Grateful - adjective; warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful
source: dictionary.com
Euy and I learned two big words at school earlier this day that we thought were worth discussing together.
SCENARIO. Euy took a short quiz on vocabulary and got a score of 9 points out of 10 and was complaining about one word she had a hard time figuring out. She was given four word choices and was supposed to pick out the best word that would complete the sentence. This quiz was about knowing the meaning of words through context clues, no dictionaries allowed. She was a bit exasperated that although she found the quiz easy, this one word got in the way of her getting a perfect score. So we discussed THE word "melancholic." Her quiz says, "The girl was still___________ after recovering from her previous illness." "But Mom, they're not making any sense," Euy argued, putting blame on the book. "I never felt "melancholic" after getting sick. I've never felt "melancholic" before. I've always felt active and energetic after getting sick. I don't think Noah ever got "melancholic" either."
I suddenly realized at this point that because my two kids actually have never had any major kind of sickness before apart from common colds and flu, she can't relate to the word. My quick response to her was that "Eeyore" was an example of a "melancholic" gloomy person. Her face lighted up. "If you've seen people that were sick for a long time, they get "melancholic" while recovering. I know what you're thinking, 'cause you and your lil brother never really got sick that bad, right?" "Uh, huh." I see a happy face.
What a blessing it has been for our family that since I decided years ago to make a career out of homeschooling them😀we've been reaping the benefits from that decision even if realistically speaking it has not always been easy. My daughter and I agreed that because we've been schooling at home, the danger of contacting diseases from crowded places has not been a problem. I get to cook healthy but simple food for them on a daily basis. And since it's the rainy season once again, we are kept dry while the learning never stops even when there's a stormy weather outside. We can always look out from our window and learn while observing.
I liked our conversation.
Now,having said all that...how about being "GRATEFUL" for having homeschooled for six years and raising kids that don't have to know exactly how it feels to be "melancholic?"
