The Doodling Solo

As I have expressed countless times before, I don't have a good grip or handle on N's style of learning. Let's just say she displays a lot of the symptoms associated with Middle Child Syndrome. I am to blame for that, as handling four kids, (one of them a nursing baby, two of them a quarreling duo and of the same learning style, and then one of them N), is pretty taxing on the nerves, mental, and emotional capability.

I admit to not giving her as much attention as she should be getting. Thus, I truly savor the times when hubby leaves the house with both S and H, leaving me with N and Baby Z.

It is at these times that I am able to finally spend one on one time with N. She speaks very softly, and sometimes you can barely hear her, so being able to talk to her without feeling you have to rush to tend to someone else is really enlightening and refreshing. I can already see from her writings that she has a lot to offer in terms of personality, but because I'm hitting on the accelerator most of the time, I'm not able to get to know her really well. When I do, mashaallah, it feels great.

It's really a good family/parenting habit to make sure you spend one on one time with each child, and actually set aside that time. I have always resolved to do that, but I have failed each time. My most immediate response to why that is so would be: there's no time. But I know deep in my heart, that I have to make and find that time. That is still a work in progress, as of right now.

Subhanallah, I always wonder how mums with more than 5 children manage this. I recently met a mom with 9 children, the oldest being 15 and the youngest 3 months old. I have seen big families, and what I have always noticed is that when there are so many children, the children begin to take care of each other. Which makes a lot of sense, because the mother cannot afford to tend to each and every one of them all the time. So a young sibling might be tucked under the wings of an older one, and this is actually very heart melting to see, mashaallah.

I only have four live children, and I have trouble managing them. May Allah make it easy for me and guide me to manage my time more wisely. Ameen.
I was throwing out their finished OHVA workbooks, but before we finally dumped these books in the recycling bins, I figured I had to snap some pictures, for these are precious in and of themselves. N has always taken so long to finish her work, and she is always the last to 'finish school' on most days. Apparently there is a reason for that; she doodles her time away. Her mind works at a different wave length, in her own world, on her own time. I always rush her, just because everything else moves at a certain pace, and she is always behind, but no matter how much I rush her, she's always a step behind. Looking at these drawings (as creative as they are, and as amusing) I guess you can easily tell why.

Sure, now I can look at them and laugh, chuckle, chortle, giggle and be filled with motherly mirth, and okay, maybe a little motherly pride, but hand me these on a busy homeschool day, and I will rear my ugly monster head and bark at the guilty party. That is one reason I want to quit OHVA very very soon. Let's just say all the lessons they have us do leave us very little time to do anything else (and I'm not the only homeschool mother who have used the curriculum with the school to say that).

As we rid our small apartment of these clutter, my mind is able to relax at the space they leave behind. I feel like rubbing my hands with glee at the prospect of finally chucking all of them once we are done with this school year. Then, we can finally get on with 'homeschooling'. I have been writing up my own lesson plans, and I really hope I am able to do this, inshaallah. May Allah's guidance always be with us. Ameen.

Each child is special in his/her own way. What a challenge parents face, as a direct result of that fact, but what a pleasure parents are bestowed with, to be able to change gears to accommodate those differences. May I be one of those parents who are able to change gears without losing their cool and swerving to avoid hitting a tree. Oh Allah, guide me with patience and wisdom to manage my children in the best way. Ameen.