230721 What I learned in my studies this morning 3

Thoughts:

Dadding is tough. My kids are a source of wonder for me. A spring of energy, imagination, conflict, worry, hope, care, tenderness, sorrow, and love which both enlivens and enervates me daily.

My eldest is turning into a person of depth, but they have an exoskeleton of such anxiety that is hard to watch sometimes. I see the goodness, the intelligence and honesty, the quality of their thinking, the general disposition of their soul, and watch it all crumble at times because of worry and self-doubt.  We've made progress — between counseling, philosophy, and general parenting — but there's still a ways to go.

My second child is more attuned to philosophy than their siblings. It seems to come more easily to them and I'm excited that I might influence them to take philosophy seriously as an interesting and functional part of their life.

My third child is no longer with us. Rest well, my sweet child.

My fourth child is a little young for the lessons I do with the older two, but they have the mind for it, I think, and have shown interest in learning.  We do some things like reading The Boy Who Would be King and The Girl Who Would Be Free, and I integrate philosophy into our everyday teaching (remember: we homeschool), but it will probably be a year or two before we begin studying it in earnest.

My fifth child is on the spectrum.  They are high-functioning and often the sweetest kid you'll ever meet.  They also have a knack for understanding things more than we might think they would.  I hope and pray that, as they get older, they reach a level where we can also enjoy some philosophical time together.  We shall see.

Today's Meditation:

Today's Meditation II:

Today's Meditation III: