This week in the "Andrews Academy" ;) we have been studying the "the days of chivalry", with the Lords and Ladies and their castles. Boy oh boy, the kids are sure enjoying this one!
We talked about the sons of a lord and how their life progressed from child, to page, to squire, to knight. Of course we gathered every book and toy we had with castles and knights to examine them in depth! We also made our OWN family Coat of Arms, identifying us from others in "the battle".
They day a squire was dubbed a knight, was a grand affair. There was an all night prayer time, a rare bath to be taken, new cloths to don, a new belt and fancy golden spurs to be fastened on. However, one detail of this whole day stood out to me and kids. Below are the vows a knight would solemnly swear in front of those attending the ceremony -
To be brave and good
To fight for the Christian religion
To protect the weak
To honor women
It stood out to us that the boys went through 21 years of serving and training before they could be a knight, and these were the values a knight carried in his heart. Indeed, it was a time full of feuding and turmoil, yet some things still stand out in history that we can all learn from.
I can assure you that these days of school will stick in my childrens head forever (I hope), it sure will stick in mine!
