WAITING AND WATCHING

My first child took to reading like a pro. Even though he had never gone to preschool and I had only given him minimal reading lessons, he progressed very rapidly and had virtually no problems. I had purchased Phonics Pathways and we probably skipped half the book. By first grade we were reading The Magician's Nephew together. I do not say this to brag. It's important to know this as I tell you about my next child. He is a sweetheart. Even at 8 years old, you still get the urge to just "eat him up" like he was two and had fat, dimply cheeks. He has been the opposite of his older brother. I started him in Phonics Pathways in kindergarten. He is in second grade now and we still haven't gotten to the midway point in the book. We never skip anything. We have even gone backwards in the book after realizing we were going too fast and his retention was slipping.

During this time I have had varying degrees of anxiety. I have considered testing. I have considered much more expensive curriculum. But the one thing I have learned to give him has been absolutely free --- time.

Consider this - you plant a seed under the ground. You've learned about the process of germination and how long it takes for this seed to sprout and start growing. Wouldn't it be ridiculous to go out into the garden, stand over the little plot of soil and start tapping your foot in impatience? And then when you can't stand it any longer you burst out and yell, "Would you hurry up and grow already!!!" Of course this sounds ridiculous. But don't we do this with our children? Instead of studying them and observing how their little brains are developing and maturing we study charts and read books about where our children need to be at a certain grade level. Who invented grade levels anyway? We get anxious and push them to do things their brains are not mature enough to do. I guess the frustrating part in all this is while we can study about the growth and germination and development of a seed or a plant, each child is different in how they grow and mature. There is no chart that will tell you exactly when your child's brain will grasp this concept or that fact. The only thing you can do is wait and watch. If you push and scream and get worried it's just as if you went out into the garden every day and dug into the soil and constantly looked at the progress of that seed. Will the seed sprout if you do this? Probably not. Thankfully our children do learn despite our impatience and mistakes. That is definitely grace.

I have been a witness to some remarkable growth in this second child lately. Without my prompting he has been picking up books above his reading level and attempting to read them. His desire to read has exploded. What did I do? What was the secret? Well here it is my dear friends. You will not find this in the next catalog or at the next convention but it's absolutely free --- time and faith. It has been a joy to see all this growth happening and even better - I had very little to do with it. I can read to him and create an environment where books are available and enjoyed but I cannot crawl into this child's brain and make it mature to the next level of comprehension.

Blessings to you.