We are approaching the end of the year. I cannot help but be reminded of that, as my Facebook feed floods with Christmas craft posts and ideas. Looking back at the year that has been, I was just reminded of how far we've come since January.
We've been homeschooling for almost a year. Progress for Junior J has been slow, but steady. There were all these hiccups at the start, but now we've settled into a rhythm that works for us in this present moment. What enabled the progress were little changes made, bit by bit, to incorporate structured learning into our everyday lives. Not everything worked, and the boy wasn't the most co-operative student. We've had to throw out some curricula, we had to adjust and tweak our expectations. However, I've learnt that with just a little bit of time each day, and some faithfulness in the little things, we are able to cover a fair bit of ground.
Baby J is almost one. This boy has been starting to speak, and now calls "Mama" and "Papa", and loves kissing the pictures of animals in his books. He reminds me again, that growth always happens in little bits, and again it is these little bits that add up to something.
Lil J turned three, and is now slowly easing out of his terrible twos (I hope!). It has been a challenging journey, and I am taught again that change never happens overnight, but takes time. He now helps out alot more at home, and still never fails to make us smile.
So I am thankful. For these reminders that the small things matter. That we do not need to invest our time in the spectacular. That all we need to do is to be faithful in the little things, and that God extends enough grace to take our little things and bring growth and change, just like how He multiplies the tiny serving of five loaves and two fish to feed a multitude. And as we step into a busy December ahead (and now even busier because we celebrate three birthdays in the family!), I am thankful that we just need to do it small step by small step.
What are you thankful today?
The positive side of throwing out curriculum is knowing that you are on the right track of fitting the learning style to your child, instead of trying to force him into a curriculum mould that doesn't fit :)
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