The Most Significant Classroom
Now that summer is here and the kids are all home full time, I am really feeling the effects of being a stay-at-home-mom. I love my kids like crazy, but they can also make me a little crazy, so I really enjoyed reading this quote that reminded me why it is so important that I do this: “Perhaps most significant of all classrooms is the classroom of the home. It is in the home that we form our attitudes, our deeply held beliefs. It is in the home that hope is fostered or destroyed. Our homes are the laboratories of our lives. What we do there determines the course of our lives when we leave home. Dr. Stuart E. Rosenberg wrote in his book The Road to Confidence, ‘Despite all new inventions and modern designs, fads and fetishes, no one has yet invented, or will ever invent, a satisfying substitute for one’s own family.’ ” —President Thomas S. Monson Ensign November 1991
Great quote! A good reminder of why we do what we do!
That is a great quote. I believe it is TRUE. It makes me sad when life is hectic here for the kids.
I need to make our summer a more positive one for sure. It has been long with needing lots of rest. The kids are so bored. It is hard to start an activity that will end in a mess. We played with playdough and I had them write their names with the dough and it was fun until the clean up. Have any fun ideas ?
I was fortunate to be able to be a stay-at-home Mom for ‘some’ of my 5 boys. There is a distinct difference between my boys who had me at home exclusively, and those who had to share me with the workplace. Count your blessings everyday!
I completely agree and that is one of the reasons we homeschool. 🙂 I also think boredom isn’t some kind of curse, but a motivation to use your creativity and imagination to figure out something to do. To Korby with the bored children: I hate messes, too, and my five children (all under 9) can make a mess in a minute. First, if you haven’t already, turn off the tv. Encourage your children to imagine themselves as pirates or princesses or animals or whatever fascinates them. Get a stack of books from the library and read stories that can be a springboard for their imaginations. Teach them backyard games like tag, hide & seek and blindman’s bluff. The dollar store has balls and jump ropes. Look for insects, watch birds, measure shadows. Grow some radishes or lettuce. I much prefer crayon drawings rather than markers…far less messy. Just get them started and stand back…most kids can entertain themselves if given the chance. There are so many non-electronic, non-messy, child-led activities.
Thanks for the quote, I’m going to post that on the fridge!
Thanks for the ideas Rebecka. I will have to try the outdoor activities when our yard is SAFE again(a GIANT branch fell off one of our overgrown trees) and when I have recovered enough from the surgery to have energy to live at the park (SOON I HOPE). I love the pirate and princess idea my guys are creative and would love a little help with props and they could play that one in the house until the tree trimmer comes. We did plant pumpkin seeds and they loved that. They all beg to be the one to water them. I am surprised at how little they have watched T.V. I thought I would have to unplug it or throw it ou the window but they haven’t had much interest. YET. I will definetly do a library trip. They will love that. Thanks