A Perfect Gift

"Got Kids?" She asked me. "Yes, I've got kids. Four of them." I responded. The friendly question interrupted our search for sheets that matched iron man comforters. The woman and her husband were seeking expert advice on a toy they were considering as a gift for a 10 year old nephew.

I surveyed the bobbing heads clustered around me and pointed out my 10 year Joshua as the expert. They both asked several questions, and I smiled at their intensity: "Is this a cool toy?" "Would you want this as a gift?" "Do you have something like this already?" Joshua was agreeable and said the robot growing lab kit looked like a fun toy. The brightness in his blue eyes said, "I wonder if they're going to give this to me." Can you imagine waving a strawberry ice cream cone in front of a kid, asking him if it's his favorite flavor, only to walk away and give it to someone else? Thankfully, Joshua was old enough to keep his wits about him.

Isn't it fun to watch a child open the perfect gift and hear him squeal with delight? In the movie Radio, the man whose mind is trapped in perpetual childhood dances for joy each time he receives a radio as a gift. One of my children is happiest when she adds a new stuffed dog to her collection. Each dog gets a name and is told how he is related to the others. My sons are thrilled with anything they can throw, swing or hit. Life is full of simple pleasures.

What makes me happy to receive? The gifts from my children make me dance inside: a song she plays on the piano, a super big hug, a colored picture, droopy wild flowers, a lost tooth with a note to the tooth fairy. Those are just a few of my favorite things.

Homeschooling and SAHM don't always get a bad rap

People don't frown at my little flock of kids in the grocery store. Usually they smile. Like yesterday. A man sitting in a motorized shopping cart with a bandage over his face watched and listened to the noisy communications of four kids tossing items on the conveyer belt, bagging, asking for candy, and pressing the button to move the groceries along. It was happy, productive chatter, and they seemed excited even though they have done this once a week, every week, for their entire little lives.

The commotion reminded the gentleman of visits from his five grandchildren. He said he likes the noise, but only for a few days. And I could see from his smile that my noisy, bumpy kids amused him as he simultaneously anticipated and dreaded the next big visit.

Sometimes articles and blogs have a defensive tone. Do I live in a pretty bubble where people are generally positive about mothering and homeschooling? It must be the conservative, California valley. Most people I meet seem to envy me and wish they could homeschool, too. On Tuesday, the neurologist who met with Isaiah regarding his brain injury said he was pleased that I was homeschooling so that I could monitor his academic progress and behavior. That was clearly a positive comment from an Oakland professional.

I don't think there is any need to be so defensive by looking for and publishing negative comments people make. Possibly, those who have family members that ridicule them for their parenting choices are super sensitive and see more people scowling than I do. And possibly, cities like Berkely have more defined battle lines. But why do bloggers have to be on the defensive and make it look like a war?

I want to read more stories about how our country is beginning to embrace and even highly regard the choice many mothers are making to stay home during the toddler years and the choice parents make to homeschool.