Keeping Your Balance: Masterly InactivityIt is always interesting to hear the reasons different parents give for deciding to homeschool their children. We’ve heard many explanations and reasons over the years. But one thing we have never heard a parent say: “I’m homeschooling because I…Sonya ShaferMarch 13, 2013
Masterly Inactivity Free Charlotte Mason E-BookDo you ever feel like you’re on the Mommy See-saw? “I must teach my child to obey, yet I don’t want to be a dictator.” “I want my child to enjoy his childhood, but I can’t just allow him to…Sonya ShaferJanuary 21, 2009
A Year of Masterly InactivityWe hope you have enjoyed the past few weeks as we focused on Masterly Inactivity. The articles we shared with you are taken from our new 2008 personal calendar journal, A Year of Masterly Inactivity with Charlotte Mason. Several more…Sonya ShaferJanuary 16, 2008
Faith“What do you try to control instead of allowing God to control?” the small-group leader posed the question. He gave an example, then someone else mentioned an area that hit home. “I try to control everything for my children,” she…Sonya ShaferJanuary 9, 2008
Don’t Be HoodwinkedYou’ve seen them — parents who are hoodwinked by their children time and time again. Suzy is a little terror to the other children, pulling hair and pushing the little ones. But when her mom enters the scene just as…Sonya ShaferJanuary 3, 2008
A Good Deal of Letting AloneWhen our first two children were still preschoolers, my husband took them to the park without me. I had some work to finish up, so they went ahead and walked the two blocks before me. About twenty minutes later I…Sonya ShaferDecember 27, 2007
Good HumorHave you ever heard of the game Mother, May I? No, I don’t mean the innocent little game of “baby steps” and “kangaroo hops.” I mean the “game” of pestering and whining, “Mother, may I stay up late tonight? Pleeeeeeze,…Sonya ShaferDecember 19, 20071 Comment
The Fence of AuthorityA fenced-in backyard can be a wonderful thing when you have small children. Ask any mother who has spent a hot summer day chasing after her adventurous terrier and perpetually active toddler. Fences are good.Sonya ShaferDecember 12, 2007
Insight and Self-RestraintI remember two parties I attended when I was growing up. One was a sleepover at which I saw the parent only once: at breakfast. The rest of the time we girls were left to do anything and everything we…Sonya ShaferDecember 5, 2007
You Need Both: Masterly InactivityWe love our children. And we have great hopes for them. As Charlotte Mason so aptly put it, “People feel that they can bring up their children to be something more than themselves, that they ought to do so, and…Sonya ShaferNovember 27, 2007
