{"id":801,"date":"2012-02-05T15:13:04","date_gmt":"2012-02-05T21:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michellevanloon.com\/?p=801"},"modified":"2012-02-05T15:13:04","modified_gmt":"2012-02-05T21:13:04","slug":"parents-you-can-not-predict-the-future-you-know-that-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pilgrimsroadtrip\/2012\/02\/parents-you-can-not-predict-the-future-you-know-that-right\/","title":{"rendered":"Parents, you can not predict the future. You know that, right?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I had one of those time-transcending moments last night in a warehouse in Chicago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Travel back in time with me for a moment, to 1995. My thee children, then ages 12, 10 and 9 and I have started another typical home school day. Breakfast, a few chores, prayer, then the day\u2019s instructions, which invariably included a few minutes of journaling. Their journals were the one school assignment they had each day where I didn\u2019t have to bust out the green or purple pen to correct mistakes. (I rarely used red. I thought it made my own school papers look like a crime scene, so I used gentler colors to deliver the error news to my kids.) I wanted them to be able to enjoy expressive writing and build fluency. so the journal was the one place where they could simply write. <\/span><\/p>\n

When I heard the inevitable wail \u201c\u2026but I don\u2019t know what to write!\u201d, from my kids, I started compiling prompts, which I eventually self-published as a help to other home schooling families. (It\u2019s now available here<\/span><\/a>.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Even with the prompts, even with the freedom from correction, my son Ben used to fight me like a furious wildcat when it came to journaling. \u201cI don\u2019t know what to write\u201d, he\u2019d growl and spit. <\/span><\/p>\n

At one point, after I told him I just wanted him to simply fill four lines in the journal each morning, he wrote the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what to write. I don\u2019t know what to write. I don\u2019t know what to write. I don\u2019t know what to write. I don\u2019t know what to write. I don\u2019t know what to write. I don\u2019t know what to write. I don\u2019t know what to write. I don\u2019t know what to write. I don\u2019t know what to write. <\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Seriously. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to muffle my laughter.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast forward to last night. Ben, graduated with dual degrees in Philosphy and English\/Writing, is not only a writer, but has become a publisher<\/a>. He put together a release party for Volume 2 last night that included readings from 5 or 6 of his contributors (including at least two who teach at the college level in the Chicago area), a band, free beer from a local craft brewer, and beautiful vanilla\/vanilla cupcakes scratch-baked by his equally-gifted wife. About fifty people showed up on a Saturday night to listen, to network, to drink beer and eat cupcakes, and to celebrate Ben\u2019s vision.<\/p>\n

I have had those unexpected moments of discovery with all three of my children. The same focused persistence on a goal that we saw in Rachel during a decade of piano lessons has shone in her adulthood as she\u2019s faced life challenges few of her peers can imagine and pursued vocational training and a long-cherished goal of a college degree. Jacob<\/a>, a daydreamer, spent most of his U-8 soccer career picking dandelions during his games. We didn\u2019t realize that he was drinking in every.single.detail. in the world around him until he focused on pursuing a career in art. (Jacob\u2019s illustration is featured in Ben\u2019s publications, which is another sweet unexpected gift.)<\/p>\n

I could not have imagined any of these things back in 1995. There\u2019s a lesson in that.<\/p>\n

As I pray for my children and grandchildren, I hope I\u2019ve been schooled well in what God has been patiently teaching me (sans red pen) \u2013 the truth that what is happening on the surface of things is not always a reliable indicator of the story being created in a life.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Anobium v.1 and v.2 for sale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sarah and Ben, enjoying some Half Acre Beer in red Solo cups<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The owner of the venue had quite an interesting vinyl collection in the front office area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Master of Ceremonies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had one of those time-transcending moments last night in a warehouse in Chicago. Travel back in time with me for a moment, to 1995. My thee children, then ages 12, 10 and 9 and I have started another typical home school day. Breakfast, a few chores, prayer, then the day\u2019s instructions, which invariably included […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1449,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nParents, you can not predict the future. You know that, right? - Pilgrim's Road Trip<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I had one of those time-transcending moments last night in a warehouse in Chicago. Travel back in time with me for a moment, to 1995. 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