Raising Them Up

SO YOU MEET SOMEONE

THE ONLY ONE

YOU TAKE EACHOTHER BY THE HAND

MAKE A STAND

BUY SOME LAND

MAKE SOME LOVE 

AND THEN THE BABIES COME

AND YOU RAISE THEM UP

RAISE THEM UP

TROPHY HIGH

TO THE SKY

SHOW EVERYBODY THAT NEWBORN SMILE

RAISE THEM UP TALL AND STRONG

RIGHT FROM WRONG

SO DARN HIGH THEY CAN HEAR GOD SINGING ALONG....

Sometimes you hear a song, or something enters your mind and you just can't get it out, you dwell, toss it around with your to do list and let it rumble along with your chores.  This Keith Urban song hit me the other day, and I have to say, it's lodged in my brain like a sliver.  You think about kids in the terms of "raising," and it's the normal daily grind again; teaching manners, keeping them fed, clean, and warm, and hoping they don't cause a scene in public.  But maybe raising has a different intention.  Raise them up trophy high, to the sky, tall and strong.  WOW people, now we are on to something.  

Obviously this move was in some regards self serving for Cam and me.  For as long as we've known eachother, we've been making plans to be here, someway somehow.  It started to consume our life, every conversation on our back porch revolved around this life, this move, and how to go about it.  But as parents we too are searching for our own legacy to leave our children; not a better one in any regards, but our own.  I don't know if you've noticed, but the world is a bit of a mess right now.  Debt, war, drugs, terrorism; let's face it our kids can't even safely attend school,or a movie.  And let's not forget skills.  I grew up KNOWING my dad could do anything, just as Cam did his.  Fixing things, providing, making things, building, growing food, raising animals, doing things for yourself.  These are things that are vanishing.  On top of this, now, not only does our society not have skills, but they have social media, that basically makes a joke of any morality a teenager should hope to have, and any confidence they are already struggling to find.  We're sort of a mess.

I'm sure we idealize Eastern Washington a bit, imagining this quintessential homeland of our ancestors that was built by cowboys and pioneer women, with a neighbor to lend a helping hand; but I have to say, I know our kids will have a bit of a different experience over here.  Small towns definitely have their own shortcomings, no town is perfect, and this one is sure to be ripe with social hierarchy.  But it makes me happy that our 4 year old can identify a pine tree or aspen tree, knows that pine cones make the pine tree, and our 2 year old is quite an accomplished deer poop tracker.  HA!  It makes me glad they run on dirt all day, and exploring doesn't get old.  We've really been contemplating the homeschooling subject lately.  Do we want them to be completely isolated from society... no.  But something is missing in the childhood equation of today.  I spoke with a friend who recently got a job at a school back home, and she was telling me about the appalling number of kids who make frequent visits to the school nurse for anxiety..  lunch is to be served in 5 minutes... and soon will no longer even be prepared on site but shipped in hot boxes to the school.  One homeschool criticism is always that homeschoolers are socially awkward, but it sounds like if you took a look, or checked out Facebook, it might be quite the opposite.  

What if we taught our kids what they need to know to be functioning human beings?  What if we gave them skills that will enrich their lives, not take from it? What if we allowed them time to be kids, get their roots deep enough before they are given wings or iPhones?  What if we gave them time to build confidence and an identity before the drama scene.  What if we raised them up, above it all, to know that no government or school, or group of friends, or parents for that matter can forge or deter you from your path, it's up to you and your own bootstraps.  Just an age old newfangled idea.