Learning, leaning forward
I rowed through the mist on Town Lake this morning with a friend and we pulled into the dock just as it started to rain. Today kicked my ass, since my rowing partner is a lot bigger than I am and we rowed about five miles at an intense pace.
Lots of changes in the air.
You can finally feel fall coming (just when we’re about to give up hope, it limply arrives). Branching out and hoping to acquire some new, foreign, freelance clients. Being all geekily happy about some cool new budgeting software. Trying a new way of eating and some new exercises.
And the biggest news of all, David and I will be homeschooling M. (the youngest of the two lovely Marine daughters) — doing a little one-week-on, one-week-off dance as she goes back and forth between houses. The lobby-savvy fundamentalists in the state (God bless ‘em!) paved the way for liberal homeschooling laws here in good, ol’ Texas — land of armadillos, concealed weapons and q-bee-bar (former kid-speak for barbeque).
It’s a big deal taking on such a responsibility. What if we miss something? What if she doesn’t like it (at 12, her interests and preferences change almost hourly) or make an effort? What if she goes back next year and is woefully behind? Do we have enough time and focus to do this properly?
As the adult parenting "team", it took several talks between us to discern that the best course of action was for David and I to divvy up the subjects and leave Carol to her art, teaching and raising the little one in their house. Much as we started out with an idealized version of how homeschooling might go, we had to make adjustments for, um… reality.
So when the moment seems right, there may be some spontaneous art lessons at their house (David and Carol’s) but in the meantime, David and I will be the ones keeping track of how we’re doing — following our curriculum, posting notes on BaseCamp and keeping the information flowing back and forth.
Yet one more challenge in raising these children well as a divorced, "extended family". We still have six more years to go ’til the girls are on their own.
Based on previous experience, six years will probably seem like two and twenty at the same time.
2 comments:
Jill Davis Doughtie
said…
Hi ladies, I really want to read your book. Do you
ever think about print on demand publishing (like at Lulu)? I really really
really want to read it.
I’m a stepmom in a good relationship with my stepkids’ mom, too.
Jill Davis Doughtie
said…
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
