Brothers and sisters

Being homeschooled, the kids are together all day, every day.  In a lot of ways, it's fantastic...they get to know each other, and they are truly great friends.  However, if you couple young egocentricity with a lack of ability to control emotions, it sometimes leads to volatile situations :)

We had a chance to do an exercise in school yesterday though that was fabulous. We are studying Asia, India specifically, so we were learning about their culture. In India , there is a festival called Raksha Bandhan that is to celebrate the love and duty between brothers and sisters. The holiday does have it's roots in Hinduism, but I used it solely for the kids to focus on each other.  Siblings have a special relationship, and I don't think most siblings truly value that until they are adults.  So, I simply had Mason and Charlotte each write down three things that are special about each other...it was a chance for them to put aside what they thought THEY were good at, and to think of what makes each other special in our home, family, and community.  

It was kind of humorous, but Charlotte got it right away (so part of what makes her special, right? )  Her three things made Mason special were that he: 

1) is good at lots of things, like math

2) is funny

3) and he is nice to her

Not bad!  Mason, on the other hand, had trouble getting it right.  Once I explained to him that Charlotte having 'super stinky breath' isn't exactly what I had in mind, this is what he came up with:

1) she helps a lot around the house

2) she is a good problem solver (when her siblings fight, specifically)

3) she can get stuff done faster than me

The best part was when I made them tell each other what their list said.  Getting kids to find the JOY in putting Christ first, others second, and themselves last is not easy! But we'll keep trying :)