Academics Aren't Everything

The majority of my blog posts are about my adopted children. It's an easy topic to blog about. There is always material for a post floating around in my head about adoption. It may seem that my biological boys are being passed over. That is not the case. So, today, the subject for my post will be my second born.

My passionate, high-energy, fun-loving, quirky kid is such a joy to have around.

He can also drive you insane. Alex turned ten this year and I can hardly believe it. Time has flown by. I'm going to blink again and find him married with kids.

He's in the fifth grade this year and school is tough. I always hear about homeschool kids who are advanced and doing courses ahead of their grade. Not my boy. Reading takes forever. Math is a frustration. Spelling is atrocious.

If he were to attend a public school our lives would be miserable. Unable to sit still, his teacher would be constantly reprimanding him. Who knows what kind of suggestions I would get to "help" him in school.

This boy of mine may not shine in school, but he does shine. He shines in places that the world does not value.

He is compassionate.

He is creative.

He loves with all his heart.

He also has a gift with music. It brings me great joy to hear him practice his drums. Yes, joy. Others may cringe to hear the loud snare and crashing cymbals, but I love it. I encourage him in his gift so that one day he will use it to glorify the Lord. We do not take lessons to be better than the other kids. We do not have him in a percussion group so that he gets to perform. We do all these things to prepare him to someday use his talent to worship his Lord.

Here he is playing drum set for We Got the Beat

You see, academics aren't everything. Alex's passion for life and hopefully his Lord will be what defines him. Not what grade level he reads, words he can spell, or how high he was able to go in math. It's the love that he has for others, his compassion, creativity, and zest for life that others will notice.

What a blessing he is.