Topic : 11/24 Great School Debate

The average weaning age for a bottle is 4.5?  Where do you get that from?

I agree with you on this. But greetings are not gender specific. And people talk more to fill the silence, break the ice.

I'm not against being civil, even if it's fake.

But I think that if someone wants to teach their son real respect towards women they will teach them that women are equal to men, despite the kind of society we live in.

While the show mentioned that the 5 yr old still took a bottle, while the mother was talking and preparing the 'bottle' the video shows her filling and handing the girl a sippy cup.

 

And to the other poster who was questioning weaning age -- the average weaning age WORLDWIDE (and the majority breastfeed) is 4.5, with the late end being 7 years old.  My son nursed until he was almost 4.  He had the need, I  met the need, and he is now a very independent kid.

 

A lot of babies are arbitrarily weaned from the breast by 6 mos to a year; most people wean from the bottle at a year.  But worldwide kids tend to nurse longer.  Our society finds that odd for some reason.

No, I don't have a crystal ball.  If my kids experiment with substances it won't be because they have a need to prove themselves, to be cool, or because they are needy.  And there are many people in our extended family who have managed to make it to adulthood without experimenting, myself included.

 

Respectful parenting works.  My oldest is 12 and is not needy.  In fact, she can only come up with 2 inexpensive things for her Christmas list this year (which is so not helpful to me, LOL).

 

As for how kids learn to deal with authority -- there are rules in society that they live by every day.  We stop at red lights.  There is a speed limit.  We pay for items in the store.  They deal with authority by watching us (their parents) navigate through the world, because they are with us out in the real world (this is true even with kids in school -- they are watching how their parents deal with life, sometimes far more intently than we would like, LOL).  And kids have a lot figured out before they head out into the working world.  And as I've mentioned before, my daughter has already had a job with a grumpy boss.  She mucked stalls and fed horses for extra riding time.  And while some of the other girls were goofing off, my daughter was the one hauling the 40lb water buckets (that was math, too, as they were 5 gallon pails...).

 

My son wants to do it all, all by himself, too.  So he does, with supervision.  His current thing is lighting candles.  So he's learning how to strike the match so he doesn't get burned, how to hold the candle while lighting it (is it a taper, a votive in a jar, or a large scented in glass?), where to put the matches after he blows them out, where a candle should be placed to minimize tipping it over, keeping the pets out, distance from the curtains, etc.  I help him explore these things safely, and because his curiosity is satisfied, he's not lighting matches while I'm out walking the dogs or getting the mail.

 

My children being whole souls is far more important to me than imposing my control over them.

 I just posted a big long defense of home school and included how well my kids are doing educationally (while keeping my toddler from destroying the house).  I went back to edit and spell check but got side tracked and just hit "send". The result - I am a grammatical/spelling nightmare.  I love when my argument is undermined by my example!    Hopefully anyone who would read my argument would extend grace to a para-menopausal woman with a toddler!  Thank God for "spell check" etc.. which my kids all know how to take advantage of.  Perhaps I could just say that is the best I could do cause I was educated in a public school.  That is not my bias, it's just a joke.  I know there is no "magic" formula and there is silver and dross everywhere.  As for the educational science Dr. Phil talked of however, I can't help but smile just a little.  I come from a family of teachers and 2 of my relatives worked for the NEA state affiliate (State ommitted to protect my family).  They will be the first to tell you this is not an exact science.  We're all doing our best to take care of our kids and our families and as long as it is not illegal or immoral it can be celebrated as far as I am concerned.  But what do I know? I kant spell or punktooate.

http://www.lalecheleague.org/ba/Feb01.html   http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html   One link from La Leche League, and the second is referenced in the first.

I think it is rather interesting how many school goers seem to think we force our children into homeschooling or that if they were given the option that they would choose to go to school.

 

And we all know that we don't ask our children if they want to go to school and I have never talked to an adult or child who has honestly told me that they enjoyed school ,so I don't think going to school is the magic little pill for "unskilled" homeschoolers.

 

School is school wether you learn it in a class room or a field or your own home.

 

Going to a school or homeschooling wont change a thing unless your child has certain learning problems that can only be met by either going to school or being taught at home.

 

Homeschooling and going to school is the same thing only done in different measures.

Some better for a child and some not but it shouldn't matter which way you do it, just as long as it benefits the child and is something the whole family is willing to go all out for.

 

 

Hi, I am new to this topic, and these forums.

I've been reading and getting caught up in the discussion.

I personally homeschool two of my four children. I do not advocate that everyone should homeschool. I have close friends who homeschool, and close friends who send their kids to public school. I see both as viable choices. My friends with kids in PS are active in their schools, active in their kids lives. They keep up a relationship with their teachers. I also have several close friends who are themselves PS teachers. They have been fully supportive of my choice, and we maintain close friendships.

 

I guess I am just disturbed by  the show, it's obvious bias, lack of a well rounded viewpoint on homeschooling. Most homeschoolers are not unschoolers. Most have a schedule/ routine of some kind. Most have structured curriculum (there's a lot out there to choose from)

And there are many, many avenues available for activities and social outlets.

I have four children, and I am currently homeschooling my oldest 2. (2nd grade and kind.) I went to public school. Although my experiences were not horrible, they were not great, either. And I was raised in a very good area with very reputable schools. What really sticks out to me is all that wonderful "socialization"... I think that sticks out in my mind far more than anything useful that I learned. That makes me sad.

Why do I homeschool my own children? Is it because of my bad experiences? Although that comes into play, my number 1 reason is my husband. He was homeschooled. When I met him, I knew he was diferent.. He is truly a wonderful man. Kind, caring, compassionate. We met when I went off to college, through a Bible study. He had already graduated. The rest is history. I never knew anyone like him. He graduated and started college at 16.  He's been a huge support for his mother and younger siblings. And now, he's a wonderful father and husband. I can honestly say I love him more now than the day I met him 10 years ago.

Before I met him, I did not realize men could be so honest, kind, caring, intelligent, and full of integrity.

There are other reasons we have chosen to homeschool as well. Look around people. Homeschoolers are succeeding!! The majority of homeschooled kids are turning out to be well- grounded, well rounded, intelligent, capable individuals. Do you think so many would consider this option if we were seeing a swarming group of homeschooled failures?

I also cannot bear the idea of sending my children away, spending most of their time with other people, who may or may not share our personal values and convictions. Especially in the young formative years. And if I feel a desire to teach my children, why shouldn't I? I want to, I have the legal and moral rights to do so. I do not mean that everyone should, or that if you send your kids to school you are evil. But it is my choice. I am following the law in my state. I have chosen curriculum, and I keep records of what we do each day, grades, etc. If I was worried with their progress at any time, I would seek help.

Just thought I'd share. I have to go get ready for a dinner tonight.

 

 

I didnt' say bottle... and it may be inaccurate, it was the number thrown around LLL meetings and such 10+ years ago.  I did a search and found some research that indicates natural human weaning should occur sometime between 2.5 and 7 years. 

 

http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBMayJun95p86.html

 

 

oh please, this is so not an "extremely important world history fact."  This is by no means an indication of a person's ability to home educate. There is no one who knows all history.