“This sucks,” Alex wailed, “I hate homeschooling.” He said it, but I thought it.
Fight or Flight
It was a gorgeous autumn day, and I just wanted him to go outside and play. He didn’t want to go. I pushed him to go out (because I needed some time to think and clear through the “to do”list) and he responded, “Fine, I’ll dig a hole to China, but Mommy, you’re limiting my choices!” pout, pout, stomp, stomp
I almost said, OK, let’s forget about homeschooling. What’s the point, anyway? Somehow, the voice of reason kicked in and I realized I wasn’t thinking straight. So, I stopped my chores - which didn’t seem so important after all - and invited Alex out on a field trip.
Just a half hour walk in the woods, on an interpretive trail, we learned about watersheds and our good humor was restored. We were back to loving homeschooling.
Swinging Like a Pendulum
I was experiencing the typical emotional response to sleep deprivation according to a new study on sleep deprivation led by Mathew Walker, at the University of California Berkeley. Results from the study were just published in the Oct. 23 issue of Current Biology and reported on in Live Science and Reuters.
Brain images of otherwise healthy men and women showed two full days without sleep seemed to rewire their brains, re-directing activity from the calming and rational prefrontal cortex to the “fear center” — the amygdala.”It’s almost as though, without sleep, the brain had reverted back to more primitive patterns of activity, in that it was unable to put emotional experiences into context and produce controlled, appropriate responses,” said Matthew Walker of the University of California Berkeley, who led the study. (Reuters, 10/24/07)
Spending too many late nights on the computer was leaving me unable to cope with my son’s needs. I was grumpy, irritable, and irrational. How could I expect an 8-year-old to enjoy learning with a cranky witch for a teacher?
Mowgli, my yellow lab, sleeps all day and night. He is never a grouch. Sounds lovely, but then most humans have a lot more responsibilities.
When will I find the time to write if I don’t stay up at night? I know a lot of my female friends who are mothers give up sleep to write. Is there a better way?
Balance, that elusive goal, is so very difficult to achieve. Good night.
If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.
{ 0 comments… add one now }