Homeschooling Boys

How do you homeschool boys? Now, this may seem like a rhetorical question, but it is one that is quite high on my Things-to-figure-out list. I have a lot of lists. Let us hope that one day they will be organized neatly on perfectly crisp pieces of lined paper. Right now they are everywhere. Many are simply inside my head, waiting to burst out and make some noise, like the first clap of thunder startling a peacefully sunny day.

But, boys. Back to boys. I have two of them. They are as different as black and white. They run, they fight, they play, they sing. They give their sister sweet kisses, then start yelling because she slimmed them. They are the same. No, they cannot be the same. One is mad and sulks in the corner. One is mad and is screaming in my face. One is happy and is reading a look-and-find book. One is happy and is spewing off his latest story at top speed (about Transformers, of course). No, they are the same. They love art, attention, music. They hate nap time, they love peas, they think "dinner" is a naughty word. Say "snack" and give them the same thing. Amazing how different the reaction will be.

How do we possibly believe we can ever teach them what they need to know? How can we, as parents, teachers, role-models, schedule setters, frantic frazzled beings, ever get these two entities to understand the depths of God, the impact of a nuclear bomb upon an unsuspecting society, the beauty of a dew drop? Who can say what they ought to know - is it okay that S thinks his name starts with a "Z" or does he need this dangerous spelling mistake to be corrected at every turn? Will C be forever blemished due to his inability to put on his own shoes?

When do we stop teaching, step back and say "They can learn that later, let the scissor skills be"? When do we move forward and say, "they CAN learn the real names of bones. They don't need to call it a 'foot bone' phalanges is SOO much more fun!"

I am praying for the strength to continue. To find the ability to teach, nurture and love. Discipline and radiate calm empathy. Living with, teaching, boys is so much more than parenting. It is a journey toward completing myself. I never before considered the state of my sock drawer - but how can I expect theirs to be clean and neat with mine in such disarray? Why should they bring their dishes to the sink when it is still full from last night's (week's) pans? How can they possibly understand the excitement in a book when all they observe is my movie collection? Can I entice them into memorizing Bible verses if my Bible is sitting on a shelf gathering dust?

Oh, Let my boys Wiggle!
Let my boys Romp!
Let them laugh,
Swim, run, kick,
Scream, fuss, whine.
I did it all, too,
Once upon a time.