Nov. 24, 2009 - Guest Blogger Kay Marshall Strom: Recipe and Story!
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Nov. 22, 2009 - The Day We Saw "Mr. Rogers" in Church
During this morning's church service, dad and I noticed Biruk was staring intently into the congregation, unresponsive to our attempts to get his attention.
I asked him what he was looking at, and finally he answered, with eyes shining and a quiet voice laden with awe..."I see...I see...Mr. Rogers."
Sure enough, a few rows ahead and to the right, was an older gentleman in a button-down burnt-orange cardigan. He didn't look much like Mr. Rogers to me (except for the sweater), but looking closer, I could see how a two-year-old might think so. A thin older gentleman, with hair just-so, a certain set of the ears, and a softly pleasant facial expression. Combined with the sweater, "just like" Mr. Rogers.
Dad and Mom do live in Fred Roger's hometown (and his show was produced in Pittsburgh, not too far from where we lived before). Once Biruk heard about this, whenever we walk down the street he grew up on, he has to "wave at Mr. Rogers house!". We don't know exactly which house it is, so we just randomly pick one and wave at it. Between the house and seeing the guy "live" on PBS, it's no surprise that Biruk assumed that the nice old guy in the sweater had to be the real Mr. Rogers. I think I'll wait a few years before I break it to him that Mr. Rogers isn't actually our neighbor. For now, he can go on believing that he's seen Mr. Rogers up close and personal, a distinction he shares with former President Bush and his wife. What a lucky boy!
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Nov. 21, 2009 - What kind of mother?
If you saw us today and thought "What kind of mother makes her toddler walk half-way around a huge lake in wet clothes and a stinky diaper?"...this would be my answer:
The kind of mother who feels terrible about the fact that her son's pants and boots are soaking wet and probably very cold.
The kind of mother who's son walked the first half of the lake dry and warm, and then disobeyed her and sat down in a stream at the exact mid-point of the hike so that she couldn't simply run him back to the car to change him.
The kind of mother who carefully dressed her children in warm clothes and boots suitable for mud stomping. The kind of mother who made sure to put a whole bag of clean clothes and diapers in the back, for just such an occasion. Only she couldn't get to her car when she needed it.
The kind of mother who never, ever properly gauges the amount of time it takes to walk nearly 3 miles with 3 boys who want to stop and look at every hole in the ground.
The kind of mother who was thinking about this because "What kind of mother...?" is a thought that often runs through her own mind, and a comment that she often sees and hears leveled at other women. Being a mom means it is incredibly easy to look bad to others, very difficult to look good to others (since there are so many ideas of "good mothering"), and easier than I'd like to forget that other mothers also have whole lives that lead up to and include the one bad moment I may see.
What kind of "What kind of mother....?" are you?
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Nov. 19, 2009 - Miscarriage: Same song, next verse
Next week comes what would have been the due date for the first baby I lost. Six months ago I was thinking "Wow, I could be holding our new baby at the Thanksgiving table! But with my history, it'll probably be closer to Christmas, darn it". After that miscarriage, I forgot about it until I turned the calendar to November, and saw where I had written BABY!!!! in big block letters at the bottom of the page. I scribbled it out.
The next time, I knew better. Just after Josiah left for Ethiopia, I found out we were expecting again. But I only marked the weeks on the calendar page I was looking at. I knew the due date was around the boy's birthdays in May, but I tried not to think about that much.
At 8 weeks I was spotting and cramping, but it went away and I decided to ignore it. At 10 weeks, the midwives didn't hear a heartbeat. I was super sick. The last time I was that sick, I was pregnant with Asrat and also had stomach parasites at the same time. Surely, being that sick meant the pregnancy was going well? At 11 weeks I was spotting again and was sent for an ultrasound. "There's no easy way to tell you this..." said the nurse, but I already knew. After three kids, I know what a heartbeat sounds like and how very wrong the silence in that room was. Not only was there no heartbeat, but there was no form of a baby either. At that stage (and there was no question about the dates), there should have been. One of my regrets from last time was not having had even a glimpse of my baby, even by fuzzy ultrasound picture, before I lost him. This time I had the chance to see, only there was no baby there to see. Only a mass, which after a miserable day at the hospital, a D&C, and various and sundry tests, it was solidly confirmed that what had been growing in my womb was a molar pregnancy.
This left me hanging in midair. I couldn't crash, because there seems to be very little information about molar pregnancy, except that sometimes conception didn't happen but cells multiplied and grew in a wrong way, or sometimes conception did happen but growth was so immediately deformed that there was no possibility of a little heart ever beginning to beat, or sometimes in the midst of all the deformity there grew a little body that simply couldn't compete with the fast-growing molar cells. Even so, that's all googled information, and who's to say what's true or not, or what happened in my case? Was there ever a baby? If there was, did it live and then die, or just never lift off the runway in the first place? It's hard to fall apart when you don't know what you should be falling apart about.
I couldn't feel relief either, or closure. Molar pregnancy carries with it a risk of serious and long-term health problems, even cancerous growth. So every week for a while, and then every month for a whole year, I will go to a lab and have my blood drawn and look at my three little children around me and remember that I'm there because the fourth left early and the very existence of the fifth is in question.
I guess, at least, I can grieve a dream smashed, and hope crushed. That will have to do for now.
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Nov. 18, 2009 - The Swiss Courier, finally!
Thanks to LitFuse publishing for providing this wonderful book for review.
Due to address change issues, I didn't get this book until after the official blog tour was over, but it did finally arrive, I read it eagerly, and I am so happy to let you know that Tricia Goyer, along with Mike Yorkey, have provided avid readers with yet another fabulous historical novel to enjoy.
The Swiss Courier is a well-researched and excellently written piece of historical fiction (with a little bit of romance) set in August of 1944. Hitler's Third Reich is in full gear, having overrun some nations and threatening others, including Switzerland. Young Swiss-American Gabi Mueller works for the American Office of Strategic Services, but she soon finds herself at the center of an important mission to rescue German physicist Joseph Engel, after his Jewish heritage is discoverd by the Nazi's. And so, a pastor's daughter becomes a "courier", delivering a pivotal "package" safely into the hands of the Allies. She finds herself wrestling with her own heart along the way, as she considers the excitingly employed men she works with and the humble farmer she left behind. In her adventures, Gabi Mueller consistently finds that looks can be decieving, and that is one of the main themes of this novel, which provides our heroine with a few devastating blows and several happy surprises.
By itself, the story line of The Swiss Courier is thrilling and captivating. It has great drama, suspense, and feeling. The romance is down-to-earth, realistically rendered, and not at all cheap or tawdry (no torrid love scenes, thank God!). But aside from the plot, this book gives the reader food for thought. Gabi Mueller's father is a pastor, her family is staunchly Christian, as are many of the others resisting the Nazi's in this story. Yet in many cases, successfully opposing evil requires violence on some level, and sometimes killing. People who sought to rescue those being killed by Hitler's minions were often faced with two options, both requiring them to sin (lying vs. allowing someone to be arrested and probably killed, killing a Nazi soldier in order to save a person from death vs. not committing "murder" and thus allowing an innocent to be killed). These seem like simple questions to those of us with the benefit of hindsight (6 million killed, there's no ethical dilemma, do whatever it takes to save them!), but it is important to remember that very few people at that time had any idea of the magnitude of Hitler's deadly operations, and sorting fact from rumor was difficult, especially when the facts were so horrendous that it's difficult to believe even now that humans could be capable of such evil. This moral quandry has been an issue for Christianity since very early on, and is still an issue today: Can Christians involve themselves in politics to seek change for a nation? Can Christians ever participate in violence for a greater good? When it comes to sin, are there "greater" and "lesser" evils, and if there are, how does God view the act of committing a "lesser" evil to prevent a greater one? The Swiss Courier does not seek to answer these questions on a deep theological level, but it does provide insight into the choices of some Christians facing one of the greatest evils in human history.
Readers will enjoy the pace of this novel, a few heart-stopping moments, and the faith and courage demonstrated by a simple young woman who's life has fallen under the dark shadow of Hitler's Third Reich.
Do check out the reviews on the blog tour and also listen to an interview with Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey, available HERE.
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Nov. 17, 2009 - We've been hiking!
While living here with my parents, we are blessed to be within close range of three beautiful state parks. That's a lot of lakes and forests and trails to explore, and that's what we've been doing with these beautiful fall days.
Grandpa comes along on a lot of our hikes. What made this one particularly exciting is that it was a Real Forest Trail, and apparently just what the kids had been envisioning when listening to The Hobbit at bedtime. So Asrat gave us all characters from the book. He was Gandalf. Biruk was Bilbo Baggins, and the rest of us were dwarves. We tracked trolls through the forest (they leave colored rectangles painted on trees, doncha know!), we were careful not to run into any goblins, and Gebre got his stick-sword and bravely fought off the brambles that threatened to take mommy down. The most thrilling part of the trail was a very rocky portion, requiring us to leap like mountain goats from stone to stone. Gebre's comment on that: "WOW!!! THIS IS FUN!!! WHOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
This is a different park, one with a huge lake. We like to go there and bother the fishermen. "Hey, whatcha doin'? Are you catchin' fish? How do you do that? Why do you have two fishing rods?....."
This park also has yurts.
Oh look, there's me!
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Nov. 11, 2009 - And Mama...Laughed
Yesterday will go down in infamy, at least in my oldest son's mind. I think my definition of successful parenting has change from raising perfect children to raising children who don't need extensive therapy when they're grown. Days like yesterday make me worry.
Yesterday was shots day. All three boys got one. I was not anticipating a happy time, by any means. However, one of my children went completely off his rocker when he saw the syringes. The oldest one, at that. The other two were more reasonably unpleased with events. They did the "boo-hoo...OOOOWWW!....Waaaah!" thing, and then were fine. Asrat, however, just went bonkers. That's the only way to describe it. He was yelling, jumping up and down in a corner, fighting, angry, and screaming bloody murder (and that was before the needle jab). I'm sure he could be heard all the way out in the waiting room. It took three of us to hold him and when it was through he yelled at the nurse. Needless to say, I was mortified.
But my reaction to this embarassed me too. After spending six years helping him learn to be brave (he tends to be fearful anyway), preparing for this shot and practicing controlling emotions, and then agonizingly long minutes of his over-the-top behavior in the exam room, I had exhausted all capacity for being sympathetic. I had zero soft fuzzy emotions for him at that moment. I hugged him tight and held his arms down, told him it would only hurt for a second. He still screamed the kind of scream a person would normally use when having his toenails pulled out slowly, one by one, with red-hot pincers.
And I laughed at him.
We may never go back to that office again. Between his outrageous behavior and my outrageous lack of parental empathy, I'm convinced that everybody in the office must have believed I was "one of those" parents who should have been denied a liscense to have kids. We certainly turned a lot of heads as we tried (and failed) to escape discreetly after the ruckus we'd just made.
I have confessed my motherly failure to as many people who would listen, hoping, I suppose for some assurance that I haven't scarred my son for life. Surprisingly, though, polls indicate that I am not the only parent who has done this sort of thing, and that most people don't seem to think I'm the most evil mother in the world because of it. Whew!
My mom asked me what I thought a Good Mother would have done in that situation. I realized I had been feeling so guilty because I had a truly silly image of a Good Mother in my head. A Good Mother would have gathered her insane child in her arms, and gazed into his eyes, and emanated calmness and peace with such force that he immediately calmed down, smiled, hopped up on the table and said "I'm OK now. Go ahead and stick me!". Ha! If that is a Good Mother, I guess there's no hope of me ever being one.
Like I said, at this point all I'm hoping for is that they don't spend their adulthoods filleting their souls (and my character) in a counselor's office.
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Nov. 11, 2009 - Today's Writing Assignment
Sometimes, you have to laugh at the tough stuff in life just to stay sane. Other times, kids present you with something so ridiculously funny that you don't have to work up a good attitude...you have to work at getting a breath in between the giggles.
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Nov. 3, 2009 - If you've wanted to know where I get my review books....
....Check out the LitFuse button newly installed in my sidebar. They are always looking for new reviewers/bloggers!
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Nov. 3, 2009 - The Old Schoolhouse Magazine--New Christmas Ebook!
Always good stuff from TOS, and this one is free. Click HERE or see the pretty button in my sidebar to download the new free holiday ebook.
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Nov. 2, 2009 - The Ballad of Bad Biruk
This is a cute poem my talented dad wrote after watching Biruk obsess about being a pirate. Enjoy it and share it, but please be sure to attribute it to my dad!
October 2009
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Nov. 1, 2009 - Voddie Baucham on the Table of Nations
Voddie Baucham is known for his teachings on family and the church. We have enjoyed many of his sermons and appreciated his willingness to speak out boldly with Biblical truths and precepts.
I just found his sermon on racial issues this morning, and I highly recommend it. Pastor Baucham goes through the reasons people insist on separating "the races" physically and theoritically. He teaches the Biblical view of race (there is one race, the human race).
You can download and listen to it for free HERE. I encourage you to do so!
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Oct. 28, 2009 - The Call of Zulina Blog Tour
Per the new regs: This book was provided for review by Kathy Carlton Willis Communications.
Leave a comment for a chance to be entered into the Grand Prize Contest described at the end.
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About the Book:
An arranged marriage, a runaway bride, and an ugly family heritage of brutal and inhumane slavery operations leave no room for a fairytale story. Grace Winslow, daughter of an English sea captain and African princess, finds herself in a horrific position of betrothal. Doomed to marry an obnoxious white man, whom she does not love, Grace runs away to escape the slavery she’s been surrounded by all her life. Instead, her journey from home brings her face-to-face with issues of extreme slavery, abuse and human trafficking. In the end she discovers slavery is more than just chains and finds grace that exceeds a name given to her by her parents.
Written by Kay Marshall Strom, The Call of Zulina links historical slavery issues with the modern-day crisis tainting many countries. On the heels of important legislature regarding human trafficking, Strom tackles the subject boldly as she sheds light on the practices and techniques used by angry slave traders. Seen as an advocate for those who have no voice, Strom finds words to communicate the message of history to today’s readers. While this book shines the light on an uncomfortable subject, the message of hope, freedom, and justice prevail and eternal truths discovered. *
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About the Author:
Author Kay Marshall Strom has two great loves: writing and helping others achieve their own writing potential. Kay has written thirty-six published books, numerous magazine articles, and two screenplays. While mostly a nonfiction writer, the first book of her historical novel trilogy Grace in Africa has met with acclaim. Kay speaks at seminars, retreats, writers’ conferences, and special events throughout the country and around the world. She is in wide demand as an instructor and keynote speaker at major writing conferences. She also enjoys speaking aboard cruise ships in exchange for exotic cruise destinations.
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Blog Tour Interview:
1.How did you come up with the storyline of The Call of Zulina?
While in West Africa working on another project, I toured an old slave fortress and was struck dumb by a set of baby manacles bolted to the wall. The characters of Lingongo and Joseph Winslow, Grace's parents, are modeled after real people who ran a slave business in Africa in the 1700s. I "met" them when I was researching Once Blind: The Life of John Newton, a biography of the slaver turned preacher and abolitionists, author of Amazing Grace. The more I thought about them, the more I wondered, "If they'd had a daughter, who would she be? Where would her loyalties lie?"
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2.What inspired you to write a book so entrenched with uncomfortable issues?
I used to think that non-fiction was the meat and potatoes of writing and fiction was the chocolate mousse dessert... fun, but not of much value. But I've come to understand that truths can be revealed through fiction just as powerfully as through non-fiction. Sometimes, more so! The fact is, for so long we have tried to look away and pretend that this horrible chapter in history never happened. But it did, and we still feel the effects today. Moreover, the roots of slavery--hunger for power and money, fear and diminishment of people unlike ourselves, and humanity's endless ability to rationalize evil actions--abound today. The time seemed right.
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3.How have your travels around the world equipped you for writing such a historical novel?
People ask me where my passion for issues such as modern day slavery come from. To a large degree it is from the things I have seen and heard on my numerous trips to India, African countries, Cambodia, Nepal, Indonesia, and other places around the world.
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4.Tell us a personal story regarding modern day slavery.
A most pervasive type of slavery is what is known as bonded servitude, where entire poor families are bound into virtual slavery--sometimes for generations--because of a small debt. This is especially common in India. I visited a village in central India where the women had been freed from bondage and set up with a micro loan that allowed them to raise a small herd of dairy cows. They worked so hard and saved every rupee. When they had enough saved, they persuaded a young teacher to come and start a school for their children. Then they used further profits to make low interest loans to others in the area so they could start their own businesses, too--a little bank. I sat in a circle with the five women who made up the "board of directors." Only one could read and write. I asked, "How will the next generation be different because of what you have done?" They said, "No more will be like us. When people look us, they see nothing. But when they look at our children, they see real human beings with value."
From invisible slaves to human beings... all in one generation!
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5.Grace, the lead character in The Call of Zulina, forsakes all to escape the slavery of her parents and an arranged marriage.How common is this scenerio today in other countries?
Horrifyingly common. Slavery today takes many forms. According to UNICEF's more conservative count, there are about 12 million people living as slaves today--three times as many as in the days of the African slave trade. As for child arranged marriages, I have talked to girls "enslaved" to husbands in many countries. Examples include a girl in Nepal married at 9 to a middle-aged man, one in India married at 11, a 13-year-old in Egypt married to a man older than her father. I've seen it in Africa, Eastern Europe... so many places!
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6. What about in America, are there slavery and trafficking issues here?
Unfortunately, there are. The U.S. State Department estimates between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the Untied States each year, although it concedes that the real number is actually far higher. And it's not just states like New York and California that are affected, either. According to the U.S. Justice Department's head of the new human trafficking unit, there is now at least one case of trafficking in every state.
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7. You've had 36 books published, and more written and contracted for future release. How has this one impacted your own life?
Some books report, some tell stories. This book has torn my heart.
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8.Briefly tell us about the next two books in this Grace in Africa trilogy.
In Book 2, Grace watches her reconstructed life smashed by slavers and revenge, and she is forcibly taken to London. There she faces a new kind of tyranny and another fight for freedom... and for her husband, who is enslaved in America.
Book 3 is set in the new United States of America, in the heart of the slavery. It is a story of slavery at it's worst and redemption at its best.
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What Can Concerned Citizens Do to Raise Awareness?
Grand Prize Giveaway!!!
Leave a Comment for a chance to be entered
Kay Marshall Strom is giving the following books to one fortunate commenter from The Call of Zulina blog tour. The prize package includes several of Kay's books:
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Oct. 25, 2009 - Wisdom Hunter And Shadow Government Blog Tour
As per the new FDA rules: These books were provided for review by WaterBrook Press/Random House
When I first started reading Wisdom Hunter (by Randall Arthur), I was feeling a little defensive. Sometimes I think we conservatives get a little picked on. I don't believe that having standards of dress or behavior is inherently wrong or damaging.
However, I have to admit that there are churches and cults which do take legalism to a level that tears families apart and damages hearts. And that is what this book is about: A husband and father who doesn't realize the damage he has done until the death of his daughter, and then his wife, shakes the very foundations of his world.
Publisher's summary:
Pastor Jason Faircloth knows what he believes. His clear faith, in fact, is why he is one of the most prominent pastors in Atlanta . He relies on it to discipline his daughter, his wife, his church. He prays daily that others would come to see God’s ways as he does.
And it is about to cost him everything. Groping for answers in the face of tragedy, Jason begins a search for the only family he has left: the granddaughter kept hidden from him. Soon he finds himself on an international adventure that will take him straight into the depths of his soul. He is determined not to fail again.
A fast-paced suspense novel rich in spiritual depth, Wisdom Hunter explores what it means to break free of Christian legalism--and discover why grace can mean the difference between life and death.
Shadow Government is a conspiracy theorist's dream. I am not sure what to make of it except that I have a lot of trouble swallowing many of the claims made. Are there evil people in the world? Sure. Can technology be abused? Are there current instances of abuse? Absolutely. I'm still not sure I can draw the same conclusions as this author, though. I am also not a fan of "ripped from the headlines" eschatology.
Here is the publisher's summary:
Security cameras, surveillance of private financial transactions, radio frequency spy chips hidden in consumer products, eavesdropping on e-mail correspondence and phone calls, and Internet tracking. No one is protected, and privacy is a thing of the past.
An ultra-secret global elit, funcitoning as a very real shadow government, controls technology, finance, international law, world trade, political power, and vast military capabilities. These unnamed, unrivaled leaders answer to no earthly authority, and they won't stop until they control the world.
In Shadow Government, prophecy expert Grant Jeffrey removes the screen that, up to now, has hidden the work of these diabolical agents. Jeffrey reveals the biblical description of Satan's global conquest and identifies the tools of technology that the Antichrist will use to rule the world.
Readers will have their eyes opened to the real power that is working behind the scenes to destroy America and merge it into the coming global government. Armed with this knowledge, readers willbe equipped to face the spiritual darkness with the light of prophetic truth.
All I can say is, read it and judge for yourself.
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Oct. 24, 2009 - I'd like a slice of sanity, please
We all remember the 8 years of George Bush's (Jr.) presidency, when we rolled our eyes and complained at the ridiculous conspiracy theories and downright hatred spewed at him. Those of us who actually listend to his speeches were aware that many of the things he was mocked about were either not said by him, or were manipulated and changed on tape to make him sound stupid. There were blatant lies and rumors spread about him. Ridiculous charges. Hatred bordering on the insane. If one didn't know better, one might have been excused for thinking that he had commissioned the creation of a dastardly weather machine and aimed it at New Orleans himself because he hates black people, having gathered as much from the accusations leveled at him after that fiasco.
As much as I dislike most of what President Obama stands for, part of me was relieved when he was elected. I thought: "At last, we'll have a little break from the insanity. The Democrats will be busy lauding every golden word that drops from the mouth of the new POTUS. Maybe the Republican party can pull itself together and give us a great candidate four years from now."
Clearly, I live on a different planet. All by myself. It's lonely out here.
It seems that the disease which infected the left during George Bush's has "crossed species" and infected the right. People who's books I have read and enjoyed, people who's articles and speeches I have applauded, people who I have considered intelligent, thoughtful, and reasonable....some of these people now have succumbed to the idea that anything that is in any way related to the current administration is something to be feared and hated. Opposition to the current administration are also accusing the government of things, sometimes in a very contradictory way, with very little basis. For instance, the government is simultaneously pushing the H1N1 vaccine down our throats and maliciously slowing down the H1N1 vaccine production. Goodness, even the most evil entity can't do both of those at the same time! And don't even get me started on the birth certificate thing. Oy.
I am not the least bit opposed to protest, and vocal opposition. Not at all. I thought the Tea Parties were a great idea. I think attending Town Hall meetings and voicing one's opinions is important. I think blogging, writing, speaking, and organizing are necessary for the continuation of our country's freedom. However, I think that we had better make pretty darn sure that what we are saying is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. We start to look clownish when we try to make arguments like "They say [insert conspiracy theory]" or "They [undefined, generalized They] are trying to do such-and-such to us." or "I've heard.....[no source given]" or any such thing.
I will give you a non-political example of a very imprecise and damaging statement. The statement is: "Vaccines are made from the bodies of aborted babies".
The problem with such a statement is that while it contains a teeny, tiny kernel of truth, it has been distorted, generalized, and falsified to the point that any pro-choicer who's thought about their position for more than 10 seconds will be able to laugh it off, and rightly so. The tiny kernel of truth is this: 40 years ago, some women were told that therapeutic abortion was necessary after they contracted Rubella (German Measles). Some cells were taken from a single infected (and "terminated") baby, and were used to culture the disease in order to create the vaccine for Rubella. These cell-lines are infinitely self-replicating, requiring no "fresh" cells, ever again. No further aborted babies were used for this or any other vaccine, and babies are not currently aborted or sold for the purpose of creating vaccines. Additionally, during production the vaccine is purified of all traces of the cells in which it was grown, so there are no actual human cells in the MMR vaccine.
If you know me, you know I am adamantly and vocally pro-life. I think abortion is a horrendous evil perpetrated on the unborn, and their mothers. But I believe it is both unethical and terribly counter-productive to make an argument based on falsehood in an attempt to horrify a person into changing their position. The statement above is not a valid argument against either abortion or vaccination. One could make other perfectly valid statements in the debate against either, but this one doesn't work and shouldn't be used.
Such is the case with our political debate. We must make absolutely sure that any argument or protest we make, is made on the basis of fact and evidence and truth. We must be ready to present the evidence. (Side note: An "evidence" record consisting of an unending round-robin of opinion pieces does not count, even if the opinionators are eminently smart and eloquent people, even if they have letters after thier name) Anything else will backfire, and not just cause the other side of the debate to look on us as idiots, but cause people (like me) on our own side to question whether the hype and rhetoric has any basis in reality at all.
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Oct. 21, 2009 - Punkin-head
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Oct. 21, 2009 - Pets
Their names are "Noodle" and "Doodle".
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Oct. 21, 2009 - Piracy
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Oct. 21, 2009 -
Asrat says, "Look mom, I'm a giant eagle!"
Oct. 16, 2009 - Homeschool Stereotypes Still Persist
I imagine anyone who's been homeschooling longer than me has many stories about stereotypes they've run into. We've only just begun, in our family, and I'm starting to see how frustrating people can be when they insist on their false or downright ignorant ideas about what homeschooling means.
If I had any artistic talent, I'd put my thoughts into a cartoon. I have a great idea for one, but can't transfer it to paper, sadly.
The first panel would be a picture of a large and bustling city. Within this city would be several houses hermetically sealed off in "bubbles" and the bubbles would be connected to each other by similarly sealed walkways. Dour, hunched-over homeschoolers would scuttle between each other's houses, claiming to "socialize" without ever getting so much as a whiff of the "real world" outside. These poor kids would then be either trapped in the homeschool bubble for life, never getting further education but marrying within their inbred group and having a bunch of kids to homeschool, or get chucked out into the "real" world and be unable to cope and become dissipated drunkards and complete losers.
This is, amazingly, how some people still view homeschooling.
The second panel would be a lot harder to draw, because real homeschooling is so much more interesting. It would probably need to be comprised of multiple smaller panels, showing what real homeschoolers really do: participate in organized sports (with non-homeschoolers! imagine that!), attend church with non-homeschoolers, go to all manner of museums, zoos, and events (all rife with non-homeschoolers as well!), attend college courses (at a college!) during their junior and senior years of highschool, develop close friendships with non-homeschooling neighbors, participate in local choirs and orchestras, volunteer, get jobs, get internships, run their own business or help run a family business, pursue their passions, get scholarships, and go to college. These are all things that homeschoolers I know personally have done. All of these youngsters have been perfectly capable of relating to the "real world", in some cases even more capable than their peers in "real world" schools.
Another frequent criticism is that homeschoolers don't know how to deal with "diversity". Even ignoring all of the ways mentioned above that homeschoolers get "socialized", increasing numbers of minority families are joining the ranks of homeschoolers. Our family included. Ethnic diversity is not so much a function of whether one goes to institutional schools or homeschools, but where one lives. In Pittsburgh, we were surrounded by people of all colors no matter where we went. Where we live now, there simply is a huge majority of whites. My children wouldn't get any more diversity by going to local schools, because the population simply isn't that diverse. Diversity of lifestyle and income is the same way. Not all homeschoolers are lower-middle class. Not all of them do the denim-jumper thing. Every family has it's own style, even amongst homeschoolers.
I have only met one family in my entire life that fit the "profile" some people have of homeschoolers. They lived on a homestead, "unschooled" their children, and had done a very poor job of raising their children to be able to function in society. However, looking at the parents, it was pretty obvious that they would have failed equally if their kids were sent to school. Homeschooling didn't make them strange. They were already strange, and homeschooling happened to fit with their conspiracy theories and desired lifestyle. You can't tell me there aren't strange people who's children are in the public school system. There are, and I've met them too.
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