This weekend, an American hero passed away. Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died at 82. His step onto the lunar surface, captivated the world and made its children dream of being astronauts.
Mr. Armstrong showed an early interest in flight. His father fueled his interest by taking him on his first plane ride when he was 6 years old. As Mr. Armstrong grew, so did his fascination with aeronautics. He spent lots of time as a boy building model airplanes and rockets and reading all he could about airplanes and flight. At the young age of 15, he received his pilot’s license.
Mr. Armstrong would go on to college to major in Aeronautical Engineering and become a decorated navy pilot before entering the space program and becoming an astronaut.
I can’t help but think – What if Neil Armstrong was not allowed to pursue his boyhood dream? What if his parents told him he was a crazy dreamer? What if they didn’t allow him to create hundreds of models? What if they made him save his money instead of buying flight lessons?
What dreams do your children have? How can you help them pursue them? As homeschool parents, we have wonderful opportunity. We get to spend more quality time with our children to learn what excites them and to help them pursue it – even if it sounds crazy or costly. I’m sure Neil Armstrong’s parents never dreamed their son would pilot space ships or walk on the moon. I wonder what our children can do with their dreams!