Over the weekend, we were able to spend some quality time with some new friends of ours. They operate a retreat center called Peniel Ranch. While we gleaned a lot of wisdom from them and I could go on an on, one conversation that sticks out at the moment involved what we allow our kids to be entertained by. We were discussing different books and the analogy was given with dessert. If we are always allowing dessert, how will we be able to have our kids enjoy the meat and potatoes. Their children are reading such books as Boyhood and Beyond, Before You Meet Prince Charming, Created for Work, Raising Maidens of Virtue, health and wellness books. They are only 13 and 14 years of age. Their 8 year old treasures Thoughts for Young Men that a dear friend gave to him. The neat part is that they are really enjoying them and excited to share what they are learning. It really made me think about unspoiling my kids from mostly consuming "fun" books and getting those life-changing books in front of them most often instead of the opposite approach. This same principal definitely can apply to the movies we watch. They gave the example of how their kids enjoy watching the Moody Science videos, which are incredible. If they had been watching all the Disney movies or any such type of movies or tv all the time, how in the world would they get them to enjoy a science video?
It is great to be around people who inspire you to new levels and make you think about things that had never crossed your mind in such a way before. God is so good to bless us with people in our lives like this.
2 comments:
That's a great post, April. I've just started doing what you're talking about in the past year and a half. For school last year, I assigned the girls all kinds of "worthy" books. It whets their appetite for other hearty, good reads, and that pays off! Just make it a part of your kids' school time, and you'll find them sneaking their 'school' books to read during their free time! Makes a mama smile...
:-)
I love that idea of assigning "worthy" books for school. It is getting easier for me to get away from the mainstream curriculum and focus on what is really important in life. Thanks for sharing, Karen.
Post a Comment