Perks of Having Older Children

A few weeks ago I was at a church meeting with some moms that had small children.  As I watched them wrest with their small ones I was grateful that I had been able to leave my 2-yo at home with my older girls, leaving me to more efficiently participate in the meeting.  I jokingly leaned over to one of the other moms and said, "See, this is why we should all have our teenage girls FIRST, and then have the younger ones."  yeah.  That'd be nice, huh?

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way around that stage of parenthood when all the children are small and needy.  Ugh.  There were days when I just watched the clock waiting for bedtime.  I remember when, at the end of a long and taxing day (and weren't they all?), I would finally exhale a huge sigh of relief as I slowly, silently released the bedroom doorknob and tiptoed away to find peace in my own quiet thoughts.  That is, until someone leaked out of said bedroom in tears and/or a dirty diaper.  Nope, there's no way around it, but through it.

Fortunately, it doesn't last forever.  These little people grow and become their own unique, talented, spirited, driven, contributing members of your home and community.  It's a truly amazing process to witness. That little person you nursed and swaddled at all hours is now mowing the lawn, doing laundry, babysitting for you, making your grocery lists, washing the car, and...wait for it...cooking!!

Yes.  Cooking! And Baking!  And it's wonderful (most of the time) to have someone else share the load in the kitchen.  Take today for example.  My newly-turned-15-yo made a wonderful artisan bread that disappeared WAY too fast.  It's becoming a weekly routine.

Photo credits go to my 7-yo.  

She has an eye for great photos.

Here's a link to the recipe

https://www.somethingswanky.com/easy-overnight-artisan-bread/

As far as homeschooling goes, having older kids is such a blessing!  For example, my artsy 7th grader has at times taken over the art lesson while I change a diaper.  My 9th grader gives her brother a spelling test on occasion.  Even my 2nd grader helps out by entertain the 2yo with all sorts of imaginary fun.  My son (5th grade) often makes an effort to include his little sister in his online math lesson by letting her push some of the buttons on the keyboard or showing her the fun little cartoon that plays when he gets an answer right.  

It's a family effort to run this homeschool.  The older the kids get the more they are able to take on, both as independent learners as well as interdependent supporters.   I love watching how the younger kids observe the older ones.  They learn how to learn by watching.  This, of course, makes my job so much easier.  

I remember being amazed when my 4th child learned to read with SUCH ease. Really! It was a dream. I couldn't move fast enough for her. And I think it had a lot to do with the fact that our homeschool was well under way when she was born and she has had a lifetime of full immersion in our homeschool. She observed her older siblings and soaked up all the learning that was happening around her.  When it came time to "teach" her formally, she was SO ready.

I'm curious to see how it goes with my next two kids (ages 2 yrs and 3 months) and observe how our ever changing family dynamics affect their learning as well.