OK... I have been doing this for a year or two now and I am still waiting to be "friends" with people.

I am interested in homeschool advocacy, politics, and a casual, more eclectic method of homeschooling.  I would really like to find friends who are interested in the same things and who blog about these kinds of topics so that I can read your blogs, too.  : ) 

As for how I spend my personal time, of course most of that is spent taking care of my home, my husband and my children.  I use my "free time" to write books, occasionally I write magazine articles, and sometimes I blog.  I tend not to waste time and if I still have some leftover time, I really enjoy passing ball with my children or doing anything else that takes us outside.  

If you are interested in linking as friends, please let me know.  I would love to find some blogging friends on here!

Thanks,
Sonya

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Yesterday as I was driving the children to church, they were talking about how popular Legos are.  We were discussing how long they've been around and how there have been other companies who have tried to imitate Legos throughout the years (Tyco, Mega Blocks, etc.), but we don't like those as well as true Legos.

Christopher said if he could, he would build a machine that would copy the best Lego sets and their instructions so that he could have as many as he wanted, but Micah said that would be copyright infringement.  (We have talked a lot about this since we live in an age where it is very easy to steal someone else's ideas.  We want the children to know that copyright infringement, plagiarizing, and other forms of illegal copying are bad .  Too many people think it's ok to copy other people's ideas, but it isn't.) 

After a discussion about the differences between a copyright and a patent, we talked about how the most successful, long-lasting toys throughout the years have been building-type toys.  The things that come and go are the fast-paced toys that kids get bored with after a few weeks.  They also seem to break more easily and end up increasing our land fills by millions of pounds each year, I'm sure.  On the other hand, Blocks, Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Legos and other building toys have held their interest for generations.  I encouraged the children to think of some type of building toy that they could create and market one day.

They were very thoughtful for a bit and finally Daniel said, "We could make a doll."  I was immediately thinking... "Oh, great.  I can't wait to see where this goes.  How are they going to make a doll into a building toy?"

All at once, everyone was talking...

- "Yeah, and it could have removable parts - arms, legs, hair, and everything."
- "And we could change it's head to different faces!"
- "And it could have different clothes, too."

After a few minutes, Christopher (the future doctor) said, "And we could even make little organs to go inside its body.  We could have a liver, kidneys, a stomach, a heart, and other body parts and then we could take those out of the abdomen and study them.  Then it would be a toy that would count as schoolwork, too!"

I just KNEW it would come to this...

So then Micah (the future scientist) said, "Yeah, and we could make the whole thing out of ballistics gel and then people could shoot the doll and study what happens to all the organs after you shoot it!"

Of course Hannah (the future Mommy who now loves dolls at age six) was going crazy at this point... "NO!  You can't make a doll that you'll shoot.  And I don't think you should take its organs out to study them, either!..."

Now I assure you that my children are not sociopaths.  They are just very creative children with active imaginations.  And I did ask them to think of a toy so I guess it was my own fault, after all.  Fortunately, it's not a long drive to our church and we arrived just in time to end the conversation so that the children could go in and converse about something other than ballistics gel dolls, I'm sure.

Sonya Haskins

www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

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Hannah and I were cuddling this evening and she said, "Mommy, wouldn't it be wonderful if children could pick out which parents they wanted and then adopt them?"

"Hmmmm.  Would you pick me," I asked.

"I would pick you," she giggled, "and then tickle you under the chin and say, 'You're the sweetest Mommy in the world!'"

Even though we're supposed to show our children love like the Father shows us, I think it's the other way around.  When I look at my children, I see how much the Father loves us. 

Sonya

www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

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We were driving along the other day and the children started talking about Obama. 

"Did you know that Obama supports health care that could deny coverage to old people so that they'd have to die?"

"Did you know that Obama says the economy is getting better, but it really isn't.  Do you think it is, Mommy?  We don't even have enough money for gas!"

"Obama says he's going to fix the world, but so far he hasn't done anything and everyone still treats him like a king."

"Did you know that Obama won the Nobel Peace Price even though he hasn't brought any peace?"

"Obama is going to make our country communist with all his beliefs."

I just sat there and listened to them talk, all the while thinking, "Where do you get all this stuff?!?"  After all, I don't like Obama, but I certainly don't sit around talking about these things in front of the children.  Micah replied with no hesitation, "the news." 

The news?!?  We don't have cable television, we don't subscribe to any newspapers and I wasn't aware that he was reading the news online.  I guess we'll have to start blocking news sites in addition to the "bad" sites we have blocked with our parental blockers on the Internet.

Then he added, "And did you know that when Obama is giving speeches, he talks mostly about himself."

"Yeah," Christopher quickly put in, "He talks about what HE does, what HE already did, or what HE is going to do every few seconds.  He talks about himself a lot more than he does anything else."

"And he is always pointed to himself when he is talking about good things," Micah said.  "If you watch him give speeches, he points toward himself if he is talking about something good and positive, but if he is talking about something bad, he points out to the people.  The masses.  His followers."

"Yes, his evil minions," Christopher said.

Ha!  I was cracking up.  Evil minions.

I'm not sure where they got ALL the information and I guarantee you that I have NEVER taught the children the word "minions."  It has never been on any of our spelling or vocabulary lists, but you gotta give them credit for thinking for themselves - and being willing to speak their minds.  If homeschooling has accomplished one thing, these children certainly aren't going to be "sheep."

Sonya Haskins

www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

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The children learned today that if you pull your skin up and you're dehydrated, your skin will slowly go back into place (slower depending on how dehydrated you are).  Their skin popped back into place just like it should have and when I did it, mine sloooowly went back down.  Micah said, "EEWWW!  That's disgusting.  Look how dehydrated you are!"  You just gotta love kids.  : )

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Chris Klicka, homeschool dad of seven who works for HSLDA and has battled MS (Multiple Sclerosis) for fifteen years, has taken a turn for the worse and may be going home to heaven soon. His family has asked for prayers as they spend time with him during his last days and hours before he goes to be with our Heavenly Father.

If you'd like to stay updated and also read their most recent prayer requests, you should visit their Caring Bridge journal page. You can access that here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/chrisklicka

Since it is so difficult to update everyone who is concerned about others during times of critical illness, recovery or treatment, the Caring Bridge website is an excellent resource and means of keeping in contact. I would highly recommend that other families consider it when you're experiencing medical crises.

Our prayers go out to the Klicka family,
Sonya

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I had mentioned a few weeks ago that in our homeschool right now, we're studying WWII and along with that - propaganda, German (the language), and other related subjects. There is certainly no shortage of examples of propaganda for us to study ...right now, including the story about the teacher training elementary age students to sing praises to Obama. You can see that here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/24/elementary-school-students-reportedly-taught-songs-praising-president-obama/

Now before anyone starts getting all worked up about how we should praise the president and honor him, etc., well I AGREE with the fact that we should RESPECT the office of the president and the actual person, but that does NOT mean we should "praise" him, nor does it mean that children should be trained to blindly accept the person without questioning their policies, morals, character, etc.

Back to the topic of propaganda, there was also this really neat article that talked about all sorts of propaganda and how numerous leaders have used specifically targeted children over the years. All of the propaganda isn't necessarily "bad," but it IS very interesting and certainly applicable today to be aware of what propaganda is, how it is used, and what it can accomplish (for good or evil). All the examples they shared are targeted toward children so it's pretty neat. I'm planning to show the kids tomorrow. If you are interested in doing the same, another thing you can discuss is how commercials are a type of "propaganda" and how they don't exactly tell you the whole truth, but they sure do make their products sound terrific! Kids can understand that. : )

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The man Obama has appointed to be our "safe schools czar" has a history of drug abuse, openly expresses contempt for religion, and co-founded the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Network. 

I'm not sure how or if this will have any affect on homeschooling, but in general when someone is trying to push a "gay agenda," expresses contempt for religion and make sure that students are exposed to ALL worldviews, this means trouble for homeschoolers.  Some of you may remember the post I made recently about the mom who was forced to send her elementary age daughter to public school after the court determined that she was too religious and needed to be exposed to "other worldviews."  I wonder if this is where we're headed when you take into consideration the appointment of Mr. Jennings and other things that are happening in the courts right now in regards to educational freedoms.

If you want to read more about the "Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools," I would recommend any of these articles:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/23/critics-assail-obamas-safe-schools-czar-say-hes-wrong-man-job/?test=latestnews

http://www.cnsnews.com/Public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=49741

http://www.christianpost.com/blogs/opinion/2009/06/safe-schools-czar-22/index.html

There are many other articles available online that discuss Jennings' specific beliefs, but honestly they're just so inappropriate that I wouldn't even post the links here.  The things this man has been involved with just made me sick to my stomach.

Sonya Haskins

www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

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Last year in Arizona, a family turned in some rolls of film to be developed
after they returned from vacation. While they were innocently waiting for the
film to be developed, a Wal-Mart worker called the police and child protective
services to look at the photographs. To make a long story short, the CPS worker
decided that the photographs were provocative and since the children were nude
in some of the pictures (outside the bathtub), the children were removed from
the home - for a MONTH - while the investigation took place. Eventually, a
judge ruled that the photos were completely innocent in nature. Investigators
found other photos and videotape of the children running around the home naked
or in their underwear. There was NO indication whatsoever that these
photographs were used for anything other than the enjoyment of the family. The
children showed no signs of being abused or that they had ever been exposed to
any sort of pornography or that the parents exhibited this type of behavior - at
all.

Despite all this, this family lost their children because of an overzealous
Wal-Mart worker and a CPS worker who apparently never took nude photos of her
own child. As I heard this story on the news today and then read it again
online, I thought of all the photos in our own albums that show our newborns in
their birthday suits or the children together in the bathtub playing when they
were little. We tried to avoid anything that showed their genitals, but since
the photos were taken in complete innocence, I can certainly relate to a family
who takes photos of their young children without clothing on every part of their
bodies.

I just thought others might appreciate this gentle reminder to be careful about
the photos you take of your children. I certainly wouldn't post anything
questionable online, but considering the current atmosphere toward parents, I
would even be hesitant about taking these sorts of photographs and then having
them developed at a place like Wal-Mart. You just never know when someone is
going to take something like that the wrong way. It's sad.

If you want to read the full article, it's here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/parents-sue-wal-mart-children-bath-time-photos\
/story?id=8622696

Sonya Haskins

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There have been studies over the past few decades indicating that spanking is bad for kids...  Part of the problem with these studies, however, is that they tend to categorize "spanking" as anything from a hand to a stick to a blow with a broom - not what most of us would consider appropriate spanking for a specific offense involving something like direct disobedience and then an appropriate, one or two swat spanking with something like a paddle or wooden spoon.

A couple of other things about this new report bother me specifically, including the fact that they point out:

"Spanking is most commonly used among parents who were spanked themselves, who live in the South, and/or who identify themselves as conservative Christians. These parents also tend to believe in the effectiveness of spanking or believe the child is at fault in a given situation, the study said."

Hmmm... I would say that I would HOPE the child is at fault before they are punished.  I would also not use a method of discipline that I didn't think was working.  However, since people who live in the south and who identity themselves as Conservative Christians are being specifically singled out as parents who spank, it raises red flags about the possibility of future prejudice against this group from social workers, etc.

Another thing in the study that raises red flags is a recommendation that "all parents can benefit from training classes."  Since the new administration wants to have government-subsidized nurses in the home from the moment a child is born (read more here ), I think this new study will give them even more fuel to push a program that would place government workers in private homes with new parents - whether they want them there or not.  Based on the previous comments about southern Christian parents, this might be pushed even harder in our region and especially among "Christian" parents who believe in spanking.

If you're interested in reading the whole article for yourself, you can find it here:  http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/16/spanking.children.parenting/index.html

If you do use spanking as a method of discipline, I would recommend a few common sense practices...

- NEVER spank your child in public.  If your child is acting out in public, take them to a bathroom or (even better) excuse yourself from the situation, leave the restaurant or store or whatever, and administer whatever discipline is most appropriate for that situation.  Even if you're not spanking the child, it's best to administer discipline without others watching.

- Even if you believe it's your right to spank, do not advertise to others the fact that you spank your child.

- Use spanking sparingly.  Try to make consequences fit the "crime" so to speak and when possible, avoid spanking altogether.  We reserve spanking for direct situations of direct defiance.  Fortunately, we haven't had many of those situations and we rarely have to use spanking. 

- When you do spank, make sure you're calm and that the child knows what is happening.  I'd suggest discussing the transgression with the child, THEN have the child bend over a bed or whatever and then giving one or two firm swats on the buttocks.  For young children, you might also swat the palm of the hand.  

I'd also recommend that you discuss your discipline measures with your child(ren).  Make sure your child knows what to expect.  Obviously it is detrimental for children to be HIT, but I also think the recommendation (in the report) of verbal rather than physical punishment could be just as detrimental.  (The study showed that "verbal punishment" didn't have detrimental effects like spanking.  Hmmm.) 

So much of the child's reaction is going to depend on how parents approach it.  If children know what is expected of them (moral standards) and they know what to expect when they do not adhere to these standards (spanking, time out, whatever), and then punishment is administered from a loving parent, it's likely that the child will actually receive "discipline," which means to train or correct a child. 

While some readers may not use spanking as their method of discipline and that's fine, but I thought those of you who do occasionally spank your children might want to be aware of this new study.  I'd recommend caution when the subject comes up among others in the general public because there have been cases where homeschool parents were taken to court on this issue alone.

Sonya

www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

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