An Unexcused Absense--or, True Freedom.

Good grief...I've been gone so long I almost lost touch with the world of blogging. Things are coming back into focus, however, and I will be better about posting several times a week...But the absense isn't completely unexcused. I just like to say "unexcused absense" because I can get away with it now that I'm a completely free individual.

I mentioned before that we began a new home-based business, and for the last six months that has taken a front seat to just about everything. It is the pot boiling over on the front stove burner, the "squeaky wheel that gets the grease." You get my point.

But this is the beauty of most of the things I do--homeschooling, blogging, working from home--they are all demanding in their own right, but only to the extent that I ALLOW THEM TO BE. I'm starting to realize in my life what true freedom is, and I think that it has become one of the major "whys" for homeschooling my children.

Freedom has to be a state in which we have total control over our time and finances, and in which we are not being governed by external factors or forces. My family has seriously undertaken to make this our permanent state of existence. Certainly, we will still have the ugly beast known as taxes to govern us to some extent, but at least we can afford to pay a really great accountant, get the most money back, and just sign the paper zap it to the IRS. Aside from that, we are working to eliminate the limitation of a job that dictates where my husband will be and for how long. We will "fire our boss" in 18 months! Aside from a home mortgage, we have eliminated all financial obligations. We are heading toward a life in which we can be, do and have without limitation. This, in turn, gives us the freedom to give without limitation.

Ultimately, I want to model this for my children. I want them to be free in their hearts and minds to be who they are without limitation. This doesn't mean that they will be raised without ever having to work or understand the value of money, etc. Quite the contrary--I hope that through this freedom they will understand exactly what the purpose of work and money actually is.

Any American who understands even a little about human rights would likely agree that

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We all agree that should be free, but are we really? I sincerely believe that
slavery has never ceased to exist since the dawn of humanity--it just takes
differeing forms at different times of history--tyranny, bondage, famine,
superstition, low regard for the value of human life, war, debt, obesity...
We are obligated as human beings to be free. We were created with an acute understanding of what it feels like to NOT be free, and an inherent desire to BE free. I could never believe that God's intention for us was for us to suffer under bondage to anything. He has certainly provided avenues for us to alleviate suffering, if only we would turn to them and travel those paths. At this point in our history we must throw off the fetters of inferior education, poor moral examples, poor diet, poor health, chronic debt.

We can, and will be free if we only make the decision to be so, and take decisive steps in that direction. We owe it to our children.

What is this, REALLY?

I had a little conversation with my son today. I told him that this year, when people ask him why he's not in school, he should answer that, "we learn at home," as opposed to saying "I'm homeschooled." Why? I'm growing further and further away from the traditional concept of school all the time. I want to imply that our life is home and learning is a central part of that existence. I'm tired of the "little school in the corner of the house" concept. I don't need a little student desk and a little black board and a little teacher's manual.

Here's an example of how it happens--we often talk about what nutrients are in the food we are eating. We think about the food we're eating and whether or not it's good for us. In one of these such conversations, we started talking about cells, free radicals, and antioxidants and what they all do. By the end of the conversation, my son had a very clear understanding of how free radicals can damage our cells and make them sick. We'll go over it a few more times, but for the most part he gets it--all from talking about it over lunch. I didn't need a science book. I didn't need a standardized test to see if he could spew it back, and I didn't need some government oversight to see if he learned it from a qualified teacher.
So, aside from reading and his math programs (which he really enjoys), we're going to learn at home, and let his love of life and all thing interesting drive what we do. Does this mean I'm becoming and unschooler? Maybe. That's just fine with me.

Get 'Em While They're Hot!

I saw this article today and it inspired the previous post...

It made me realize that this age of technology will not fade away. Nothing short of total destruction of the planet (which may in fact happen someday) will stop the advance of the internet and virtual reality. So, the next question is, do you have your web address? If you don't, there's no need to worry--they're adding "340 undecillion, 282 decillion, 366 nonillion, 920 octillion, 938 septillion — enough for the foreseeable future, Mr Kessens said." I'll say. Enough, perhaps even for my grandchildren, but by then they'll start needing more...

Here are some interesting statistics that are current, but what will they be 10 years from now, when my boy is 15. Ten years ago when my hubby and I were courting via the internet, we were just tackling instant messaging...

ONLINE, ON THE PHONE, ON THE UP

50 billion the number of e-mails dispatched every day wordwide; in 2001 the traffic was less than 12 billion

88 per cent of e-mails are junk including about 1 per cent which are virus-infected

32 The average number of e-mail messages received per person per day. This is rising by 84 per cent each year

440 million the number of electronic mailboxes in use, including 170 million corporate ones, growing by 32 per cent per year

1,035 million the total number of mobile phone text messages sent each month in Britain

37 The average number of texts a user sends per month compared with 21 in 2001 1 million the number of children aged under 10 in Britain — one in three — who own a phone

8 The average age at which a child gets a mobile phone in Britain

Think about it...

Nintendo, Computer Games, and the like...Comments Please!

Perhaps you can help me with this...

My son loves computer games. He also loves playing Nintendo at friends' houses on rainy days. He loves anything computers and the like--but it stands to reason...so do his dad and I. My struggle is the balance issue. I read unschoolers who say that if their child wants / needs to spend two days conquering a game on their game cube, so be it--it will pass and he will move on to something else soon. Other homeschoolers are opposed to anything that doesn't involve gardening, playing outside and interacting with books and nature.

This morning as I played with my boy and started tickling and rough-housing with him, his ribs were poking out all over the place and I was impressed with his five-year-old muscles. He's a miniature man, in love with playing outside, sword fighting, playing make-believe, and climbing trees. He eats very well, is passionate about taking his vitamins, and knows that drinking lots of water is important for staying healthy.

Then why do I feel guilty for even entertaining the idea of a Nintendo for him for Christmas?

All comments are welcome! What do you think?

The Accidental UNschooler!

oy my--as my best friend likes to say. I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted or even have had time to sit and think about posting.

It's hard not to beat oneself up for things left undone when life gets busy. School, for instance, would be one of those things. My son has been happily neglected in that department lately, but I have to admit that it hasn't been all bad. It has taught me a couple of things that are pretty important to any homschooling mom who gets weighed down with the responsibility of making sure all the i's are dotted and all the t's are crossed.

1. Boys don't learn to ride bikes when sitting in front of the table doing lessons.
2. Boys don't get bumps, bruises and scrapes from climbing trees while doing lessons.
3. Boys don't learn about "Jedi Reflexes" that prevent deadly falls off of trampolines while doing lessons.
4. Boys don't get to run with a pack of other boys, getting dirty and sweaty and then falling into bed at night happy and exhausted while doing lessons.
5. Boys don't get to choose and finally come around and say, "Mom--I want to start doing school again. I want to learn to read." when they are burning out on lessons.

So that's where we are. All of those things have happened since we began our home-based business and I'm figuring out that unschooling can be really good. He's very enthusiastic about the business also, and has watched us working harder and in a different way than he's ever seen before. I don't think that any of this is wasted time, and now, learning to read is his choice, not something I'm pushing. Last week schools let out for the summer, and here we are, getting ready to start again, as long as the pool / play / bike riding allows. Ah, happy boyhood!

Innocence

oh, my...i went in to check in on my almost-five-year-old son. he's asleep in his big-boy bed. he has kicked off the covers and is nearly snoring in deep sleep. in the corner of his bed there is his bear, wilbur, and his frog, max. beside him is his most powerful transformer, guns poised and ready, protecting him from any bad guys and bad dreams.

what is it? there is something so tender, so innocent about five...he's not ahsamed to clutch a bear and hug it, or sleep with it for security, and yet there is the emerging MAN--HE WHO WIELDS A WEAPON--HE WHO PROTECTS THE PREMISES--he who hugs and kisses his little sister when she bumps her head, and tenderly strokes her hair after her first haircut.

oh, LORD, please help me to remember these days. small boy, big man, all at once in one loveable person.