Unexpected School at Home
Schools unexpectedly shut down this last March and students were sent home. This threw them and their parents into a sudden and unexpected home schooling mode that they were unprepared for. No one knew at that point how long this would last. Turns out, there will be no more in person classrooms this spring for most places in the U.S. This has led to some angst as well as humor for both parents and their kids. A few days after the kids were sent home I read a few humorous statements:
“Homeschool Day 1: Wondering how I can get this kid transferred out of my class.”
“Homeschool Day 3: They all graduated. Done.”
My favorite was this one: “Saw my neighbor out early this morning scraping the ‘My Kid is a Terrific Student’ sticker off her minivan.”
And below is a note from the student's perspective
While a lot of parents and their offspring have experienced school at home for the first time, it is not new for many others. When we were raising our children many of our friends were involved in homeschooling. My wife also homeschooled three of our kids for various periods of their education. I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for classroom teachers and any parent who takes on this responsibility. It involves a lot of commitment, time, effort and patience to do it right.
There was one delightful family we knew whose four kids were a few years younger than ours. The oldest was a girl followed by three boys. They homeschooled their children at certain points of their education while also sending them to public schools. Their kids were bright, full of life and well mannered.
I always enjoyed interacting with this family and watching the kids at their various stages of development. Each of them was great, but the youngest child, Nick, was a particularly unique character. While by no means a troublemaker, he certainly was mischievous. He was a risk taker and always seemed to be pushing boundaries, getting himself into all sorts of situations that would sometimes put him in danger and result in discipline from his folks. He kept his parents on their toes and proved to be a challenge to his Teacher/Mom.
"Nick Adventures"
They would often relate the latest “Nick adventure” to us. We always eagerly anticipated hearing about his latest escapades. Here’s one example of what seemed to be Nick’s typical mode of operation. One day a neighbor was walking down the street and saw a preschool aged Nick dangling out the second story dormer window of their house! One of Nick’s brothers was standing out in the yard watching his younger brother’s high rise exploit and the neighbor asked, “Does your mom know he is up there?” For some reason his brother answered, “Yes.”
But, of course, Nick’s mom had no idea what was going on at that moment. You can imagine the near heart attack that she experienced when she found out. She could only imagine him slipping and falling out of the window to the ground. He, on the other hand, was having a great time with no fear or thought whatsoever of any danger.
A cat in the refrigerator?
A couple of years after this, when Nick was maybe 6 or 7, we were talking to his mom and she brought up one of Nick’s latest deeds. One day she went to the refrigerator and opened the door and out jumped their cat who had been confined to its interior, for how long, no one knew. Again, after calming her rapidly beating heart, she started investigating and found out that yes, indeed, it was Nick who had somehow put the cat in the refrigerator for some unknown reason which he would not reveal.
When we heard about this, we had a good laugh. His mom chuckled, too, but I don’t think she found his repeated shenanigans quite as humorous as the rest of us.
It so happened that a few days after hearing about this we were in a restaurant having lunch. As we sat down at our table, we looked across the room and saw Nick’s parents and his siblings dining there also. They finished their meal before we did and came to our table to greet us before they left. We spoke for a few minutes and, as they were about to leave, I turned to Nick and said, “Hey, I heard that you put your cat in the refrigerator. Is that true?”
Nick gave me a sly grin showing a missing front tooth and answered, “Yeah, I did.”
I grinned back at him and then asked, “Nick, why in the world would you ever put a cat in the refrigerator?”
Without missing a beat and still with that sly smile on his face he gave a classic answer that I don’t think could be improved: “Well, some days I like cats, and some days I don’t!”
My sentiments exactly.
"Dog" Theology versus "Cat" Theology
Some are cat people and others, not so much. One of my daughters is a big cat fan. I would have to say I’m ambivalent, though I must admit that we have had a couple of pretty cool cats during our lifetime. Overall, though, I agree with Nick. Some days I like cats and some days I don’t. His refrigerator solution has crossed my mind a few times since he told me that.
This reminds me of something I heard several years ago called Dog Theology versus Cat Theology. You probably have heard it, too, but in case you haven’t, let me give a brief idea about the difference. It goes like this. In Dog Theology you feed a dog, pet a dog, play with a dog, talk friendly to a dog, let a dog curl up at your feet by the fire. The dog looks up lovingly at you and thinks, “You must be god!”
On the other hand, Cat Theology follows these lines: You feed a cat, pet a cat, play with a cat, talk friendly to a cat, let a cat curl up in your lap by the fire. The cat looks up disinterestedly into your face and thinks, “I must be god.”
Anyone who has had either a cat or a dog knows what this is all about. There is a world of difference in their perspective. A dog receives our attention and care and expresses the grateful attitude of “I’m here to serve you!” Most cats I’ve known, on the other hand, have made me feel like they think I am there to serve them, and they might show a little gratitude if it suits their fancy.
This gives me pause to wonder how I view all the blessings and benefits that I have received from God. He certainly has taken care of all my needs as well as satisfied a lot of my wants throughout my life. When I rightly realize his beneficent goodness to me and respond appropriately it is with an attitude of gratitude. I see his goodness in my life and I want to serve him willingly on his terms.
I have to admit, though, that I have too often adopted a Cat Theology mindset. Many times I feel like God is there to serve me, to take care of all my needs and wants on my terms. And this is where it gets really dangerous. When things don’t go quite the way I want or expected, or I don’t get what I think I deserve, I get upset. When my Cat Theology kicks in, I tend to complain to God that he hasn’t served me very well. I forget that he is the Good Master, in control, who lovingly provides for and leads me, and I am here to serve him, and not the other way around.
I wonder if some days God feels like sticking me in a refrigerator, too.
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