They can look that up!

I read the best article the other day from the owner and creator of my favorite homeschool curriculum; Sonlight. Sarita Holzman shared a great story about a conversation she had with a friend that went like this.

Cheryl was mortified, she said, when "someone asked my children what the capital of France was, and they didn't know!"

I told her: "Kids can look that up anytime. In the total scheme of things, it is not important for our kids to know what the capital of France is. How much better that they learn to get along with one another."

I can't get that out of my head. I am so grateful to have that little gem in my "arsenal" as I homeschool day in and day out. What a blessing to be reminded of one of my goals in this journey.

I thought of this last night as my boys spent close to 20 minutes agreeing on a movie to watch. Connor had a little sore throat so it was a treat for a school night which they did not want to lose by arguing. To make everyone happy they ended up watching an episode on 2 different Magic School Bus videos and an episode of Shawn the Sheep. All those together totaled the time of a movie....trust me, they did the math! It was a little agonizing to watch, but they did it. Sure, I could of let one of them watch on a laptop, but what lesson would there be in that? I tell them all the time that these skills of comprise they are learning will really come in handy when they get older! I am thrilled that they have each other as brothers, friends, and classmates. They have a lot of other friends and I often wonder who will be in their lives when they are older, but I know they will have each other.

I am currently STILL in the process of writing out my homeschool mission statement, and you can be sure that family relationships will be a part of it. I say every year that I am going to do it, but I never quite get it done. However, things are a little different now. I shared that goal with a friend who encouraged me even to the point of having a deadline for a first draft! (you know who you are, my friend and I thank you) I happen to work well with deadlines and accountability so I have high hopes on getting this done!