My baby is now 6 months and we have slowly been incorporating more and more homeschooling for big brother. Even though the Summer is upon us we are beginning our school year.
The good news is that big brother hasn't lost much of what he learned before our long break. I had him watching educational videos as much as possible when he wanted TV and I played educational games with him a much as I could.
I've brought back "circle" time: stories, songs, flash cards, etc. He doesn't enjoy it as much as he did before, he is really excited about his "workbook" that I picked up at the dollar store! I'm glad he likes it so much because we are having serious printer issues so I can't print off anything.
Also I will be back to blogging more. I look forward to catching up with all of my homeschool friends. Who are probably all getting ready for your breaks!! :)
Happy Holidays!
I hope that everyone is having a great holiday season now that the season has officially begun with Thanksgiving last week!
I'm having a great but exhausted time. I had my second baby a little before Thanksgiving - what a blessing! No homeschooling for the rest of the year, adjusting to the new addition. Big brother is excited and has no jealousy issues at all. :)
Have a great holiday season! I'll "see" you all in the new year!
I'm having a great but exhausted time. I had my second baby a little before Thanksgiving - what a blessing! No homeschooling for the rest of the year, adjusting to the new addition. Big brother is excited and has no jealousy issues at all. :)
Have a great holiday season! I'll "see" you all in the new year!
Mommy Wars
I personally find it really sad that moms so often pit themselves against one another. We really should be working together to motivate and encourage one another. We have a difficult and sometimes thankless job and the support can really go a long way!
It is such a waste of time and energy to get involved with these mommy wars. What good really comes from engaging in these battles? Inevitably someone's feelings are going to get hurt, and truly how often does someone change their position as a result?
I began to discover this when I first got married and became a stepmom. There was the instant division between "real" moms and stepmoms ("fake" moms?) and there is a lot of animosity there for some people.
There are a lot of stereotypes of stepmoms, some of them stemming way back hundreds of years ago when tales such as Cinderella and Hensel and Gretel were changed to say "stepmother" instead of "mother" as was in the original stories.
There are stereotypes based on misunderstands and underlying fears. Many stepmoms attend school events of their stepchildren and are stunned to find themselves shunned from the "mommy club".
It appears that many moms are insecure about stepmoms so they are instantly fearful when one appears on the scene. Are they afraid that they will be replaced by a stepmom? Are they afraid the children's natural mother will snub them if they are nice to the stepmom? I really don't know because though I am a mom I am not threatened by stepmoms that I meet.
It wasn't until I had my son that I discovered the REAL mommy wars going on. It's no wonder some moms are so threatened by stepmoms when they are so threatened by other moms.
The battles engaged in on the mommy war battle front seem to be never ending and they start so early too.
I've heard some moms claim that you're not "really" a parent until you have more than one child. What exactly does that make a "parent" of one child? A fake parent? Right up there with stepparents. Those imposters with only one child, they only think they are parents.
I have no doubts that adding children to the scene changes the dynamic of the entire family as well as the parent/child relationships. (I will find this out very soon for myself.) But even though it may be more complicated, it may be more difficult, it may well be far more wonderful - I would never dare to say that someone who has a child is not REALLY a parent.
Then there are many other battle fronts, all you have to do is go to a mommy forum site and you will find these battles raging.
- Natural birth vs drugs vs cesarean
- Formula vs breastfeeding
- Binky vs thumb vs nothing
- Working moms vs stay at home moms vs work at home moms
- Co sleeping vs crib sleeping
- Vaccinating vs non vaccinating vs selective vaccinating
- Discipline methods
- Organic foods vs non organic
- Daycare vs no daycare
- Preschool vs play
- TV vs no tv vs limited tv vs educational tv vs preschool programming
- Public school vs private school vs home school
- Many, many more...
Who are the real winners? Who are the real losers? Who is the best mom? Who is the worst mom? Who is right? Who is wrong?
Or a better question...who cares???
None of these battles are life or death issues. They are issues of opinion and each mom is given the right to look at all sides and choose what is best for her children and family.
We would all be a lot better off if we could simply support one another, agree to disagree on certain issues, and help one another out.
Just think what our kids could learn if they had that kind of example to look up to!
Being insecure and fighting to the death an opinion doesn't teach the values to our kids that we really want to impart to them. (Maybe those are values that some want to give to their kids. I find that sad personally.)
What do you think?
It is such a waste of time and energy to get involved with these mommy wars. What good really comes from engaging in these battles? Inevitably someone's feelings are going to get hurt, and truly how often does someone change their position as a result?
I began to discover this when I first got married and became a stepmom. There was the instant division between "real" moms and stepmoms ("fake" moms?) and there is a lot of animosity there for some people.
There are a lot of stereotypes of stepmoms, some of them stemming way back hundreds of years ago when tales such as Cinderella and Hensel and Gretel were changed to say "stepmother" instead of "mother" as was in the original stories.
There are stereotypes based on misunderstands and underlying fears. Many stepmoms attend school events of their stepchildren and are stunned to find themselves shunned from the "mommy club".
It appears that many moms are insecure about stepmoms so they are instantly fearful when one appears on the scene. Are they afraid that they will be replaced by a stepmom? Are they afraid the children's natural mother will snub them if they are nice to the stepmom? I really don't know because though I am a mom I am not threatened by stepmoms that I meet.
It wasn't until I had my son that I discovered the REAL mommy wars going on. It's no wonder some moms are so threatened by stepmoms when they are so threatened by other moms.
The battles engaged in on the mommy war battle front seem to be never ending and they start so early too.
I've heard some moms claim that you're not "really" a parent until you have more than one child. What exactly does that make a "parent" of one child? A fake parent? Right up there with stepparents. Those imposters with only one child, they only think they are parents.
I have no doubts that adding children to the scene changes the dynamic of the entire family as well as the parent/child relationships. (I will find this out very soon for myself.) But even though it may be more complicated, it may be more difficult, it may well be far more wonderful - I would never dare to say that someone who has a child is not REALLY a parent.
Then there are many other battle fronts, all you have to do is go to a mommy forum site and you will find these battles raging.
- Natural birth vs drugs vs cesarean
- Formula vs breastfeeding
- Binky vs thumb vs nothing
- Working moms vs stay at home moms vs work at home moms
- Co sleeping vs crib sleeping
- Vaccinating vs non vaccinating vs selective vaccinating
- Discipline methods
- Organic foods vs non organic
- Daycare vs no daycare
- Preschool vs play
- TV vs no tv vs limited tv vs educational tv vs preschool programming
- Public school vs private school vs home school
- Many, many more...
Who are the real winners? Who are the real losers? Who is the best mom? Who is the worst mom? Who is right? Who is wrong?
Or a better question...who cares???
None of these battles are life or death issues. They are issues of opinion and each mom is given the right to look at all sides and choose what is best for her children and family.
We would all be a lot better off if we could simply support one another, agree to disagree on certain issues, and help one another out.
Just think what our kids could learn if they had that kind of example to look up to!
Being insecure and fighting to the death an opinion doesn't teach the values to our kids that we really want to impart to them. (Maybe those are values that some want to give to their kids. I find that sad personally.)
What do you think?
If a Child...
What a great poem this is!
• If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn
• If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight
• If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy
• If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty
• If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient
• If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident
• If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate
• If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice
• If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith
• If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself
• If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.
• If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn
• If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight
• If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy
• If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty
• If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient
• If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident
• If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate
• If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice
• If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith
• If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself
• If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.
They Grow Up So Fast
I look at my little mister, growing up so fast.
He looks like such a boy now, not the little baby that he used to be.
I'm so proud of him, I love him and adore him.
I want to be the best mom that I can be for him and to give him the best that I can.
I want to make the best of all of these years that I have him.
I hope to raise and guide him with as much love and care as possible.
Not to miss any opportunities.
Or miss any great moments.
I want to give him the very best and raise him to be his very best.
I have so many hopes and dreams for him, yet I want him to have his own hopes and dreams to follow.
This morning I saw an incredibly moving and sweet video about growing up. It was very touching, it will move your heart.
Do watch it, you will be glad that you did...
http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/--217226253
He looks like such a boy now, not the little baby that he used to be.
I'm so proud of him, I love him and adore him.
I want to be the best mom that I can be for him and to give him the best that I can.
I want to make the best of all of these years that I have him.
I hope to raise and guide him with as much love and care as possible.
Not to miss any opportunities.
Or miss any great moments.
I want to give him the very best and raise him to be his very best.
I have so many hopes and dreams for him, yet I want him to have his own hopes and dreams to follow.
This morning I saw an incredibly moving and sweet video about growing up. It was very touching, it will move your heart.
Do watch it, you will be glad that you did...
http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/--217226253
The Bullying Experience
Just today I read this article where four kids committed suicide due to bullying in one town!
In the last month I've heard of others, it seems to be weekly.
There is clearly a real problem going on.
Even though I am homeschooling I am very passionate about doing something about this.
Bullying is one reason that I chose this route for my children. I have been out of public school for fifteen years but I remember clearly the bullying that I experienced starting in the 5th grade.
I also went to one of the more affluent public school districts in my state at the time where kids of divorce were the exception.
I remember how it made me feel...
When I experienced bullying, I felt:
- Powerless
- Helpless
- Two inches tall
- Completely alone
- Worthless
- Unloved
- Unlovable
- Abused
- Ridiculed
- Broken
- Humiliated
- More...
How many kids today are living the same life at school?
Bullying is abuse by peers. Pure and simple. It is not a rite of passage, it is not a "normal" stage of childhood to endure, it is not there to toughen kids up!! It is abuse! It has nothing to do with socialization at all.
Children should not have to feel that way when they go to school. Children should feel safe, they should be there to learn.
If it was normal, would it drive kids to suicide at alarming rates??? NO!!
Something needs to be done. Sooner than later. Our nation's kids deserve much better.
(Image Credit)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
