An Elephant for Emmalyn

Suzu played the FHE game under duress; she thinks the whole things is silly and gross. Max was trading porcupines for ....can't remember now. Roxie was in heaven with Bottlenose dolphins. Sam was very excited when he came home from school and saw them. Stewart was a good sport. Cheap plastic fun.

Teaching Your Own

I know they watch us. Catch us in our weaknesses (eating Friendly's Pistachio ice cream straight from the carton in front of the computer).

"Do what I say, no matter what you see me doing!"

Sometimes I have wondered why it is so hard to teach some things to your own kids, easier for someone else to get through to them, or easier for me to teach someone else's children?

Are we more forgiving of teachers or students that we don't know as well? If we don't know their faults, does that make a difference? Or are we more patient with strangers/acquaintances?

I went to college to be an art teacher, but art lessons at home always seemed to back-fire and didn't last long.

I didn't try to teach my kids piano, but paid $ for someone else to do it.

Having my own kids in a Primary/Sunday School class always seemed harder. They acted out or felt picked on, like I was harder on them than the other students.

So I've wondered how it would be with THREE of my teenagers in Daily Seminary 6 am class every school day.

Suzu told me today it is her favorite class all day long.

Wow.

She gushed on happily about how interesting it has been, even though it is mostly review and overview of things. She loved the Plan of Happiness foam map I gave them today, on a ring, that they had to fill out. I wanted something tactile and interactive, color symbolic, possibly useful in their future missionary teaching and Family Home Evenings.

I asked her some questions about seating arrangements and logistics in our classroom. She was upbeat and helpful. Good feedback.

So I am pleasantly surprised that it is going so well, 4 days into the 36 weeks!

I've already made drastic summer plans, ways to widen doorways, make our home more crowd-comfortable. Ideally the whole kitchen wall between the dinning room or even the other direction into the living room would get knocked down and a window on the driveway side of the house punched through so the kids can see their rides pull up while they are socializing in the kitchen (and WHY is that the most popular gathering room in every home?).

I love this group of kids. Love listening to them. Love spending time with them. Love sacrificing sleep to teach them, be with them, laugh with them. Love LOVE love them.