I have been a very busy mommy, student pilot and GIS Ninja. Time has flown by, literally with me taking accelerated flight lessons from Windsong Aviation now located in Lafeyette, Georgia. I try to work a couple of weekends at MPD then I fly for several hours the following weekend. I am trying to study for my FAA Private Pilot written test, too. I cannot seem to get focused enough to conquer this test. I signed up with a student pilot support group and all their thoughts and suggestions are great but I just don't want to take this test! I just want to fly and work on GIS stuff. So, how can I study for this test and get it out of my life? The answer has yet to appear and I am not sure how to overcome this hurdle. I have to pass the test in order to be a licensed pilot.
Trying to do all this and being a rad mom is tricky. I have taken the girls and Chris with me once to my flight lesson. I did an ok job of flying but having to worry about them was taking me away from my studies. So, I returned for several more lessons without the family and things have progressed to where I am on the verge of completing my first solo flight.
All the training leading up to this moment is supposedly preparing me to be in an airplane all by myself. I have learned how to conduct a pre-flight assessment, maneuver around the taxi ways and runways, take-off, make radio calls, fly with my feet and tentatively land the airplane. My landings are still a bit shaky but I am starting to get the feel of what the airplane needs from me to make a safe landing in various wind conditions. A lot of what happens when you fly a plane is based upon what your senses are telling you. At times while flying the airplane, you literally feel the airplane as it flies and the instruments tell you what is happening inside and outside the plane. Then it hit me, a lot of what I am learning about flying is similar to raising kids.
As the Mom CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) teaching also means I have to let them make mistakes to learn from while keeping them as safe as I can. To raise kids successfully you try your best to teach them everything they need in order to solo in life. Some will solo faster than others but every kid needs to know how to do these tasks: a successful pre-flight check (getting ready for their day); maneuvering on the ground (teach them social skills and how to treat others); making radio calls (how to talk to people, nicely while communicating effectively); take-off (going to school or work on their own); fly the plane (practicing what you have learned and living life); landing successfully (completing their day and calming down); to the post flight briefing (going over what you did right and wrong with lots of hugs and kisses). I know that may not make a lot of sense to folks that do not fly small planes for fun or work but teaching your kids to prepare, start a task, listen and play nice with others to finishing a task while being joyful when doing the most routine things is a hard lesson to learn.
Lizzie only thinks of school as social club and doing school work "bores her to tears" while Lilly loves not only the social aspect of school but loves learning new and exciting topics. I have to treat each child differently and prepare a "checklist" for each child that will help guide them through their childhood into adolescent years so they will thrive and solo when they reach adulthood. I stress the importance of these little life "checklists" daily and remind the girls that one day they will have to fly on their own.
I read quite a lot not only for the Private Pilot test I am still studying for and for fun, but also books on how to help my little ones prepare to solo in life. Here is a list of just a few I have read or are wanting to read.
Must Read:
Five Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter by Vicki Courtney
Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World by Zig Ziglar
Preparing for Adolescence: How to Survive the Coming Years of Change by James Dobson
The Strong Willed Child by James Dobson
Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey
Plan to read:
Bringing Up Girls: Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Women by James Dobson
So Your about to be a Teenager: Godly Advice for Preteens on Friends, Love, Sex, Faith and Other Life Issues by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
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