Discipline, Education or Both?

Choosing to homeschool our children is always an adventure. Stan and I especially feel the need to allow our children to be children and then expect that as young adults they will act the part; responsible, interested, and engaged (and not like most "teen-agers" we know)... because our children will have truly had a childhood and be ready for the responsibilites young adulthood.

With that brief philisophical introduction, we don't compel daily practice writing, the children write as needed and it may not be comparable to children their age at this point. Having said this...

Xander and Niko got into trouble this week by climbing into the neighbors yard. This neighbor is extremely kind...but they have 3 pitbuls in the back yard... needless to say, even though the dogs LOVE the kids... at any point they could become frightened and harm the kids... and then the dogs would need to be put down (killed). Both consequences would of course be detrimental.

Knowing that they were in BIG trouble, the boys offered many options of punishment, banishment to their room, cleaning all the bathrooms in the house, mopping the whole house (about 2000 sf of marble flooring)... you get the idea. But I thought they should have an opportunity to practice writing. A punishment they gladly accepted with no complaint. Xander wrote, "I will not go into the neighbors backyard" twenty-five times, Niko, ten times, and then the finale was writing a letter to the neighbor apologizing for the trespass and delivering it in person. After nearly 2.5 hours of writing, gigling and more writing, the task was complete... or so we thought.

Stan, in his infinite wisdom, confirmed with the boys that they personally delivered the letter, and mentioned that he would speak with our neighbor the next day.... suddenly Xander paused, "had to get something from the garage" and left the room quick as lightening. We of course knew that the letter had been detoured on the way to the neighbors.

In the end, the letter was hand delivered, the apology was given and the childrens' handwriting is much improved. (You wouldn't believe how much improved... all in one sitting. Now that's what I call home education.)