Grandma is a source of inspiration and support when it comes to our education journey. I look to her experience from raising three kids and also teaching special education for twenty years. She is very supportive of the unschooled/free learning approach for our family. Twice a week since he was two years old he has been going to her house for some one-on-one time with her. They get into all kinds of things and it's great to see their bond grow. I am so thankful he has this opportunity to have so much quality time with his grandmother.
She allows a lot. I won't say she let's him do whatever he wants, but it's pretty damn close. She also gives him gifts constantly. Not for being a "good boy" but just because she loves giving him things. It's how she shows her love, so I try not to step in too often. I have had to ask that she keep some of the toys at her house from time-to-time when I feel I am running out of storage space! He's definitely a lucky kid on the Grandma front (my mom dotes on him, too!).
The freedom he has when he is with Grandma is important. I am generally a pretty Type A kind of person, so I appreciate a day to myself and so does he! If I don't get enough alone time I can get pretty uptight which leads to being too controlling and knit picking.
Plus, they do cool stuff. They catch frogs, go swimming, play with toys, watch their shows, make snacks, take walks and read books. She does a lovely job of keeping him busy with things she likes to do, but also allowing him to make decisions about how they spend time together.
I'm not sure what I would do without my mother-in-law. I'm just thankful we have her!
No comments:
Post a Comment