Seven

"Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man."
"Give me a child until he is seven and I care not who gets him thereafter".

Both these quotes are attributed to early Jesuit founders. I remember reading the second as a high school student, and even then, with motherhood years away, it left an impression on me. The idea that a child's first seven years were so impressionable, so important, that if you did a good job then you had little to fear. The idea that a child's character is more or less sealed by then. Is that true? Is it possible that your whole belief system, your values, are dependent on the first seven years of your life? I believe so. The Bible tells us, "Train up a CHILD in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Not "train up a teen", or a "tween"(I hate that word anyway), but "train up a child".

I forgot the quote until last year. We had already been considering homeschooling, and God brought that quote back into my mind. I more or less made my decision then. My duty as a parent became perfectly clear.

Today Gracie turns seven. It really feels like a milestone-kind of birthday to me. She's still little, and yet today, it seems as if she's crossed some invisible threshold. She's growing up, learning new things, and forming her own thoughts and opinions. She constantly amazes me with her creativity and with her humor. I'm impressed by the almost adult level of conversation we sometimes have, like the ones we've been having lately about our spring veggie garden and plans for baby chicks. And yet she's still 100% kid, playing crazy made up games, making huge messes, and yes, fighting with her brother. I don't fool myself that she's perfect. She has years of growing ahead, years that will be filled with both right and wrong choices, with triumphs and tears. But if the Jesuit motto is any indication, I think she'll turn out pretty good.