Oh, marvelous, Sonya, thank you!!!
I have a 14 yo son who has been homeschooled since age 6, most of the time CM style (except for brief forays into stricter classical method) He has happily put up with things he doesn’t care for much, like poetry, fanciful literature, drawing studies, etc. all these years, but now that he has more defined interests and goals, he’s beginning to make “noises” about how he’d rather have more input into his own studies. I’m mostly excited by this–except he wants to leave behind art, poetry, drawing, etc. to concentrate on his strong interests in computers, physics, animals, and flying. I want him to find his own path and his own life–but I’ve always believed these other items add so much richness to life. I can’t help but believe he’d be a better rounded person if I continue to insist on these things–but he’d also be a very frustrated one! LOL He’s developed into a very “to the point” young man–he wants things straight and simple and then move on already! He wrote a paper for a composition assignment, arguing why he shouldn’t have to do dictation anymore—he already can spell all the words, he has his own writing style already, he reads many of the authors already . . . all true. (He hasn’t missed a spelling word from dictation for a year!) I’m finding it hard to “refute”. He doesn’t see much point to poetry, although I’ve read it to him since babyhood . . . he’d rather be off programming or learning about flying or studying the various critters he collects–and he’s very good at all of these things. His nature journals no longer look like nature journals, but are mostly just counts of species he sees. He wants to be a veterinarian, possibly, or an engineer or a pilot, and can’t see why memorizing Shakespeare will help.
What do I need to insist on, and where do I hold back and let him go his own way? I want the room in which he sets his feet to be large and generous–but I also want him to be the young man God intends him to be. And I’m a little worried that I failed to get him to “care” about so many things.
Goodness, this got long! Veterans, help! LOL
Michelle D
