In a few short weeks I will become a "nana" for the first time.
Sometimes I sit back and wonder why it took so long and other times it seems like just yesterday that I was the one expecting a new blessing and start of another chapter in my life.
With this new chapter of life there are many things to ponder and think about. What will the baby's name be, will cloth or disposable diapers be used, will baby be breastfed or bottle fed. The wonderings may seem endless.
I know without a doubt that this grandchild will be homeschooled. Why? Because my grandbaby's parents were homeschooled. It has been discussed quite often. In fact I have collected several totes full of items that I found useful.
With that being said should my grandchild be homeschooled just because its parents were? Probably, but that should not be the deciding factor. How a child is raised is for the parents to decide. Would I consider it an honor to be asked my opinion on various things? Of course I would love it.
Let me address this next thought to parents via a little story...
As a young girl I remember helping my grandma prep green beans to can. We would wash them, cut the stem end off, and then cut them all to about the length of 3 inches. Those beans sure tasted yummy in the middle of winter. I eventually became a mom and started my own gardening and canning adventures. I remember my little families hands carefully washing, destemming and helping cut the beans into those precious 3 inch lengths. At first a pint jar was enough but as those hands and tummies grew I found it easier to start using a quart jar to can those beans. Problem is that the length of the beans made for an interesting fit, at times, in those quart jars. But I had helped grandma so many times and that was the correct way to do it. I remember on one visit I proudly brought along a jar to share with my grandma for a meal. She commented on how wonderful they tasted. I saw her get a puzzled look on her face and asked her if something was wrong with the beans. She said no they were fine but she wondered why they were cut to about 3 inches? I proudly stated that I remembered doing that, as a child, with her so many times and was grateful she had showed me the "correct" way to process beans. She got a big smile on her face and she told me the reason that she cut her beans into 3 inch lengths. Are you ready???????? It is because she only had pint jars to use for beans and that the 3 inch length fit perfect into the jar if the beans were stood on end. She went on to inform me that her sister had several children and always cut her beans into about 1 inch pieces and used a quart jar. So there was nothing magical about cutting the beans to a specific length it was what worked best with the size jar you were using to can the beans.
So as a parent think of your child as an empty vessel, an empty canning jar. It will get filled with something. You know you need to fill it with something useful. Decide how you want to fill it and not the way grandma, or your best friend, or your neighbor, or your...... you get the point, did it. Do what works best for your family and most importantly for your child.