It’s been a kind of rough week for us, school-wise.
We got back from vacation on Monday, and it’s always hard to slip back into the normal routine after a break. Jonah’s seemed extra-clingy-cranky since we got back, and continually harasses Eli when he’s trying to work. Jonah doesn’t want to do his preschool activities with me — he wants to copy whatever Eli is doing, or lug around Eli’s (expensive) science book and pretend to read from it. It’s sweet, yet maddening!
I won’t mention how he regressed with his potty training while on vacation, as that is probably another post.
Then I’m struggling with the older two dawdling instead of applying themselves. If only I had a dollar for every time I have to nag them to get back to work, I could fulfill every single financial need I’m presently aware of.
But. Just when I needed it, came this homeschooling-choice-validation moment with my son, Eli, who was whistling softly while he worked on his spelling assignment just now.
“Mom, you know why I’m glad I don’t go to school?”
“Why?”
“Because. Nick gets in trouble at school EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!”
“What does he get in trouble for?” I asked, thinking he’s going to say ‘talking during class.’ Nick is very vivacious, and I’m 99.9% certain that is what Eli would get in trouble for if he were in a regular classroom every day.
“Whistling in the hallway. He likes to whistle when he’s happy, but he’s not allowed to whistle at school.”
I understand that schools have to have rules like that, because if they didn’t, the noise levels would quickly get out of control. But I thought about adorable, blond, cheerful little Nick not being allowed to express his happiness and it made me kind of sad.
“Wow. I can kind of understand the rule, but still…that must feel kind of like being punished for being happy.”
“I know! Sometimes I like to whistle when I’m happy, too.”
And he resumed his soft little whistle as he filled in another blank on the page, and I felt so thankful for his freedom to express his happiness — and for our choice to educate him at home.