We’ve got another one at the piano. He loves music. He enjoys tinkering on the piano. Not surprising, he doesn’t love practicing his lessons (which may or may not be due to the fact that I’m the one giving him instruction!)
He wants to know why I’m making him play. Isn’t it the story of every kid across America to say that they took lessons at some point in their life and then quit?! Of course, I’m not having him play for that reason.
I tried explaining to him the method to our madness.
It is our ultimate goal to raise well-rounded, confident, kind kids who know their Lord and Savior. Sounds simple enough. But when it comes to raising kids, I’m fully aware, I am no expert – instead I am practicing parenting. I’ve got my ideas and none of them proven. So I practice parenting on my kids. I push things I believe strongly in and then at times I realize somethings not working so I have to change it up. What works with one kid doesn’t work with other kids. It can be chaotic and frustrating at times, but we continue to work towards our goal.
As a parent, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea of doing enough. We throw them in everything to see what sticks. And even after putting all our time and energy in, we still feel like we didn’t do all we could to cultivate their talents.
I found this online and it put my mind at ease.
It’s All in the Agar.
Agar is that jelly stuff that you put in Petri dishes to grow bacteria and other wonderfully intriguing things. Often, parents will contact Mensa worried about how to make sure their child is learning. “But how can I teach him?” they ask. The answer is as simple as agar: just make sure the environment is right for growing.
You do not need the latest educational toy or gadget. You do not need to invest in tutors and expensive summer programs. Just make sure the home is a an agar-rich environment, full of reading material, access to appropriate creative materials, and, the most precious resource of all, time to explore.
I fully believe this. This is how we’re going to create well-rounded children – by creating an environment right for growing and giving them time to explore.
