There’s No Place Like Home

In the commotion of the past couple of weeks I’ve neglected to announce an important and most exciting change in the Shoe household. Our Henry is no longer a public school kid. We withdrew him last Tuesday and have resumed educating him at home. I think we’re all going to be much happier this way.

Henry was doing well academically and his behavior (at school), while not the best, was definitely not the worst. But the poor boy was stressed beyond belief! And the stress manifested itself as pure naughtiness at home. He was becoming aggressive, disobedient, and more impulsive than ever. He was easily angered, whiney and cried about the smallest of things. And it took hours (sometimes days) to calm him back down once he’d worked himself into a tizzy – which was almost every school day. He wasn’t eating well either, and I think it showed in his physical appearance. He had dark circles under his eyes and his skin allergies were worse than they have ever been. So we did what any parent who knows that homeschooling is a perfectly acceptable option to traditional schooling (and who actually has that option) would do. We brought the little guy home!

I must say that we’ve already seen a HUGE improvement in Henry. He’s much, much nicer to be around. He’s eating better, sleeping better and behaving better. He’s whining much less and I don’t think he’s cried at all this past week. The dark circles are gone and, while his nasty skin rash remains, I do think it looks less severe than before. Henry told me that he likes being home because he can concentrate better and because he doesn’t have to worry about kids being mean to him on the playground. I like him being home because he’s safe and happy here. And because I love teaching kids to read!

For my sweet, artistic, sensitive Hankie there truly is no place like home. Perhaps one day that will change. For now things are fine just the way they are.

A Prayer Before I Go to Bed

May He support us all day long, till the shades lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in His mercy may He give us a safe lodging, and a holy rest and peace at last. Complete Thy work, O Lord, and as Thou hast loved me from the beginning so make me to love Thee unto the end. ~ Cardinal John Henry Newman

Does the beauty of that bring tears to the eyes of anyone besides me? Or is it, perhaps, that I’m just a tad hormonal?

Good night, my friends!