Why do we choose to have children? Frankly, to have a heritage, someone to pass down what is important to us to. Unfortunately, sometimes those things can't be passed down or are done unhealthily because we have lost our children's hearts.
We keep our children's hearts by maintaining our authority while respecting them as individuals. How do books enable us to do that?
20 years ago, I attended the Illinois Christian Home Educators Conference and sat in on a session led by the curriculum specialist for the state of Illinois. She mentioned book reports -- a standard school assignment, right? She said she NEVER had her children do book reports because all it teaches them is that reading results in drudgery. Instead, she would ask a child about the book he had read and sometimes had a fascinating, in-depth discussion with him. Her reasoning? She wanted a relationship with her child, not a piece of paper they were both eager to see the last of. And, the best way to get a relationship with her child was by talking about the books he had read.
While sitting after breakfast reading (everything from the Bible to poetry, to novels to leadership books), we have had a wonderful chance to listen to our children. Even the very youngest can bring up an example from his own picture books or Sunday School lessons that applies to the topic at hand. And, when he does, we can commend him, thus showing him respect and firming up our relationship with him.
We each hope we are doing the best we can and are getting better all the time. And, don't we hope for our children that they will be even better than we are? If we show them and their ideas respect, when they are the one writing the books, establishing the policies, teaching the next generation, they will delight in the lessons we shared and will carry our values to the future.
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