I am not ready to post another Stacks review. I am still reading Rob Roy and Jungle Pilot. The philosophy book has been set aside until last, as we don't have as urgent a need for that background information any more. The mothers of Triss' debate team (including yours truly) have decided that the kids will not compete in tournaments this year, but will instead study the process of debate within the club. (That was a load off for me!)
However, I have read the following books in the last three weeks:
The Mother At Home by John S.C. Abbott
The Fruit of Her Hands by Nancy Wilson
Her Hand in Marriage by Douglas Wilson
Dyslexia: A Guide for Parents by Gavin Reid
I enjoy the tips in The Mother At Home, but have to bypass the all-to-frequent appeals to fear, which really bother me. As mommies, don't we lay enough fear on ourselves without some author giving us all kinds of heartrending stories on how we will ruin our children for life if we don't raise them properly? Why would I be reading this book if I didn't already have a pretty healthy fear where that is concerned? So, I recommend the book, but only if you promise not to be sucked in by the fearmongering. The Lord is more than able to cover our backs where raising kids is concerned. Our job is to be faithful. His job is results.
I enjoyed reading The Fruit of Her Hands very much. I am surprised by how many "me-first" attitudes I have. Things like not wanting to have to do more than my exact fair share of the work (whatever that is) and wanting to do what I want when I want to do it. I am learning that what I think of as "feminist" attitudes aren't just anti-feminine, but plain ungodly. We are to serve one another, to cast our bread upon the waters, never asking if it pays; to do our work as unto the Lord and not unto men.
Her Hand in Marriage is a book on courtship, and I really like the way Douglas Wilson deals with it. We are still learning a lot where the courtship/dating discussion is concerned, and this is our first book purchase on the subject.
Dyslexia: A Guide for Parents is simple and easy to understand, with lists of difficulties that may be encountered with this tough-to-pin-down learning difference. I especially appreciated the chapter on brain development. The author takes a hopeful view that diligence on the part of teacher and student, with an awareness of difficulties to be overcome, can take the student to success in his or her endeavors. Here a little, there a little. The book addresses how to deal with dyslexia in a school setting and on the legislative level as well. (A little side note-- as a former proofer I found some silly typos in the book as well as a few strangely constructed sentences and wonder who did the proofing/editing.)
In my reading about learning differences I often find myself thinking "This sounds just like me!" Sometimes I experience a type of educator's couvade. When I was reading about central auditory processing disorder, I wondered if that was my problem. When I was reading about ADD/ADHD I wondered if that was what I was struggling with. Now I see dyslexia in myself-- something very easy to do, given its ambiguous nature and large symptom list. I began to label the behavior of everyone around me if they showed the least little symptoms of one of these differences. Cast about with every wind of... educational thought. I've got to be more careful about that.
I did read a little more of Jungle Pilot last night. I think I am getting back to my Stacks reading now, having had my fill of self-help books for the present.
Previous From The Stacks Challenge posts:
Challenge
Stacks I
Animal Farm
Where the Red Fern Grows
Bad Guys
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