19 November 2005

Choices

The children are maturing and beginning to contemplate life, the universe and everything. This is one of the best parts of homeschooling - we are there to discuss the issues. One child made the comment that large families couldn't have some stuff.
"Like what?", I asked.
Space, things for themselves, and so on.
Well, I replied, everything you do in life is a result of choices you make. Where you are today is a direct result of the decisions you made along the way to here. Some of them may be from a long time ago and some from today, but you always have to make choices and live by those consequences. Worrying about what might have been is silly - as the choices you make mean that "what might have been" may never really have been an option anyway.
I then compared what we had as a large family that smaller families didn't have. Children and siblings that make you laugh, others with whom to share your life and joys and sorrows, the ability to share and do without.
The child mentioned that the "share and do without" part was a bad thing.
I suggested that it wasn't. If one grows up getting everything he wants, eventually he will be in a situation where he has to make a choice. Too many people make the wrong decision in that situation and go into debt or do other stupid things because they can't discern between a need and a want and don't know how to say no to themselves.
Families give the best training in sharing and making choices. Real pro choice! Always choose Good over Evil. To thine own self be true.
I also explained that not everyone can have large families, but all successful families try to impart the same values of sharing, love and strength of character on all their members.
Yes. This is one of the reasons why we homeschool. So our children can discuss these issues with people that love them and want them to be all God wants them to be.

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