Saturday, November 5, 2011

Beautifully made

We've had a hard week. Home schooling can test every iota of one's character. When you spend hours and hours everyday sitting next to your kids helping them with their school work, you learn that even a person who was born from your gene pool can learn and process information in a way that is so completely opposite from how you are made that it can be mind boggling.

You reach points where you aren't even speaking the same language. You are saying one thing. Your child can't understand. He is doing one thing. You can't understand. You want to pull out your hair. You want to cry. You want to throw in the towel. You want to give up.

I have to step back and remind myself that God gave my child a beautiful brain. It doesn't function like mine. It doesn't process information in the same way mine does. It can frustrate me because of my own inability to help. But I have to remind myself: That kid's brain is beautifully made.

I love the way that brain is always full of songs. The songs pour out right in the middle of grammar tests. There is uncontrollable humming during spelling review. God gave him a beautiful brain.

I love the way that brain is full of stories. The stories in his head are so much more interesting than his science text book. He can imagine historical characters embarking on adventures that are far more entertaining than the stories in his history book. God gave him a beautiful brain.

I love the way that brain loves to draw. The pictures flow out of his brain and onto a sheet of paper at every opportunity. There is no better place to draw a cartoon than on the scrap paper used for deciphering division problems. All of those numbers that dance around in the math book are confusing and take long stretches of time to solve. The drawings appear on the page without any thought. God gave him a beautiful brain.

My instinct is to wish I could rewire that brain. To make it function more like mine. But God knew better. He knew exactly how to create a beautiful brain.

aug2011emily
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11 comments:

  1. KarynNovember 5, 2011 at 11:42 AM

    Sounds like we had the same kind of homeschool week. I can soooo relate to wanting to rewire my child's brain!! Thank you for reminding me that God has a plan even though I'm not yet privy to it :)

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  2. everydayMOMNovember 5, 2011 at 12:00 PM

    Thanks, Karyn. I totally GET the struggles you were having this week. I know that God has something amazing planned for that kid's life. Sometimes, I get so focused on trying to figure out how to survive fractions that I lose sight of the bigger picture. Glad to have people in my life who can relate. :)

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  3. AnonymousNovember 5, 2011 at 12:57 PM

    I can relate too... not so much to the home schooling side but the helping with homework part of it... it's always a challenge but we do sooo love how their brains work that it's worth all of those challenges. I can't wait to find out how their lives unfold...
    Laurel

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  4. LauraNovember 5, 2011 at 5:19 PM

    Well said. :)

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  5. everydayMOMNovember 5, 2011 at 6:55 PM

    Laurel, you're so right... It's not just a home school thing. :)

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  6. everydayMOMNovember 5, 2011 at 6:56 PM

    Thanks, Laura... Thanks for stopping by... enjoyed your blog, too.

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  7. KellyNovember 8, 2011 at 5:32 PM

    Love this, Emily! So well put.

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  8. KatNovember 8, 2011 at 6:47 PM

    Hey Emily, Just discovered your blog. We have four little ones...and your post really hits home. Each one is so different. And we are learning how to marvel at their differences and learn from them instead of being so frustrated by them. It is a challenge...but it is a good one!

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  9. SarahNovember 11, 2011 at 7:35 AM

    Terrific reminder! I was just telling my friend last night that I fall into the trap of forgetting that I'm not raising "Little Mes."

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  10. everydayMOMNovember 11, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    Kat, Thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed your blog, too. You have a beautiful family!

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  11. everydayMOMNovember 11, 2011 at 9:40 AM

    Thanks, Sarah!

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