A Couple of Quotes
As I mentioned previously, I am re-reading For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. It is such a wonderful piece of writing that I thought I would occasionally share some more quotes from the book. Perhaps it might even encourage those of you who haven’t read the book to pick it up. 
From her chapter on Authority and Freedom:
When I am honest, as a parent, I know that I am all too often aggressive toward the child. I am angry at him, because I am angry at my own failures. I want this child to be the perfect human being that I somehow failed to become. It is shockingly easy to take my frustrations out on those who are under me. This is a matter of humility. “I’m sorry I shouted at you. I’m really worried and exhausted tonight, and I took it out on you. You should have remembered to put your muddy boots away, but my reaction was wrong.” Or simply, “I’m sorry, I’m wrong.”
None of use live up very well to that model of righteousness, the loving Shepherd-Leader who is perfect Himself and can lead into the paths of righteousness in love.
Such honesty strengthens our office. For we are only pointing in some poor way toward what is good. Thank God that the reality of righteousness is not based on the level I achieve myself! We look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (p. 53)
Another quote from the same section, a little further on:
In my experience, children obey best when their lives are as fully satisfying as possible in the way Charlotte Mason advocated. If minds are interested, skills are being learned, loving relationships are enjoyed, creativity is encouraged, beauty in nature, art, and music are appreciated, hours are spent in free play, and children learn to climb, swim, ride, canoe, ski or skate — why these children will be well on their way to having their sinful natures put in the back seat! Sinful natures expand like a malignancy at any age with loneliness, mental poverty, boredom, passivity, hunger, tiredness, and deprivation of daily contact with the rich source material of goodness — the Word of God. When you think about it, many children today have hell on earth. Are we surprised at what happens?
mrsdarwin on 31 May 2007 at 7:34 am #
Sinful natures expand like a malignancy at any age with loneliness, mental poverty, boredom, passivity, hunger, tiredness, and deprivation of daily contact with the rich source material of goodness — the Word of God.
I’ve been reading The Secret Garden to my girls, and the heroine (Mary) epitomizes what Macauley is discussing here. Only when she begins to care for something other than herself — the garden — and to realize that her will must be trained to patience and kindness — does she really begin to blossom.
amber on 31 May 2007 at 10:28 am #
I love the Secret Garden! I admit though that I ended up buying the audiobook from Audible.com because when I tried reading it out loud I got so tangled up in the dialects that I could barely muddle may way through parts of it. The audiobook is delightful though, and Emma enjoyed it too. We should listen to it again though, since some of it went quite a ways over her head when we last listened to it six or eight months ago. Maybe I’ll see if we can put that next in the “queue”.
mrsdarwin on 31 May 2007 at 1:23 pm #
Start Emma on a lifetime of listening to audiobooks and watching old Masterpiece Theater programs and she’ll be able to mimic British accents just fine.