Socialization, Parents and "The Experts"

I'm so thankful for Sherri's blog post today and how my day was such a mirror image of what she had to talk about. We worry so much about what society says we need to do. Where society says we need to place our children so that the "experts" can teach them. What society says is socialization or not. Guess what? God didn't give our children to society. He gave them to US and we are so thankful for the blessing that they are in our lives and the joy they bring us, even when they don't immediately obey, forget to have good manners or leave flubber on the bedroom carpet (ah-hem!). They are ours and ours to shape, mold, influence, pray for, live with, teach, pray with,nurture and love.

I love one of Sherri's quotes...

"No matter. When youngsters realize their need for some guidance and wisdom, society will provide it for them in the form of teachers, counselors and youth group leaders. Never, never parents--in order to achieve the utopian dreams of the progressive secularists, traditional families must continually be discredited and undermined so that individuals become increasingly dependent upon the government, or whatever social machine is deemed necessary to achieve their desired end (they keep insisting that "it takes a village"--since when?)."

Just thanking the Lord today for time with my kids. Time that will quickly pass by and I won't ever get back again. Today, I enjoyed eating a hot breakfast of French Toast with my little guys. We read from the Bible (Proverbs) and talked about the importance of listening to our parents; the importance of immediate obedience. I loved snuggling with my two-year-old. I loved nursing and cuddling with my infant. I loved watching my kids' eyes light up as we made "flubber" and did Science experiments (on density and matter) with other homeschool friends. I loved eating lunch with another family, fellowshipping and playing. I loved that we had time to pray in the car as we went to the Dollar Store today. I loved that we had a moment in the store where my son and I discussed telling the truth and its importance (he broke a toy and had to tell the store clerk, suggesting that we pay for it). I loved reading books to and tucking in my two-year-old for her nap. I loved quietly observing how my daughter offered to pay for a special toy for her brother and sister at the store, sacrificing her money for the kite she desperately wanted. I loved how my children didn't share these moments with a stranger or teacher in a classroom, but that we shared them and learned lessons together.