Growing Up Wrong

Despite trying to be open to our neighbors and surrounding culture, we spend a lot of time cooped up in our house or yard. We have school or work that keeps us busy much of the day, and then a limited number of things that feels relaxing. One of the struggles that has been on our minds recently is what activities we can provide for our children to be stimulated and engaged and prepared for life in whatever place they will end up. It can be very discouraging to realize that they don’t get to have deep interaction with other kids very often in a week, and they don’t really have group activities that are understandable to them. We know we are also lucky to have a lot more family time rather than a typical US family that may be running around taking kids to activities almost everyday of the week. La Maestra is working to try to do as many school activities and extra-curriculars with the kids, like piano and group play when we go to spend time at a Bible school weekly. I’m also trying to get them more interested in baseball by following some of the Major League teams and getting out to practice more regularly. That, piano, and getting very comfortable swimming are probably the extent of the things we can do to have a little flavor of what the average kids in the US are doing.

A Delight plays with a group of girls making dolls out
of millet stalks.

On the realistic side of things, we know that there is no “normal” way to grow up, so we don’t want to fall in the trap of trying to micro-manage our children’s experiences with unrealistic expectations. They don’t have many complaints. They really enjoy all the creativity that they have the freedom to express in the sand and sticks that they spend much time re-arranging in our yard! But we will continue to struggle to think of other things we can add and how we can fit in other common experiences that will help them relate to their peers in the future.

Practicing good piano form.

-- El Padre