TRANSFORMERS! – Dealing with fads during the Charlotte Mason experience

Hugs, Heidi! I be been homeschooling for 18 years, all boys. If you ever get this figured out, let me know. I’d love to know how. 🙂

My kids do this as well.  It isn’t always a TV show or movie that they get obsessed with.  Right now it’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings…yesterday they dressed as a hobbit, dward, elf, and wizard.  At other times they’ve been interested in things like magic tricks, origami, photography, sculpting with clay, various books, countries or places, animals, etc.  Eventually they move onto something else and the obsession starts all over!  

I love seeing the creativity they often show when they are learning about new things of their own interest.  A couple years ago they spent hours making carnival rides for their Webkinz…I loved seeing what they would come up with!  They also learned quite a bit about solving problems when their rides didn’t work out on the first try.  I think they can learn quite a bit when they are exploring a topic of their own interest.

My son is now 10 and when he was a toddler/preschooler he was all into Thomas the Train.  He had the toys, the videos, books, the clothing, shoes, ride-on, backpack, lunchbox, puzzles, and more.  We went to the Day Out with Thomas a few times.  We did encourage it too.  Then at about age 6, he became obsessed with dinosaurs.  Again the toys, books, clothing, videos, etc.  That was about all he would draw, but his drawings greatly improved.  He also made some of his own books.  We certainly had science covered that season with a lapbook and some books from Master Books on the topic.  I thought he was certain to become the next great paleontologist.  Older men warned me that he would outgrow it and I could not believe them because his interest was so strong.  Then at about age 8, his interest became strong for Revolutionary War, after studying it for school, and he left dinosaurs behind in the dust.  He likes to dress in period costumes for re-enactments, read books on it, watch documentaries on it, do drawings of it.  There was nothing I did that changed his interest though.  I think part of it is the age they are at and what things they are exposed to that can interest them.  Obviously, they could not get obsessed about something they have never seen.  Media, especially as books or tv, can have a great influance, good or bad.

I think it can be great to have a strong focus on one area, to be really great at one thing rather than good at several things.  I see the same tendencies in my husband to get really into his hobbies.  As long as it is nothing bad, it can help them sharpen other skills.  I am one to dabble in a variety of interests and not be really great at any one thing.  My daughter tends to be like this too.

I don’t know.  I have had a lot of the same experiences as those mentioned above, and I’ve generally handled them the same ways mentioned.  Still, I don’t know.  I find my son more prone to this than my daughter.  And we’ve experienced more the obsessions that are ok at first, then with more time become real inhibitors to other play or activities.  I actually completely banned a few things after talking them over with my son.  He understood completely.  He was fine with interest in them being shelved after we talked too.  However, I feel like you do … it’s always something …. and it’s a hard spot to be in as a parent.  I’m never sure if I’m squelching the next game designer or raising a good Christian man with work ethic and interests that are more mainstream and ones I deem healthier.  I think my issues pass the character obsessions.  We did a few of those, but many many subject obsessions over the years.  Now, I’d take those over these any day!  LOL.

My case was not helped at all by Sunday’s “May the 4th be with You” celebration of all things Star Wars!  By Sunday evening, even I was phrasing sentences like Yoda!  Ahem!