Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Homeschool Park Days

I mentioned in my post a month ago that we tried out a a homeschooling group's park day. It was a complete blast! My son had the best time finding new friends and playing medeival knight. I loved that there was finally a group of people who would understand when I told my son that his sword was at home "in the weapon box". Yes folks, he has a toy box just for weapons. Not something I can admit just about anywhere, since it's just not PC, apparently. But he loves drama, and he loves the struggle between good and evil. He loves to pretend to be a valiant, noble defender, and I think that's fantastic! So he teamed up with the other kids at the park toting swords and wearing tunics. ;)

I really love that the group is so multi-age. It felt like one big family reunion. It really just made me realize how incredibly unnatural it is to have kids segregated by age. Kids need older kids to look up to and help them grow. They need younger kids to make them feel big and to have someone to teach their skills to. It just made my heart sing to see these teenaged kids playing with the little ones, and just having a great time. It felt so much like home.

My littlest tiniest hope is that I will find a parent who is anything like me. Oddly enough, I'm not sure I will. I respect everyone's choices for schools, but the parents I talked with last week were mostly talking about the coop classes they sent their kids to, and one of the moms even made a comment about her son's medeival literature class and she wondered why on earth he liked it. It made me a bit sad. I really want a kindred spirit. Someone else who can't wait to share their love of science and math and history with their kids. Partly, I think most of the parents do work, either part time, full time on nights and weekends, or with their own business. Maybe they don't have time to teach their kids everything. Or they choose not to, I don't know. It's just too expensive out here.

I just want a friend who understands me. (Well, besides my husband. He rocks, and I adore him, but he can't be my only friend -- it's not fair to either of us!)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm jealous that you've found a multi-age homeschool group where you feel comfortable. Like your son, mine has a "weapon box", and our local homeschooling group frowns on that kind of play.

(They also frown on the fact that I wear makeup, dress in jeans and... gasp!... occasionally enjoy a martini.)

So we're out of luck here, unless I want to start one myself. Which I don't.

But like you, I was thinking the other day that I need a friend, too. How frustrating IS it to realize that once we're adults it's not nearly as easy as walking up to someone at a playground and saying "Wanna be friends?"

Anonymous said...

P.S. Blogrolled you at ITTIB. Sorry it took so long!

silvermine said...

Oh, thanks! I'm sweeping all the cobwebs off of this poor little site, and I will hopefully get to sticking a blogroll of my own in, soon!

Luckily there are several homeschooling groups around here. There is one that forbids weapon play of any kind, so I think I'm going to have to avoid them. ;)

concernedCTparent said...

Well I'm really new to this homeschool thing, but do you know how nice it is to read about moms who value math, science and history, wear jeans, a little makeup and enjoy a cocktail once in a blue moon? Oh yes, and we've got the sword and shield thing going and just yesterday my 3 children devised a bow and arrow out of twigs and some string.

I found a local homeschool group but haven't been brave enough to get myself out there. I'd better hurry because the beautiful outdoor days are numbered here on the east coast.

Barb the Evil Genius said...

I wish I could find a local homeschoolers group here on the west side of Cleveland, OH. We don't have a "weapons box," but my husband has enough weapons to fill one (he occasionally shares with our daughters.)