For The Children's Sake

This is one of the most excellent books I have read on the art of being a mother. Susan takes the expert advice of educator Charlotte Mason and cultivates it for the home and the home educator. Truthfully, this book could be used as a guide for every mother. There is rich wisdom contained in it. She adresses authority without aggression, how to guide your children into a love of learning, and how to live in a world that is contrary to God's teaching.

Susan addresses our Christian preoccupation with dividing the secular and the spiritual. She explains that math isn't anymore holy because we only measure the ark. There is rich creativity to be seen in great works of literature and composers. She helpfully walks the reader through how to plan out the a day that sparks creativity and helps the child engage in the world around them.

One thing that I am clinging to is how she teaches to let the Holy Spirit do His work in our children. We often attempt to expound on them some forced morality without letting them come to Christ on their own and build a relationship with Him. Much of the time, they have to get to Him in spite of us. 

From, cooking, fitness, arts, math, grammar, and much more, Susan shows us how to get the child to engage and enjoy. This is truly a life we give them and not some dull material they memorize and forget. Let them learn early and play in the afternoon. This is engaging. Read it.

"Our task it to provide nourishment. We provide a personal relationship, the source material, and the framework for this growth. He does his own learning, living, and responding."