Public Schools
Several nights ago at dinner, Addie says in between bites of lasagna...
"My teacher believes in Jesus."
She has only been in school for a week and a half.
Somewhat taken back by her courage, her dads asks, "How do you know she believes in Jesus?"
Addie says, "Because I asked her."
Proud of her, but still curious about how this moment of truth came about amidst a kindergartener's day, Daddy repeated, "You just asked her?"
Addie mid-lasagna bite," Yeees, that's what I said. I just asked her if she believed in Jesus and she said yes. Plus, everyday when we say the Pledge of Allegiance she always smiles when we say "under God." "
I love the unashamed faith of a 4 year-old.
I remember last year Emma would come home almost everyday telling us about her Worship Club. A club she started by a tree at school to tell her friends about Jesus and tell stories from the Bible. She had a big group- several of them Muslim. She would share how they sometimes wouldn't listen, but how sometimes they would and how excited that would make her. This year she has already shared with her 2nd grade class that one day she wants to be a missionary and that her favorite book is the Bible. Her convictions and faith encourage and even challenge me (her wardrobe selections just make me smile).
I often get asked how we came to choose a public school education over private or homeschooling, and I often say it is where my husband and I feel called to have our kids. No other option feels like obedience to us. Are there days where I worry about them or feel more out of control than I would like to be? Sure. But for us it has been a continual lesson in God's sovereign care over our kids and our learning how to be intentional in daily equipping our kids to live out being young Christians..to not be ashamed to answer questions kids have and to keep their chins up when kids roll their eyes or ignore them.
Did we let our kids listen to the Obama speech is another question that has been bounced around as of late. And yes, we let them go to school that day and didn't ask them to take part in an alternative activity. It was important for us to teach them how to respect our President whether mommy and daddy voted for him or not. We spent many dinners last year talking about who we were voting for for President and why and why some people will vote for McCain and why others were going to vote for Obama and so on. I read the speech and watched it live myself and felt that most all of what was shared in the speech are values we hope to instill in our kids. I talked with my girls about what they were going to hear and asked them why they thought staying in school was going to be important and we had a great old little kid dialogue about it all. I can't always cover my kids eyes and ears, but I can teach them to think critically and stand on their own two feet. I don't know if that would be possible if I tried to keep them from everything that could be viewed as "not what we believe." In the end, in our family, we are better for teaching moment like this one.
So, those are just some happenings and thoughts from our home this week. I don't mean to come off like I am sounding off from a soapbox. Being a parent is hard and so is being a Christian. Our lives will all look different in many ways and we are not going to all come to the same conclusions while we are trying the best we can to raise the one day big people we can be proud of.
Here is Titus...he has never told anyone about Jesus and has no idea who President Obama is, but this blog would not be complete without his pudgy legs and rain boots.
The fires, ash, and flames are settling down around here, but this firefighter is still hard at work.
She has only been in school for a week and a half.
Somewhat taken back by her courage, her dads asks, "How do you know she believes in Jesus?"
Addie says, "Because I asked her."
Proud of her, but still curious about how this moment of truth came about amidst a kindergartener's day, Daddy repeated, "You just asked her?"
Addie mid-lasagna bite," Yeees, that's what I said. I just asked her if she believed in Jesus and she said yes. Plus, everyday when we say the Pledge of Allegiance she always smiles when we say "under God." "
I love the unashamed faith of a 4 year-old.
I remember last year Emma would come home almost everyday telling us about her Worship Club. A club she started by a tree at school to tell her friends about Jesus and tell stories from the Bible. She had a big group- several of them Muslim. She would share how they sometimes wouldn't listen, but how sometimes they would and how excited that would make her. This year she has already shared with her 2nd grade class that one day she wants to be a missionary and that her favorite book is the Bible. Her convictions and faith encourage and even challenge me (her wardrobe selections just make me smile).
I often get asked how we came to choose a public school education over private or homeschooling, and I often say it is where my husband and I feel called to have our kids. No other option feels like obedience to us. Are there days where I worry about them or feel more out of control than I would like to be? Sure. But for us it has been a continual lesson in God's sovereign care over our kids and our learning how to be intentional in daily equipping our kids to live out being young Christians..to not be ashamed to answer questions kids have and to keep their chins up when kids roll their eyes or ignore them.
Did we let our kids listen to the Obama speech is another question that has been bounced around as of late. And yes, we let them go to school that day and didn't ask them to take part in an alternative activity. It was important for us to teach them how to respect our President whether mommy and daddy voted for him or not. We spent many dinners last year talking about who we were voting for for President and why and why some people will vote for McCain and why others were going to vote for Obama and so on. I read the speech and watched it live myself and felt that most all of what was shared in the speech are values we hope to instill in our kids. I talked with my girls about what they were going to hear and asked them why they thought staying in school was going to be important and we had a great old little kid dialogue about it all. I can't always cover my kids eyes and ears, but I can teach them to think critically and stand on their own two feet. I don't know if that would be possible if I tried to keep them from everything that could be viewed as "not what we believe." In the end, in our family, we are better for teaching moment like this one.
So, those are just some happenings and thoughts from our home this week. I don't mean to come off like I am sounding off from a soapbox. Being a parent is hard and so is being a Christian. Our lives will all look different in many ways and we are not going to all come to the same conclusions while we are trying the best we can to raise the one day big people we can be proud of.
Here is Titus...he has never told anyone about Jesus and has no idea who President Obama is, but this blog would not be complete without his pudgy legs and rain boots.
The fires, ash, and flames are settling down around here, but this firefighter is still hard at work.
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