Lessons learned at the MO TKD Invitational

That’s my boy in the red, kicking with all he’s got at the 2011 Missouri Taekwondo Invitational!  Jacob competed in sparring and Caitlyn competed in forms.  Before I get to how they did, can I just confess something? Watching my kids compete can bring out the “mean Mama” in me when their opponent isn’t competing fairly.  Let me explain.  Jacob had two sparring matches.  In the first match, he sparred someone from Champion, our martial arts school.  Unfortunately, Jacob lost that match, but the other boy competed fairly and was friendly; trademarks of our students.  However, Jacob’s second match was against a boy from another school who repeatedly pushed Jacob.  Now, I don’t know a whole lot about the rules of sparring, but pushing while moving forward isn’t allowed.  And that’s exactly what that other boy was doing.  The referee did warn the other boy once, but that was after he already had a 9 point lead!  And, he continued to push Jacob!  Now, here’s the “mean Mama” part.  Caitlyn and I were sitting right next to the other boy’s parents and I just couldn’t seem to stop myself from making very loud remarks like, “that boy really needs to stop pushing Jacob!  Why doesn’t the referee disqualify him!”  Yeah, you know I wanted those parents to hear me and how upset I was about how their boy was behaving.  That other boy wasn’t displaying very good sportsmanship…but neither was I. 

And there’s my girl with her silver medal in forms!! She had to compete against two different girls.  The first time, she was flawless.  The second time, she forgot her form about a quarter of the way into it!!  I could see the panic set in on her face when she asked the referee what to do.  He told her to start over, and she got it the second time.  She was so surprised to receive second place!
I’d say we all learned some lessons from this event.  Jacob, who a month prior had won a medal for undefeated at our school’s sparring games, entered the competition confident of winning.  But it was not to be.  He still demonstrated an indomitable spirit and got a taste of humility.  Caitlyn, who has never won an individual medal, tasted victory for the first time and demonstrated perseverance when it seemed all was lost. I learned that I can’t always fight my kids’ battles, as much as I want to, and that I should still demonstrate integrity when faced with injustice.
I’m proud of my champs!

The Joy of Homeschooling

The other morning I walked past the back door to see the kids having a morning meeting on the trampoline.  They had eaten breakfast, scooped cat litter, fed the pets and were waiting for Mama to start school  On the other side of the house stood neighborhood children; their backs laden with heavy packs while they waited for the school bus. 

I managed to snap this picture just before they realized I was watching them.  It’s mornings like these that remind me how blessed we are to home school and how much I cherish their childhood.  I’m so thankful that they’re not standing out on the street; waiting for the bus to take them away from me where someone else makes the rules and the decisions about what they think is best for my children.

And now, for PE. 

Back to School

We are back to school!  Well, we don’t have far to go…just to the kitchen table.  But it’s definitely a change from our lazy, summer days and I, for one, am glad for it!  And I have to say, I’m very proud of my kiddos for the way they’ve jumped right in!  Maybe they were ready for some structure and order to the day, even if they would never have admitted it. 

One of my favorite subjects this year is studying the book of James with them.  They each have their own book called, Boy, Do I Have Problems which is an inductive Bible study by Kay Arthur.  The picture above is of Caitlyn working through her study with her colored pencils; marking common words.  I love that they are learning how to study the Bible on their own and how to apply it to their lives. 

The greatest challenge so far is keeping Abraham content while I focus on the big kids’ school.  He’s almost two years-old now and can throw a mean tantrum when he doesn’t get his way.  Which means, we have our fair share of interruptions.  On the other hand, he’s loves to play with his cars and trains and is content to do so while we get some school done.  And there is usually an older sibling willing to entertain him while the other gets some one-on-one schooling.

I’m praying that this positive attitude toward school will continue (I overheard the kids saying, “School is FUN this year!”) and that I don’t let the constant interruptions bring me down…like I did today.  I love to be a part of what my kids are learning!  And, I love my kids!