Nurturing Positive Relationships and Socialization Skills – a list of goals, and some rambling…

I was asked to read Homeschooling for the Rest of Us, written by Sonya Haskins because many of my readers are homeschoolers. I’m working my way through it and have found so much great advice that I want to share some of it as I go along.
I am, technically, not a homeschooler. M is only 3, won’t start kindergarten until he is 6, and most likely will go to the private school associated with our church. However, I do place great importance on the fact that as his mother, I’m his primary teacher, his most important teacher at least for now. And, if you read this blog you know we do a lot of preschool learning activities. It comes naturally to me, I love doing it, M loves it even more… and it’s a way for us to spend special time together on a daily basis.
I struggle occasionally with what I should be doing with M. This brief time that he is mine alone… these short years of early childhood innocence… they are such a gift and I love being with him (that’s not to say it’s not a very tough job sometimes). But I feel the pressure of the clock winding down on us. What should my priorities be as his mother and first teacher? Well, love of God, knowledge of our faith, caring for others, manners… things that have to do with relationships. Strong, loving relationships are so much more important than academics at this age (probably this is true of any age). I admit, it’s harder work for me to help him develop a virtuous character, than it is to plan unit studies. (Evidently my own character isn’t quite perfect either – who knew? And still God entrusted this little guy to me; it floors me sometimes!)
What I love about Sonya Haskin’s book is that she stresses “relationships first, academics second”, especially for early childhood. What she writes about this topic is such an encouragement to me, and an affirmation that my instinct is right in this area.
What I particularly am appreciating right now is a list of goals regarding relationship growth (good social skills lend themselves to good relationships, right?) that Ms. Haskins provides early on in the book. For a list-maker, list-reader, and list-needer like me, it’s great to have something that I can refer to once in a while in order to make sure we are on the right track.
Here’s her list of what skills should be learned in early childhood…
“Students should be able to:

• take turns
• share with others
• use appropriate language
• use appropriate voice tone (yelling outside, quiet talk in side)
• say “please” and “thank you”
• praise others and avoid insults
• ask for help when needed
• stay on task
• look at others when spoken to
• communicate clearly
• wait patiently for lunch
• take care of belongings
• listen attentively
• resolve conflicts appropriately (no hitting, no biting)
• follow directions
• work with a team
• share ideas coherently
• understand age-appropriate social concepts
• help others" (pp. 45-46)
  

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this! Are there other things you’d add to the list? Let me know in the comments!
Have a beautiful day! :)

Book Review – Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect with this book… it’s written as a collaboration between two authors, I’ve never read anything by either of them, and I tend to think co-authored fiction sometimes ends up feeling too forced, with characters that have no depth.  However, I was pleasantly surprised with this book.
Rylee is a dog-walker for elite homeowners in Charleston.  (I love reading books set in Charleston, and this is what drew me to this book in the first place).  A mystery surrounds the area she works in – a “Robin Hood” type thief is stealing items from the homes of Rylee’s clients.  Eventually she becomes the prime suspect. 
However, there’s more to the robberies than meets the eye, and there’s more to Rylee’s past than she’s aware of.   The robberies and her childhood memories are intriguingly intertwined.
And there’s a little chemistry going on between Rylee and Logan, the lead investigative reporter for the case.  (Really, with names like Rylee and Logan you just know something’s going to happen, right?)  They aren’t sure  they can trust one another, yet they are drawn to each other and eventually work together to find the answers they are looking for.
I have to say, I guessed the antagonist extremely early on in the book, but this didn’t keep me from enjoying the chase and how Rylee and Logan solved the mystery.  The book was well written, and definitely kept me turning the pages with it’s fast-paced action scenes. 
Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for giving me a free copy of this book to review.