At our November 2018 book meeting, I mentioned that I had read and taken notes from this booklet and was considering a parent group to meet and discuss these topics. There was an enthusiastic response. I had already partnered with one couple to beginning meeting in January. Now we had six more couples that would join us.
I have felt a disconnect for many of the dads in my local CM community. They seem to shy away from discussions about Charlotte Mason. I wanted them to feel just as confident as dads who have been reading the Volumes for years. I wanted them to embrace the ideas in her books and share their hopes and wishes in making this philosophy a pillar of their lifestyle.
Would couples learning and reading provide a jumping off place them? We have a local book group of 20-40 ladies who read the volumes together. My husband seems to be the only dad who attends on occasion. There are a few other dads that show up from time to time. It's difficult to get a babysitter for both parents, but what if that could happen what a lively sharing there could be.
Getting away when you have little children is difficult. Being able to have the flexibility to join in book reading and discussions takes a lot of time. Would the benefits outweigh the burden of finding childcare?
How could we achieve a discussion group with dads involved?
Here were my hopes:
Having a designated beginning and ending of the discussions seemed to make it more achievable. Six sessions. Once every three weeks. Accomplished in a little over three months.
We kept fairly well to a time schedule so as to respect babysitters and time commitments. We structured it to begin right after dinner on Friday nights. This allowed couples to have a date night before if possible and still arrive home at a timely hour.
Picture of one night of discussions
What was the outcome? 8 couples agreed to the meetings. We tended to have six as the average attendance. It was light hearted. We laughed a lot. We also had some great times at realizing our areas of change and what we needed to accomplish for growth. Our hearts of caring for our children were enlarged. The encouragement shared between husbands was so comforting. I think the pressure on dads is greater than we realize. Our discussions were held at one of two homes. It warmed the hearts during the cold Illinois winter months.
Think your community would like to host these discussions? Here are some notes I made from the sessions. I included a picture study each time. It was my hope that the families would hang the picture in a place as a reminder of the goals and discussion that had followed the reading. We usually began with a volunteer to begin our time with prayer. I had a formal prayer or Bible verse to end our time together.
You are most welcome to use these notes to accomplish a couples or mother discussion in your area. If your community completes this, please let me know about your success!