We finished up our week of clay time yesterday.  I wrote more about that on my other blog here so I'll not repeat myself (for once!)

Today, I was thinking about how often our family's way of life is so drastically different from others.  This week, we had the good fortune of being in a class of 3 extremely nice young ladies, ages 8-11, as well as a bright and talkative 5 year old (accompanied by his grandma).  Our teacher was also very nice and personable.  I was so pleased and thanked the Lord each day for the nice people He put us with.  Even the parents that came in to get their kids were nice.

But, of course, there were times when someone would start talking about something that our family doesn't do/eat/watch.  I continually teach our kids what to say or do when times like that occur.  And I also discuss with my kids that it's o.k. to be different from the majority of the rest of the world.  True, there are a lot of people out there like us that homeschool, don't watch TV, don't go to the movies, don't drink soda, and have an extreme dislike for that character made out of a sponge (I don't wish to have his name linked to my blog).  But I'd have to say that most people are not like us.  And in case you are wondering, these very subjects came up this week, as we were working with our clay.  My husband and I are very good at nodding and smiling, contributing to the conversation if we can.  Of course, if there's a situation that calls for us to stand our ground in our beliefs, that's a different story.  But, in the course of normal conversation, subjects like this often come up (pop culture, TV, music, etc.)  So I feel it's my duty to teach my kids how to act and/or respond in these situations.  I think it's called diplomacy.  And it's something I've gotten really good at.

I first learned this skill when talking with my sister.  After I married, it seemed that everything I said to her would put her on the defense and things escalated.  I got very good at walking on egg shells with her and now, we hardly ever talk.  So be it.  And she and I actually have a lot in common.  Go figure.  Anyway, it taught me how to conduct a casual conversation without actually agreeing with someone, while not making them feel uncomfortable.  I read or hear enough about the world to be able to comment on most subjects, which is helpful, but it's also o.k. to just say, "No, I haven't seen that film."  I know of people that take a firm stand against nearly everything and end up offending people for no good reason.  That's not my way.  I used to do that, as a teenager, and it caused a lot of grief.  You live - you learn (don't The Cranberries sing a song like that?  I digress ...)

I pray that the Lord will guide me and my husband, as we teach our children to live in a world that wants them to be cardboard cut-outs of everyone else.  That's not us and I hope my kids will never conform to this world.  I pray that they will be the individuals that God wants them to be.