My eldest child's teacher sends weekly emails to the class to keep us up-to-date on what is going on in the classroom. The most recent email included a section headed "What to do if your child hears that others don't believe in Santa" as the class is learning the story of St. Nicolas (a very real … Continue reading Soon they’ll know Santa’s not real.
Category: parenting
banishing the darkness
We recently gathered together to celebrate the start of Advent at my children's school. The adults sat in the gathering darkness as the children entered the room, careful to avoid stepping on the pine branches and stumps arranged in a spiral on the floor. The teacher spoke a few words about our inner light of … Continue reading banishing the darkness
Mommy, what is church?
We were driving somewhere and Kid1 spoke up from the backseat: "Mommy, what is church?" While I've done a lot of reading (see relevant book list below) on how to talk to the children about religious issues, I still felt caught off guard by the question. They like to ask these questions in the car when … Continue reading Mommy, what is church?
Straightforward & Honest
When I clicked on When A Mother Decides To Stop Cancer Treatment And Face Death I was not prepared for the onslaught of feels I was overcome with. It was another vaguely interesting article on my Facebook feed, and then a few paragraphs in I was hit with all the feels. "We’ve always been straightforward and honest," Lum said … Continue reading Straightforward & Honest
“how many gods do we have mommy?”
The other day, on our drive home, my eldest spoke up about his day: Eldest: We went and saw the -th-grade play today. It was about a blue god with a big beard. Me: Do you know which god it was? Eldest: No. I only saw it once. (pause for a second or two) How … Continue reading “how many gods do we have mommy?”
everything is always good
Every one of them says "how are you?" And you always have to say "good," even if you're not good. If you say things aren't good, they'll wonder -- aloud -- why you're placing "limits" on yourself or the situation. All things are possible through God and enough prayer. This does not stop … Continue reading everything is always good
My Windowsill
Grime lives on my windowsill And forgotten cheerios Some flies That did not escape the blinds And a spider, Still very much alive A puddle of orange juice From a sippy cup That should never Have left the kitchen Mixed with dust bunnies Cleaning is pointless Until my children move out Inspired by Karen, the … Continue reading My Windowsill
In the Beginning
This is another one of the books that has been sitting on my desk for longer than it should have. This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support of kindism.org A few times a year our Sunday School teacher would sit us down and have us open our Bibles to Genesis and we would read … Continue reading In the Beginning
Return of the Mormons Part 2: Religion, Guilt & Motherhood
For part one: Saint Kat of the Sparkling Water Mormon Missionaries often inspire unintended lines of thinking (I'm pretty sure they never intended to push me to secular humanism) and this time was no exception. Something about the afternoon's encounter bugged me, and it took some time to sort out why. Then I found it: They noticed that … Continue reading Return of the Mormons Part 2: Religion, Guilt & Motherhood
Parenting Beyond Our Past: A Resource Guide
Very glad to have found this resource guide! I’ve already read How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk and Siblings Without Rivalry and found them to be helpful. Look forward to exploring the other things listed as well!
Photo Credit: Darcy Anne
“Train up a child in the way he should go……”
I have yet to meet a religious homeschooler who can’t finish that scripture from memory. If you’re like me, you grew up in a very authoritarian, punitive family environment. Punishment and pain, both physical and emotional, were believed to be the best means to teach a child “the way he should go”. Spanking and instant, cheerful obedience to authority were the norm, with many other kinds of punishments used as retribution for a child’s wrong-doing. Parents were the ultimate authority, and children had no choice but to obey or be punished, sometimes very harshly. I honestly didn’t know there were any other ways to parent. Either you spanked and “trained” your children, or you let them run wild and that meant you didn’t love them.
We were the generation influenced by “child training” teachers like the
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