“Public school is child abuse!”

Yeah, that got me fired up too, even though I’m a homeschool mom.  I’m signed up for a local homeschool group’s Yahoo group here in Missouri, and I read that on one of the messages that came through.  The person actually had it on their signature that goes out with every message.  I was not impressed.  What are your thoughts when you read that phrase?

See, we are a homeschool family, and sure, we hold certain values and beliefs that influenced our decision definitely….but never that public school is even remotely close to child abuse.  For Dan and I, we believe that decisions regarding schooling your own children are just that….your decisions.  Every family has to make that personal decision for themselves, and they shouldn’t have to worry about being judged for whatever decision they end up with.  We chose homeschool because, for one thing, it gave us more time with our boys to give them more of a foundation here at home.  We are able to insert our values and beliefs into the curriculum that we use, so that they can hopefully form a strong foundation.  Another reason was that the school district that we lived in at that time was not the best; a lot of the kids that came out of that school ended up not being able to read (Jacob was already struggling with reading enough as it was), and there was just such a huge drug problem.  We were afraid that the quality of his education wouldn’t be what we could give him at home.  We didn’t want his already growing problems with reading to become a factor. (Now he reads anything in sight.)

Are our kids perfect, and are we perfect for homeschooling?  Absolutely NOT!  We made the personal choice as a family, and noone, NOONE, has the right to judge our decision.  Just as noone has the right to judge our decision if someday Jacob ends up wanting to attend public school, and we feel that it’s a good move.

I do not agree with the phrase above, and honestly, I get so tired of the negative flak that opinions like that give the homeschooling community.  We are not all judgmental, know it all people.  I’m not trying to be rude here, but as Jesus pointed out, when we see the speck in our brother’s eye, maybe we should also look to see the beam that is in our own (Matthew 7:3).

Am I proud to be a homeschool mom?  You betcha!  Do I judge you for sending your kids to school?  Absolutely not!

What are your thoughts on this topic?

I’m hesitant to post this because then I will have opened up to you more than I ever have really, plus my mom reads this blog.  For the sake of keepin’ it real, though….well, I must trudge on.:)

I’ve come back from Blogher (post coming soon on MamaBuzz) to find that my toddler is repeating every single thing he hears.  Oh yes.  Whether it’s good or bad, his tongue has loosened, and he is talking!  He’s saying all kinds of words now, and we’ve discovered that he listens way more than we realized.  Oy!  I won’t talk for Dan (although he’s just as bad….shhhh….don’t tell him I said so), but I have been known to say things sometimes that I shouldn’t say….certain choice words.  I don’t know what happened to me, but in nursing school is when it started for me.  I don’t know if it was the constant stress of the courses and fast pace or if it was the fact that almost every other girl in my class had a cannonball of a tongue, but I seemed to pick it up then.  Maybe the stress of it all caused me to show my true colors.  Don’t get me wrong; I hate that I do this, and I try my hardest to keep from doing it, especially if the kids are anywhere around.  Usually, I only reach that point when things have been extremely stressful or spiraled out of control (such as when I went through security at LaGuardia on Sunday and had to have my bag searched and go through the metal detector over and over and over….I mean, seriously, do I look like a terrorist?  Don’t answer that, Dan….), or when someone has just really peeved me….Dan’s the same way, but he can control himself a bit more.

So, anyway, Jaden has picked up on a couple of words, not just from me, though, because I’ve been awfully good for a while now….so, I’m thinkin’ it could be from that lovely noisy box that sits in our living room too.  Oh, and now he loves to tell people to “Shut up.”  It’s really funny and so hard not to laugh when he tells Jacob, “Shut up, Bubba….(insert moan here), “Bubba!  No!  Shut Up!”  I found myself in the middle of the grocery store tonight trying to explain to him why he can’t say what he said right there in the middle of the store.  He’s starting to understand, but he’s just not quite there.

So, right now, I’m apologizing to his Sunday school teacher and anyone else who is around for the next little bit until we can teach him that this just doesn’t work.  We have to lead by example, I know….which is easier said than done sometimes.  We must, however, if we want to show him the difference between right and wrong.  It feels good to write this out even if the whole world does read all my faults.  It’s just one of those little quirks we all deal with in life, even if we don’t admit it.:)  Just keepin’ it real!  I never claimed to be perfect!:)

The boys and Dan have been busy lately, building a treehouse. He’s recycling old pallets, and then he’ll cover them over with wood he’s been able to get at the mulchpile down the road.  Honestly, between the free 2×4’s and the inexpensive pallets, he’s not really got a whole lot into it.  I’m so happy for the boys and so excited that they’re getting to spend some quality time with Dad….here it is so far….hopefully, it’ll be done soon!:)

It’s got a cool trapdoor to come in and out from underneath….

It’ll eventually have swings off to one side.  Makes me want to be a kid again….heck, you’re as young as you feel, I guess.:)  Happy summer!

So, the last couple weeks, I’ve been mulling this over in my head, and I just have to say, being a mom of boys is so much fun, but it’s full of surprises and grossness and laughs and, well….you get it.:)  I LOVE my boys, and they are blessings in my life, but I can’t resist putting a comedic take on being a mom of boys.  So, I’ve come up with a list of criteria that might go along with becoming a mom of boys (as if there were an application for such things).  Laugh it up!

1. You must, and I do mean must, have a sense of humor about all things that have to do with bodily fluids, especially poop.  If the word poop is mentioned, it’s just a given that laughter will ensue.  Poop is funny, poop is cool!  Poop is what’s on the brain….Poop, it’s what’s for dinner….well, not literally, but don’t be surprised if the word poop enters dinnertime conversation quite frequently.

2. Along with poop comes farting, belching, and so on.  Whether you’re in the kitchen or their bedroom, boys just can’t hold it in.  And if you tell them to leave the room, well, be prepared to hear it all the way down the hall.  Oh, and if you leave them in the car for any length of time, you will need to don your gas mask (which they should really provide at the birth of any boy; I mean, come on, hospital nurseries, get with the program).

3. As a warrior mom, be prepared to fight the battle of the urine.  Yep, that nice, warm puddle you just stepped in probably isn’t water.  Don’t worry, they managed to coat the entire toilet and surrounding area, as well.  Look on the bright side; they say that urine is sterile, so they’re just sterilizing the area for you.

4. Be prepared for all things ADHD, even if they’re not officially diagnosed.  (It seems this could be a cause for the war against urine above).  If you say something, you will need to repeat no less than 10 times, of course, getting louder each time, so you can make sure that they heard you.

5. Even if they did hear you, be prepared for boys to do the exact opposite of what you told them to do.

6. Now for the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets.  It might be necessary to get a chain lock, as boys will eat whatever is in sight.  Even if it’s on the floor, boys tend to have a day to day rule, meaning if it’s still edible, it’s goin’ in….into their stomachs, that is.  And if there are cookies, they should most definitely be on the menu for breakfast.

7. It is a given that if let outdoors, your boys will return, covered from head to toe, in whatever they were playing in, whether it be dirt, water, grease, etc.

8. You must be able to handle noise, whether loud or quiet.  This noise includes all fighting over said Transformers below.  One minute, they’ll be jumping around as if the house is a jungle, the next they’ll be clicking and clacking with their Transformers on the floor (truly the most annoying toy ever made; a mother could not have made this toy).

9. You must be prepared to wrestle, play ball, set up cardboard/blanket tents, pretend you’re Ironman, and get down on your hands and knees, when it comes to playtime.  Be prepared to make precious memories that’ll go by in the blink of an eye.

10. Never joke about dares with boys….for example, if your oldest son tells your youngest son to eat a worm, he most likely will try to do it….you just never know what they’re going to do next.:)

Bonus Tip: Finally, you must love your boys….love them into manhood, and grow them up with love, so that some day they can give the same kind of love to the boys they will raise.  Love is really the keyword in raising up boys. As my mom used to say, “Some day, you’re going to grow up and have kids that are just like you.” LOL

For more Friday Funnies, visit Kim at Homesteader’s Heart.