L is for lessons. I am
thankful for Life’s Little Lessons (see all the L’s there J )
More specifically I’m
thankful for the lessons I’ve been learning the past couple of years regarding
husbands, homeschooling, and homebirth.
My husband and I will be married 11 years this December. We will have
been together for 14 years and I’m still learning about him, about myself, and
how to be the wife God has called me to be. Perhaps the most pivotal lesson
I’ve learned about husbands is just *how* important they are. To me, to our
children, and to the decisions we make going forward as a family.
This is our second year homeschooling. That has been another
huge lesson! Figuring out how my children learn, what speaks to them, and what
are they passionate about. I thought I knew my kids, but after a year of
homeschooling I realized just how much I was missing. I was missing nuances of
their nature, I was missing learning more about them as a person, how they
learn, how they think, etc. It is very much an example of the saying ignorance
is bliss. I didn’t know what I was missing until I wasn’t missing it any
longer.
My husband has been instrumental in helping me
figure out what curriculum works best for each kid, what teaching style applies
to each kid, and figuring out exactly what makes them tick. Learning our kids’
love languages has also been integral to teaching them successfully.
My husband is a critical
thinker and a researcher. If he doesn’t have the answer to something he wants
to know about, he WILL find it out. He will spend hours researching the subject
exhaustively until he is as close to
being an expert as he can be. This attribute came in especially handy when we
decided to have a *homebirth*. There I said it. We had a homebirth. To some
of you that may not seem like an earth shattering confession, but if you had
told me two years ago I would be having our 5th baby in our living
room I would have looked at you like you had six heads.
I recall the first time I
heard that someone had their baby at home. I smiled politely, but inside I
thought “seriously? People still do that? She must be slightly off her rocker.”
Fast forward a year and a half. We have now watched “The Business of Being
Born” on Netflix and our eyes have been opened. My husband said “if we ever
have another baby, we’re doing a homebirth.”
A few months after that we learned we were pregnant. We were excited,
yet nervous. How does this work? Who do we talk to? Eek! We talked with those
that had delivered at home, we researched our options, and ultimately decided
to do an unassisted home birth. I did seek prenatal care with a midwife (which
was so amazing!) but we decided this was the best option for our family. We
ordered an inflatable birth pool online and all the supplies needed. My husband
researched endlessly during those months until he was completely comfortable
doing this on his own. It was so amazing to be able to be in our own home, wake
our older kids up for the event and then go sleep in my own bed. Our older kids
had no trouble adjusting to the new baby and they seem to have a stronger bond
with her than they did with each other previously.
For these reasons and many more
I am so thankful that God is not content to leave me where I am and He sees fit
to continue to teach me. I am so thankful for those He has placed in my life to
be His instruments in teaching me these lessons and many others. As I learn, I
am able to share with others. I think that is vital as we learn in life. Never
be content to keep your knowledge to yourself, but to share freely so others
may make informed choices as well.
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