Inspire

I believe inspiration is going to be a HUGE part of our homeschool experience. This example might seem silly, but it rang true for me.
As most of you readers know, I was born and raised in the U.S. I'm proud of it and I'm trying to pass along traditions to our children that are important to me, as well as things that are important to Stan. For the last couple of years, we thought it would be fun to sing 'O, Canada' when we cross the border into Canada and 'The Star Spangled Banner' when we enter the U.S.A. The kids are fine to sing O Canada because they know it and sang it at school. I struggled to teach them the Star Spangled Banner. It's longer and less familiar because nobody here sings it, obviously. It frustrated me that they would whine and complain when we "made" them sing it. I finally let it go and thought that at one point they would appreciate it. The day came already!
I sat down one day last week and started playing and singing it. After I got done, I sat down and decided to tell them why I like the song and why it is important to me. End of discussion.
Later that night, Brynn asked if I would play the Star Spangled Banner so she could sing it. This was her exact words, "I've decided I like this song now, Mom." We have since sung it at least 15 times in the last 4 or 5 days. A silent cheer from me, for the kids!