Science Fair

To the best of my knowledge I have never ever gotten a good grade (meaning higher than a C) on any of my science fair projects. Why? because I usually waited until the day before (literally) , thew something together and prayed to God that the teacher would except it. I am not sure why I would do such a thing, because it sure made for a lot of work. Faking data charts, searching for whatever information I could find in the books we had around the house (we didn't have the Internet then), and drawing (remember when kids used to draw?) tons of pictures to go with my "accumulated" research. Basically Brian Regan hit the nail on the head with his, "Cupa Duuurrt" act.

"It's a cup and it's got dirt in it".....see all the fancy pictures of my awkwardly drawn hand scooping up dirt and placing it so gently into this cup. Yes, that big weird round thing is a cup.

Anyway, I have decided that raising children is one huge science experiment that you can't fake. Think about it. You have TONS of books filled with different theories on how to feed your baby, how to put the baby to sleep, when to potty train, la la la la la. Then you have old wives tales, well meaning advice, and home remedies (I'm a Vicks can cure cancer type person myself). As parents, we have to sift through all this information, pick out the stuff that looks the coolest, try out on our kids, and hope they don't explode.

Seriously, we are using strategies we think will help grow a well balanced adult. We try something, if it doesn't give us the result we want, we try something else. I find this fact kinda scary myself. I mean, how many times can you fail before it starts to effect the person your child will grow up to be. For example: I spank Wyatt, but I am still on the fence about spanking him with something, like a spoon or whatever. I want to feel how hard I spank him because I don't want to hurt him. BUT am I causing him to fear my hand? The hand that caresses his little sleepy face in the mornings and holds on tight when he needs to feel safe. Is he getting a mixed message that the same hand that loves him also hurts him? I don't know. But if I spank him with an object, am I spanking him or hitting him? In my mind the difference in words is HUGE. I don't want to hit my child, I want to discipline him and give him understanding that there are consequences to his actions, so for now I spank him with my hand. That doesn't mean I won't ever change my strategy, but as long as this one is working I am going to stick with it.

I could go on and on with this subject, as there is a lot to be said for any tactic you take on raising your child. One thing is for certain, I am more thankful now than ever that I can still pray about the outcome of my "project". God knows what is in my heart as a mother. I am not throwing this project together in the middle of the night. I have thoughtfully and prayerfully made my decisions; in the hopes that the result will be strong men that will serve the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. I still have many years to go before I find out what my grade will be, but with God as my project manager I think Wyatt and Zane will be alright.