As a veteran homeschooler, I am repeatedly questioned about "socialization" where my children are concerned. Age and experience have caused me to be far more tactful than my initial gut response to a canned answer that is composed without a moment's thought on the part of the questioner. I saw a news clip (more on this later) that mentioned "socialization" in a less than admirable fashion, and decided it would be good article material. So, I turned to the easy to use, trusty google definition...

While I am a homeschooling parent, I defer a lot of respect to quality teachers. In fact, being a product of the public school system myself, I doubt I would have the ability or confidence to effectively educate my children. While teachers shouldn't have to live their lives in a bubble, there's a general consensus that they constitute role models. As well they should; the time they spend with their students during formative years is substantial, and their influence often colors the world ...

I'm a veteran parent of five year olds. With my third child celebrating her fifth birthday Saturday, I am inclined to think I know a thing or three about them. What I DO know is that the danger factor is limited. Recently, a lot of flap has centered around the arrest of a five year old. Her mother, of course, played the victim card ("they set my baby up"), and while that in itself was wrong, so were the actions of the school. A school is supposed to have a discipline policy in place. Fo...

I have a screenplay idea. It concerns a male junior high school teacher who seduces a 12 year old student. He is caught by the authorities and given a very light sentence, as the sex was consensual. The twelve year old has his baby in the meantime. While out on probation a few years later, the teacher and the student have another liaison. Another baby is conceived, and the teacher is sent to jail. A TV movie of the week sympathetically portrays the teacher and the student as being "in love" a...

For those who don't know, after years of slaving away for jobs with ZERO job security, I have been working quite diligently at being self employed. It seems to suit me, and, I'm not likely to "downsize" myself. The paper route has been the "meat" of our income. Collecting cans and various other scavenging (which will probably improve once we can afford to purchase a metal detector) have been the chief second source of income. I have been trying to get together the tools to do lawn service as ...

As many of you know, I access the internet from the public library. In MY day (feeling ancient), you were supposed to maintain a low conversational tone in the library. Silence was enforced by bun wearing librarians who could floor you with a look from 50 feet away. Not anymore. Now, I'll be sitting at the computer minding my own business and suddenly I'm regaled with details of Aunt Edna's kidney surgery that probably could have waited until the person found their way into the foyer, or, ...

My daddy wasn't even a gleam in my grandfather's eye when soldiers from "the Greatest Generation" stormed the beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944. Their sacrifice was one of the most prominent in a legacy of sacrifices made by them and their countrymen over our four year involvement in World War II. As they stormed the beach, they flooded it with so many soldiers that, as one German soldier later recollected, "you couldn't fire a shot on the beach without hitting one of them". They knew the r...

Recently, the news has been filled with stories of grade school children being arrested and handcuffed. While I think the remedies chosen are definitely excessive, there is a point here that we really ought to consider. Children need consistent and loving discipline from the minute they're old enough to consciously disobey. Although I personally think decisions on REASONABLE corporal punishment should be left to the parents, it doesn't need to be corporal to be successful. Children simply nee...

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http://www.humanforsale.com " title="How much am I worth?">I am worth $1,855,390.00 on HumanForSale.com Any takers?

First, the cookie monster's started eating healthy. Now, if our favorite imposter is to be believed, Ronald McDonald is undergoing a retooling of his own. From the JU blogsite (I don't think names need mentioning), there's a recent article describing McDonald's plans. What disturbed me was the following: Then there's Ronald's sense of humour. Mr. Light says it will resemble the comedy used in blockbuster movies Shrek and Finding Nemo, which resonates with children and adults. He would no...

When the topic of illegal immigration comes up, I get fired up. But not for the reasons people think. No, honestly, I believe that anyone should have a right to go to work to feed their family. While I don't like illegal immigration as a whole, I see it as a new form of civil disobedience. Whether I agree with it or not, these people are trying to make a better world for their families, a cause with which I cannot disagree. My problem with illegal immigration comes from the knowledge I ...

Well, I was doing some work on my sister site (linked on the sidebar), and I couldn't help but notice that I've already had my 600th visitor in less than 2 weeks' time (my average number of visitors a day at present is in the 65-80 range; not bad for a "new" site). It only works, though, if you spend time surfing other sites to get points (you get a visitor for every two sites you visit; you can also get "mystery credits"). For the newbie, though, I would recommend surfing for a couple days b...

The following is an old press release from the Libertarian Party website ( www.lp.org ). The message; however, is still relevant: How about 'spreading more freedom' in the USA? WASHINGTON, DC -- If President Bush really wants to "spread freedom around the world," as he said in his inaugural address, he should start by setting an example right here in the United States, Libertarians say. "Freedom, like charity, begins at home," said Joseph Seehusen, executive director of t...

The following is from a Yahoo! news article. Yet another (albeit humorous) example of how money spent to help other nations is used in ways other than intended (and WHY we might want to reconsider using our money this way): NEW DELHI - Only a quarter of condoms made in India are used for sex, most of the others are used to make saris, toys and bathroom slippers, a newspaper reported Saturday.   The condoms are valuable to manufacturers because of the lubricant on th...