oxygen mask

As my son grows older

things are different
I am different
he is so smart
so intuitive
so creative
he has learned
some of this from me
much of it he
was born with
we are very much
alike yet
we are different
when he was younger
I was so sensitive
to his needs
to making sure that
I was there for him
first
now
he is maturing
we both have interests
and passions
I must remember-
first the oxygen mask
for the mama-then we will
both thrive
and each be
who we
choose
as
we grow up
together.
: )

Listen

Recently my son said to me,
"it makes me so sad that you won't give me a minute to think.
i need a minute to think."

I felt like the thinnest sheet of ice crumbling,
and a beautiful rose blooming
in time lapsed photography
at the same time.


I want to remember this gift
for as long as I live.
xx

Pants from the men's department

This was a first.

My son said it was my very last first time
buying him pants from the men's department. : )
These words come from one of the stories
from his FSA tests, called The Very Last First,
about an Inuit girl who walked under the ice
at sea to collect mussels for the first time.

We home learn, but we don't follow any particular school curriculum,
so this test has been a fun learning experience
to see what the kids his age are tested for at school.
I am so grateful that my son has the freedom
to learn what "he" feels is important to him
each day. This will be invaluable to him
in his life.

We are so fortunate to have the wonderful support
of our home learning program Self Design,
a program that values humans, both children, and parents.

This community is a place where I feel cared about
for the very first time ever in a community.
Better late than never,
and best that it is
shared with my son. : )

This is my most mindful
act of parenting.
The love and clarity
of my heart are free
to exist here in this world
with him.

13 Approaches

His design.

The birthday is approaching.
Wow, 13!
I can hardly believe it.
If you have been checking here,
be assured that I am
going to do this blog.
I am cultivating the ideas.
The how-to's.
It's all churning,
and the boy turns
into a teen in soon,
so I will be ready
to go by then.
: )

tHe mAmA