I Threw a Party..

and you’ll never guess who came. We had Sts. Elizabeth of Hungary, Benedict, Joseph and Agnes and Queen Isabella of Spain. Sherlock Holmes, Christine from Phantom of the Opera, the Frog Prince’s lady put in an appearance. It was a stunningly varied group of the real and the fictional, but they all had so much fun.

We had our homeschool group’s Halloween party at our house yesterday and 30+ children came. They ranged in age from 2 in the womb up to 14 years old. They ran and played and showed off their costumes (they were limited to saints or literary figures only). The amazing thing was that with all of these children in my house for 3 hours, there were no fights and no arguing. Older siblings watched out for the little ones and helped them play the games. When one little girl got no candy from the pinata, three others dug into their own bags and shared with her until she ended up with more than anyone else. When the party was over, the children picked up after themselves without being asked, so that all I had to do was run the vacuum to remove any trace of their presence.

Best of all, was when we gathered in the living room to say a rosary for those family members who had died this past year. All the little ones knelt and everyone prayed. The only squabble of the day was over who got to lead. They solved it themselves by taking turns.

People often ask us why we choose to homeschool our children instead of taking the few hours of freedom that the schools offer me. The reason is simple. I can’t imagine a group of 30+ elementary children who go to the local school as coming to my home and being so kind, selfless, and lovely. Going to a traditional school changes children in ways that their parents are not able to control. By keeping them home, we are able to preserve the natural kindness and sweetness with which they were born.