Lessons From the Little House

“Pa said “Look at that little half-pint!Who taught you to milk?” Nobody had taught Laura.She knew how to milk a cow;she had watched pa do it.”

I sat reading my Little house Treasury yesterday and this passage struck me for several reasons. First because I learn by seeing too.Please please don’t give me instructions and send me on my way!I just won’t get the job done.But let me sit and watch you work and I’ll pick it up. The other thing that struck me was how normal and right this seemed.If our children are part of our daily lives.Seeing us balance the budget,do the dishes,go to the grocery store,have arguments with our spouse,make up with our spouse, and all those other real life happenings then they will learn from it.Who ever thought it made sense to lock our children away for the majority of their growing up years just didn’t get it, in my opinion.Why lock them away from the world just to have to try to teach them about it sitting in a stuff old classroom?!

I’m truly truly thankful for the privilege, right and responsibility of teaching my kids everyday where they can be part of our life.Learning by seeing and doing. Its a privilege that God has given my husband and I these four children of His to teach and love and raise. Thankfully it is still a right in this country to make the educational choices for my children.I would hope there are enough of us out there who cherish this right that we will work to make sure it is never taken from us. We have been told by the world that we cant possibly do well enough for our children.They need “experts” to train and teach and raise them.Thankfully Gods views are not mens views.God has told us about OUR responsibility to teach our children.

Elder L.Tom Perry tells us

“ Teaching in the home is becoming increasingly important in today’s world, where the influence of the adversary is so widespread and he is attacking, attempting to erode and destroy the very foundation of our society, even the family. Parents must resolve that teaching in the home is a most sacred and important responsibility. While other institutions, such as church and school, can assist parents to “train up a child in the way he [or she] should go” (Proverbs 22:6), ultimately this responsibility rests with parents.”

I hope everyone else, whether homeschooler or not, can look at there children and really take ownership of that responsibility.I love teaching my own and I enjoy (almost) every minute of it ;0)