Yesterday we had home school book club. Bet you can't guess what book we read?! It was just so very lovely. We hold book club at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park (biggest park in LA, really terrific place), and the weather was beautiful. There were 20-25 kids between 9 and 14 or so, and they were all so invested. There were some who hated the book, and some who loved it, and it didn't matter, because they voiced their opinions, and listened to other opinions than their own, and it was really cool.
The most uncool moment came from a mom, ironically, who was offended by the (rather violent) book, and voiced it in a prickly way. The kids weren't. They were just all-in. Some were tentative and thoughtful. Some were going for the laugh. They are all in the process of figuring out who they are.
After the discussion they formed teams and ran a dogsled obstacle course with giant oilcloth mats as sleds. It was one of those moments where I thought, "This is exactly how my children should be living". The evening that followed, when all hell broke loose because I opened the kids closet and found the reason that no one has any clean socks or underwear or jeans, was not one of those moments. It was one of those moments when I think things like, "I am raising animals. Selfish, horrible animals".
So - that was yesterday.