I Need Something More

Yesterday, my son (age 14), a self-proclaimed Practice Scholar who was having a Love of Learning day, came to me and said, "I need something more."

"What 'more' do you need?" I asked adding air quotes around the word 'more'.

"I don't know...I'm just bored with everything," he answered.

This surprised me because he has been dutifully keeping himself busy with his favorite history book series, taking time out to saw on a wooden bow he is making, studying more methods for making his wooden bow, and studying online about ancient civilizations that interest him. I have noticed some lag time where he seems to wander around the house with the look of a 'lost soul'. At times like this, I typically ask, 'What are you working on today?' This usually sparks some conversation on what he is doing and why he has that 'lost soul' look.

I continued with my probing questions, "Everything, huh? Sometimes I feel like that too."

"I guess," he pauses, "...I guess I just want more from my history book. It just doesn't give me enough details."

"Okay," I nod, "you have read this set of history books several times and it is on a reading level that you have surpassed."

He quickly rolls his eyes and takes on a stance that says I've made a huge tactical error. My brain begins to have red flashing lights with 'CODE RED' in large letters. I have done this several times, make jumps into treating him like a Scholar on a Love of Learning day.

I try to think of how I can backtrack a bit. "Well, I do have some other books you can look at if you want."

"What books," he sighs. I take him to a couple of book shelves we have with the more Scholarly level books. He flips through a couple and after 15 minutes walks back out to the garage to work on his wooden bow.

Hmmm...now what? What is a mother to do? My conveyor belt training tells me to make him choose a book from the shelves I led him to. My mentoring self realized that he probably needs something we don't have. And so, my search for the right history books for him continues...