Every Wednesday I spend a couple hours giving piano lessons to the kids. As I was listening to them play at a wide range of abilities this past Wednesday, I found myself thinking on some things. Again, it is things that are kind of directed at young moms. And again, I’ll try not to be too rambly.
First some background.
For the last ten or so years I have given piano lessons to our kids. They have always done real well at practicing because it’s part of their education as much as math and science; they truly like being homeschooled and would rather learn from me than someone else.
Well, about a month ago I decided to try putting all five lessons on one morning, thus freeing up the other four mornings. It has worked extremely well so far and I plan to continue this plan. Hence, every Wednesday I spend a couple hours at the piano. Now, keep in mind that I hear the kids practice all week, so I can usually whip through a lesson pretty fast which allows for a few minutes between lessons for me to put out fires, kiss ouchies, answer questions, and meet various other needs; all this makes for an exhausting but exhilarating and rewarding morning – exhausting because it’s non-stop talking, teaching, thinking, managing, and doing, but exhilarating because I’m doing what I love to do: teaching, music, and teaching music to my kids. It’s exhilarating to hear this little tyke Jewel plink and plunk away and learn new song after new song. Likewise Sarah, Ben, Kate – they learn so fast when I take the time to teach them. Jesse too, after a four year break, is right there making good progress towards his goal of ragtime. I told him by Christmas he’d be close, and he’s right on schedule…IF I teach him and IF he practices. While I don’t teach Tori anymore (she plays about an hour every day, picking out her own songs to learn and practice), it is extremely rewarding to listen to her play. I don’t know how many hours of lessons I’ve given her, but it was a LOT over the years, and it was very worth it. While her study of math and history hasn’t afforded me much measurable satisfaction, few days go by when I’m not thankful that I was given the opportunity to learn piano (THANKS DAD & MOM) and have been given the opportunity to teach my own kids.
Back to Wednesday.
Here’s a couple of things I was pondering as I was sitting on that Very Hard Bench for two hours (next time I will find my pillow!) teaching piano and managing our busy household.
One, kids will learn music if they are taught, but two, it is NOT an overnight thing. It is not a couple of weeks’ thing. It is not a couple of months’ thing. It’s not even a couple of years’ thing. It is a minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, year after year, year after year, year after year thing. Lots and lots and lots and lots of T.I.M.E.
See, as I have been teaching the kids piano for all these years, all their individual baby steps, each little song they learned, each minute and day they practiced – all this was “growing them” into the piano. Meaning it took years and years for Tori to get to where she is – that all those little times of lessons and practices ultimately combined to make her the talented pianist that she is. It takes years and years before the end result of all that practice is evident. While the journey there may not sound the best or be that fun, the goal is always before us, achievable but only with much time, effort, and practice.
As I listened and taught and thought on these things, my mind was also flying to Jewel’s phonics lessons. Day after day I drill with her. First it was letter recognition. Then it was letter/sound correspondence. Then it was blends, and now it is simple 3-letter words. Yes, she is reading, but it didn’t happen overnight, and she certainly isn’t reading quickly or fluently yet. It has taken months of me presenting the information over and over, with her recalling it back to me, and will take yet many more months until she reaches automaticity, where she can read automatically without breaking each word into sounds and applying the phonics rules she’s been taught. But, just as it did for her older siblings, and just as it did for each of you reading this, she will eventually reach that point, at which time she will be done learning to read and will graduate to reading to learn which is the ultimate goal of phonics instruction.
Again, it is NOT an overnight thing.
And neither is it with our kids’ character.
How many times have I vented about their habits: “Put your church clothes away!” “Don’t wear your chore boots in the house?!!” “Close your mouth when you chew!” “Will they ever learn?” “Why don’t they shut the drawer after they open it?” WHY are they SO DETERMINED to not do one ounce of work more than the others?” “That’s ok if you didn’t get it out. Put it away ANYWAY!” “Don’t talk with food in your mouth!” “FINISH THE LOOP.” “DON’T LEAVE A TRAIL!!” And on it goes.
But **sigh** just like music and phonics, these character training lessons are not learned quickly. I wish it were that simple, but it’s not. And I wish I could say we’re there with our kids (and ourselves), but **sigh** we’re definitely NOT.
No, it takes days and weeks and months and years of teaching and re-teaching and re-teaching, and reminding and re-reminding and re-reminding until kids internalize these lessons. Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, and there a little.* Isaiah is talking about teaching God’s truths in these verses, and while this is important to remember, the concept also applies to music and phonics and our kids’ character. It is not learned in a day but is a long process which can be extremely exhausting and discouraging to a mom.
Oh yes, it can; I know that well.
But.
Hang in there. All that teaching and reminding and correcting and rebuking WILL bring forth good fruit if we just hang in there and KEEP DOING IT. And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.*
Also let us not be grouchy in well doing. The joy of the Lord is our strength,* and our kids need to see that joy as we continually and constantly and consistently and lovingly and patiently teach them. Grouchy is not Godly.
Believe God’s promise. Be not weary in well-doing. Claim the joy of the LORD! And rejoice in the wonderful opportunity you’ve been given to daily train up your children for HIM.
Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. II Chronicles 15:7
*Isaiah 28:10, Galatians 6:9, Nehemiah 8:10
