Christmas To-Do List

- make homemade gingerbread men, peanut butter cookies, and sugar cookies
-make homemade wrapping paper with the kids
-buy 3 more gifts
-return our library books. ha
-catch up on laundry
-find something yum to cook for our at-home Christmas dinner
-wrap gifts
-read more Christmas books
-make homemade Christmas cards
- find a pretty cake idea for my Sister’s bridal shower
-catch up on work

 

Well it’s good to see some things crossed off my list! We are leaving next week to make our rounds seeing our family and I am super excited. This year we aren’t on a time crunch trying to get back so things should go much smoother than usual.

This morning Rileigh told me she wanted to go back to school. She was watching PBS and they were showing a class Christmas caroling to people in nursing homes. When she said this I couldn’t help but feel frustration. I understand she sees the fun part of school and that is all she takes into consideration. I love being able to make my daughter happy so this makes me a little sad. But there are some things you do for your kids that are better for them but they will not like them. Right now I can’t expect her to understand that her influences in life will shape her into the woman she will become. I will not apologize for making sure that those influences are appropriate. One day she will have to make these decisions on her own and right now it’s my responsibility to make them for her and teach her to do so herself. I want her to fully discover herself and the purpose God has for her without having people tell her what and who she is supposed to be. I want my little girl to grow up knowing Gods love and grace priority over the society profile she is supposed to fulfill. I cannot allow someone else to raise my child and cross my fingers that they believe in the same things as our family. I wish to have my children around more than away. I enjoy her.

I told her that if she went to school that it wouldn’t be like that (what was on tv) all the time. It would consist of learning just like we do. We might not have gone Christmas caroling but we did build a gingerbread house, made our on gifts for family, went to the mountains, saw the lights at yogi bear park,  made gifts for your friends, made all kinds of crafts, went to musicals, and plenty of other really cool things that they aren’t getting to do while they are in school. I told her that “they are probably wishing that they could do what you are doing. We should be grateful for the things we get to do. When you see or hear of cool ideas that other kids are doing let me know and I will try to make it happen.”

With that she smiled and said ok. Then she went back to playing with her magnets.

I am sure this will come up again one day and I will give her the same answer. My decision to homeschool was not made for what Rileigh would like best but what is best for Rileigh.