[Do I dare?]

And after you read the book, your dc will sit in the bathtub and play the harmonicas. At least you can shut the door then...

[S/O appreciating education--Helping HSed kids appreciate being HSed?]

My dc had friends in the ps and private schools, so they heard their friends complain about school all the way through elementary, middle and high school.

 

Their friends liked that they could come to our house and do science experiments because they never had time to do any science experiments in school, except for the science fair project that everyone had to do. My dc's friends were jealous that we did lots of field trips when the schools only did one or two each year. They told my dc that their teachers were mean (I'm sure this is a kid perspective), and that they couldn't go to the bathroom when they needed to, and that sometimes they were afraid to go to the bathroom because the 'big kids' hung out there and bullied the younger kids. They told my dc that school was boring, and that they had to sit around a lot, waiting for things. They told my dc that they got in trouble when they talked in class, and on and on. My dc's friends told my dc that they were lucky to get to be hsed, and that they wished their mothers would hs them.

 

My dc realized when they were in elementary school that they liked being hsed because of what their friends told them about school. As they got older, they realized that hsing was an advantage because they were able to do things that they knew they would not be able to do (or do as often as they liked) if they were in an institutional school situation.

[s/o High school seniors - lying to American students]

What is also sad is that sometimes students are short-changed academically while the school maintains it is helping them.

 

My college dd has a roommate who has struggled with math and was taking essentially Algebra 1. She didn't understand how to work the problems, and was worried that she would fail the course. Dd had been helping her with homework, explaining the math concepts, how to work the problems and why, etc. Her roommate told her that no one had ever explained math to her before.

 

While watching her roommate struggle, dd tried to figure out what skills her roommate was lacking, then taught those basic skills. She identified that her roommate did not know how to divide. Her roommate could only divide up to the multiplication tables she had memorized (through the tens). Dividing any number larger than 100 sent her into a confused panic because she had no idea how to divide. No one had ever taught her long division. Dd taught her how to do long division, then was able to teach her roommate about factoring.

 

It turns out that her roommate had been pulled out of class during elementary school for help with reading - but every day she was pulled out of math! So she was never taught math because she was not in class when the teacher taught math. She was forever in a state of needing to catch up to the rest of the class because the teachers never had time to teach her individually. So she was years behind in math, all because the school decided to help her with reading. Dd was shocked that a school would not have better sense. Having this done throughout elementary school set this girl up to not learn basic math skills.

[Question: Recovery from a mild concussion]

I had not heard about not doing a lot of thinking after a concussion until a couple years ago when my dc's friend got a concussion. She was told she could only go to school for 2 hours per day, and could not do homework until the doctor cleared her (after a couple more xrays), her headaches went away, and she no longer had any dizzy spells. It was over a month before she could go to school for a full day, but she still was not allowed to play any sports for longer.

 

But that was the first time I heard about not thinking, which was the reason for only two hours of school a day, and no homework. The doctor didn't want her thinking deeply or focusing on learning because he wanted her brain to heal.

[AP class-Do I address this with the instructor?]

I agree that you can work with him on editing skills, and have him revise this paper until it meets your standards and his best work.

 

Does your ds know how to edit his work? Does he have a list of things to look for? Some students do better editing if they have a list of things to look for, such as:

 

words capitalized properly

sentences punctuated properly

correct grammar

correct spelling

introductory paragraph

topic or thesis sentence

supporting paragraphs with details

closing paragraph

title

proper formatting

works cited properly (give him websites to help him do this)

 

Some of these topics can be more detailed if your ds struggles in one particular area.

 

Giving him a check list to use, where he is reading his paper and looking for specific details may help him to find the errors.

 

Along with this, you may need to help him identify the errors if he can't find them. Instead of marking the errors my dc made in their writing, I would attach a sticky note, by paragraph, something like, Paragraph 1: 2 spelling errors, 1 capitalization error, 2 punctuation errors, no closing sentence. This meant my dc knew where to look and what to look for. After a while, it became more second nature to them. They also had a list available to use while they were writing and editing so they knew exactly what to look for.

 

Just an idea. College professors may not be as generous, as you pointed out. This is a skill that needs to be learned.

[ever feel like your own public school education was lacking?]

Overall, I think I learned more by hsing than I learned in school, especially in history, science and literature. I was taught to write, though. I entered college with strong writing skills, something I think was unique when compared to other students. I was taught to write a 5 paragraph essay in 6th grade, then required to write regular essays, reports and research projects multiple times a year after that. I am grateful for the two teachers who taught me to write (others didn't teach writing, but expected it to be done). But for other subjects, even though I had an excellent history teacher for two years, I learn more by hsing.

[Kids given placebos in attempt to raise test scores]

It doesn't make me confident in the school system if it thinks it must trick students into doing well on the standardized test.

 

Whatever happened to teaching skills? If the students have the skills, they don't need to be tricked.

[Recipe with flavor like Hawaiian Pizza?]

Hawaiian burgers are good.

 

Grill chicken breast with teriyaki sauce. Also grill a pineapple slice. Put the chicken breast on a bun with a slice of ham, the pineapple, and a bit of extra teriyaki sauce. Yummy! This also works well with hamburger instead of chicken breast. Now I want one.

[Sonlight has rolled out some of the changes....]

I have been drooling over TOG for a couple years now, maybe it is time for me to give up my love of SL titles and switch to TOG for next year. Hmm but then were to start?

 

You may find that you don't need to give up the SL titles. TOG uses many of the same titles, and TOG has many options of titles you can use. You don't just get one book, you get a topic and can use one of the suggested books, or pick your own.

 

I used SL for several years, but got to the point where I couldn't combine my dc anymore. I switched to TOG, and it was wonderful because I was still using the books I liked from SL, just in a more integrated and in depth way. TOG had already done the work I had to do with SL to make it work for my family.

[Vision issue with ds10]

Please consider taking your son to an ophthalmologist for another exam. Bring any info from the optometrist. I think this diagnosis warrants an exam from another doctor, perhaps one with experience with this situation.

[My athlete is failing gym.]

I think Astrid should step in and do her level best to argue that the rule is so absurdly unfair, it is of benefit to noone. Then, if the grade is made to stand, at least her dd will know that her mother fought for her.

 

I agree. There are times to let kids fight their own battles or learn from experiencing the consequences of their actions, but it is quite different to allow your dc to suffer due to unfair or unrealistic policies without trying to remedy the situation. If you try, but the teacher and principal refuse to change the policy or give a way for your dd to make up the grade, then at least you tried. Your dd will know that you love her enough to attempt to right an unfair grading policy. Your dd will then need to strategize how to deal with the D or F in her course. But it is right to speak to the teacher and/or principal about the situation first instead of just accepting it. Your dd did forget her shoes. She admits that and it is fair for there to be some type of loss of points, or half a grade deduction, as some of the other posters said is common in their schools. You are not asking for the entire situation to be ignored, just for a more fair policy than forgetting shoes once and receiving a D in a semester course.

 

If a student will receive a D for forgetting shoes once, then there is no reason to bother for the rest of the semester. May as well fail the course and retake it, and get an A the second time by not forgetting shoes. I wonder if the teacher and principal realize that this policy could encourage students to simply not dress/participate for the rest of the semester. Why bother if there is no way to pass the class anyway?

 

I do feel strongly about situations like this because of my own experience when I was in high school. I was in AP U.S. History class, and got chicken pox. I had to stay out of school for two weeks because the school would not allow me back until all the scabs had fallen off and healed. The school policy said I could not attend school until the school nurse cleared me to return. My AP History teacher gave me an F for every day I was not in class. He refused to send my assignments (via a friend), but all my other teachers sent me my work. He refused to give me the assignments when I did return to school. So because I had two weeks of daily Fs in class and Fs on all assignments and quizzes during those two weeks that the school would not allow me on campus, I got a D in the class. I had As on most tests and assignments, and had an A in the class up to the time I got chicken pox.

 

I spoke to my teacher about the D twice. I tried to speak to the principal, but he refused to see me and said that the teacher has total control over running his class. The teacher said that he wanted to give me an F in the class, but he didn't think he would get away with that, so he settled on a D. He grinned while he told me this. It was totally unjust, and my mother was furious at me for getting a D in the class. I explained that he failed me for the two weeks I was sick and he refused to let me make up the work,and that I should have received an A based on my test and assignment grades. I was very upset because it was unfair. It was not my fault. I wanted to make up the assignments, and I would have done them like I did all my other classwork, handing it all in and taking tests I had missed the first day I returned, but this one teacher refused to let me have the assignments during the time I was ill, and also after I returned to school. So I got a D in the AP History class because the teacher failed me each day I was not in school because the school refused to let me come to school.

 

My mother did not stand up for me or help me. She just accepted what the teacher did without question. I asked her to please help me by talking to my teacher and principal since I was not able to resolve the situation. She didn't help. I needed her to be my advocate. I realized then that I could not trust her to help me. She did not support me the one time I most needed her support.

 

Anyway, I ended up completing two extra credit research papers (about 25 pages each) and some other assignments trying to raise my grade, and ended up with a B in the class at the end of the year. It was a lot of wasted time that would have been better spent in other areas.

 

Please, help your daughter by making an effort to discuss the policy with the teacher and principal, mentioning how punitive it is for a one-time offense. You are not trying to excuse your dd, just get a more reasonable policy. If you try and fail, at least your dd will know that you support her and that she can trust you in the future.

[E-Readers]

We have Nooks here, and are happy with them. One dd is starting to study for the GRE, and she has a study book (pdf) on her Nook so she can easily carry it around with her. All you do is drag and drop the pdf from your computer onto the Nook. It is easy. I have pdf copies of a magazine on mine.

 

Just like the Nook has different ereaders (Nook Color, Nook Tablet and Nook Simple Touch), the Kindle has different ereaders. Each has some different abilities, so it depends on what you want to do. You pay more for an ereader that is color than for a black and white ereader. If you just want to read books, then the black and white Nook Simple Touch is excellent, and other people like the basic Kindle. If you want to read magazines or watch movies, then you need the Nook or Kindle that is color. You just need to decide how you want to use it, then look at the specific features Kindle and Nook offer that meet those needs.

[So, was I mean or unreasonable?]

I think you are justified in expecting her to follow the stated policies. She is aware of the policies, she knew the deadline for paying dues, and she did not respond to any of the emails. She has a history of making a commitment, then not showing up and not informing anyone of her intent to skip the event. Then she lets you know that she expects an extension without asking for one, and you have no idea if she will actually show up to the event and pay the dues at the later date. This is not acceptable behavior, and it is inconsiderate.

 

Unfortunately, this is the type of behavior that often results in more and more policies in an attempt to keep this type of person in line. Her behavior makes it difficult for those who run the group and for those who schedule events.

 

There is nothing wrong with expecting people to follow policies unless there are extenuating circumstances, and people have discussed those with you prior to the deadline. At that point, you have the opportunity to extend the deadline. We want to give grace and be considerate. IME, people who have special circumstances tend to be the ones who don't assume they will be given a pass, and they initiate contact. It is okay to take special circumstances into consideration, but most the time, people will follow the policy. Since there is a stated policy, there needs to be a consequence for those who choose not to follow it.

 

I have been in the position you are in for many, many years, and have dealt with people like her. Fortunately, most people follow the policies and meet deadlines. They make all the work planning, organizing and keeping records worth it.

 

There is a reason for the deadline, and I would expect her to pay by the deadline. If she does not pay, then I would send her an email stating that her payment is late and according to the policy, she had to be dropped from the group and her spot in the scheduled activity has been given to another member family (if that is the case). Let her know the steps to take to rejoin, and the requirements she needs to meet to continue being a member. Perhaps her schedule is such that, while she wants to be part of the group, now is not the right time. Perhaps this situation will open her eyes to what needs to be her priorities. It will let her know that the group operates under reasonable policies.

 

Since there is a policy, and others have met the deadline and followed the policy, it is unfair to all the other members for you to allow her to continue to disregard those policies. It is not being mean.

[private isp vs. personal affidavit-Ca homeschooling options]

Do whichever works best for you. Filing the affidavit is easy, but some people want more anonymity, so they choose the PSP route (private school, usually without a physical campus, all home educated students). The affidavit does contain your name and address, but not the names or birth dates of your dc. Enrolling in a PSP eliminates your name going on any form because the PSP files the affidavit and your name and address and your dc's names won't be on that. The PSP will keep records with all your information, but it is not sent to the state or county. Both are legal options that don't raise red flags. We have done both.

 

Have you considered other things you may need or want? Most PSPs have some requirements you must meet. Most allow you to use whatever curriculum you choose, but some may require attendance at regular meetings, or monthly paperwork to be turned in, or require a report card, and other reports. A PSP keeps all your records for you. If you want accountability, a PSP can provide that. If you prefer to do it yourself and keep your own records, and not have any additional requirements (beyond what the state requires), then you may want to file an affidavit. PSPs often offer classes, field trips, and support. Is that something you are looking for? Those may not be things you need, but if you do, then a PSP may be worth checking into. There are many PSPs, so you can find one that fits your family's needs and desires.

 

Really, both the PSP and affidavit are good options. It all depends on what you want to do.

[How should I handle this lice situation?]

I agree that the coach should be discussing it with the family, not you. It is an issue that could affect the entire team. You could contact the coach, who may not even know about the lice problem, and let him know about it, how long it has been going on, and that the girl involved is not even allowed to go to school until she is lice-free. Then ask what the policy is with hockey, since she has been coming regularly when she is not allowed in school. Let the coach handle it from there.

 

But I would be telling my dd to stay out of contact, and keep her things away from, this girl until she is lice free. Be sure your dd knows how lice are transferred so she knows her gear needs to be separated as well. I consider it inconsiderate of the family to knowingly expose the team to lice this way.

[HS beginning to end and college entrance]

I feel so conflicted about what to do in 7th and 8th grades as far as foreign language and math requirements. A lot of children in my area take these classes in middle school for high school credit, so that's what I've been feeling I need to do.

 

It is very important to understand that what high schools count as meeting graduation requirements is not necessarily the same as what universities count as meeting their entrance requirements.

 

Many universities don't accept, as meeting their entrance requirements, high school level work that has been completed prior to 8th grade. Some don't accept any courses completed before high school. The high school may count the course as meeting their high school graduation requirements, but a university may not count it. Many colleges only count the coursework completed during grades 10 - 12, or grades 9 - 12, as meeting their entrance requirements.

 

So what is the benefit of taking a high school level course while in 7th or 8th grade?

 

There can be a good reason to take a high school course while in middle school. If a student plans to take a lot of courses in a subject area while in high school, then beginning that coursework while in middle school can be beneficial. Completing Algebra in 7th grade and Geometry while in 8th grade means there is room in the high school schedule for Algebra 2, Trig, Calculus, and Calculus 2 or College Algebra, or Statistics. Waiting to take Algebra until 9th grade means the student will only be able to complete Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2 and perhaps Trig. This course of study would be perfectly fine for many students who are not STEM majors, but a STEM major would benefit from taking more math, which can mean starting the courses while in middle school. This holds true for science courses as well.

 

The downside to taking core courses while in 7th or 8th grade is that the student is forced into taking more intensive courses in that subject while in high school, like it or not. When a university only looks at courses taken while in grades 9-12 or 10 - 12 as meeting entrance prerequisites, it won't care that your dc took Algebra in 7th grade and Geometry in 8th grade and Algebra 2 in 9th grade, even if the college only requires 3 math courses for entrance. The college will look to see if your dc took the required number of math courses while in grades 9-12. The high school will see that your dc competed Algebra, Geometry and Algebra 2, meeting high school graduation requirements. The college only see one math course, Algebra 2, counting towards college entrance requirements. If the college requires 3 years of high school math, then your dc has not meet those entrance requirements. Does that make sense? My dc would have hated taking Algebra and Geometry in middle school, then being forced to take 4 more math courses because of it. So starting high school courses during middle school can backfire if the child doesn't continue taking courses in that subject all the way through high school.

 

Of course, if your dc won't be going to college, then what I am saying doesn't matter as much. Go ahead and meet the high school graduation requirements early and have more room in your child's schedule for interest area courses or jobs while in high school.

 

There are other options that you may want to consider. Instead of taking high school courses during middle school, your dc can take community college courses while in high school and may actually benefit more by it. My dd took a lot of cc courses while in high school and all their cc courses transferred to universities, both public and private. For example, my dd took foreign language at the cc during high school. She took two semester courses one year, and it counted as two high school credits, as well as transferred to the university, meeting college graduation requirements as well. She could have done this in two years as a high school course, not getting college credit for it, but instead completed it all in one year and received college credit as well. That was a better use of her time and effort. She completed 4 courses at the cc in that same language. My dc don't enjoy math. They did take Algebra in 8th grade because that is what our state standards are, and they were ready for the course. But colleges wouldn't count that as meeting entrance requirements. So my dc ended up taking a couple math courses at the community college instead of taking high school content math. This was best for them. They took one semester cc math course that awarded them one full year of high school math credit. They completed two math courses that year, giving them two years of high school math credit in only one year. Plus, it counted as college credit as well. This was a better use of their time and effort because they finished math requirements sooner (a big relief to them) and received more benefit for their effort, and met college entrance requirements as well.

 

If you have a student who wants to take more math in high school, but doesn't want to start during middle school, this could be an option. Algebra in 9th grade, Geometry in 10th grade, Trig at the cc in 11th grade, Pre-Calc or Calculus in 11th grade at the cc, and two more upper level math courses at the cc during 12th grade. This allows your dc to complete 6 credits in math during grades 9-12. If at any time your dc decide that 3 or 4 math courses are enough, they have the option to stop. It is important to note that some universities won't accept cc credits in courses in the student's major, but most will. It is important to check out how each university your dc may want to attend handle transfer credits. But even if the university won't transfer all the credits, your dc still receive the high school credits and know the material, making the courses at the university a repeat and an easy grade to earn. This can work with many subjects.

 

There are also AP courses and tests, which can yield college credit or exemption from lower division college courses, depending on the test score your dc earns and the university's policy, which varies by university.

 

The bottom line is that your dc don't have to start high school courses while in middle school in order to be successful or admitted to college!

 

Pressure is strong! It is easy to fall into thinking that you must do what others are doing, but instead, do what is best for your own dc. For some dc, starting high school level content while in 7th or 8th grade is what is best. For some dc, that would destroy their enjoyment of high school years and possibly hurt their chances of going to college. No matter what your local high school does, you need to determine the best course of action for each of your dc.

[I just received an email from the school wanting to know . . .]

Unless there is more background to this situation, I would reply that my child will be using whatever electronic device the school issues to him. I would not be sending electronics to school except for the TI calculator for high school math courses (which can be used for college math as well). If the school wants a child using a computer or iPad during school, the school can provide it.

 

Is it possible that the school is asking the question not to require parents to send laptops or iPads with their dc, but so it can plan any upgrades its network needs so it can accommodate whatever devices students want to bring to school?

[HS beginning to end and college entrance]

I think this particular mother was just nervous or feeling negative, or perhaps not feeling she was prepared for hsing high school. Maybe she is not an organized person or doesn't like to keep records. Don't let her influence you!

 

Hsing high school felt a bit intimidating at first because here, once you start hsing high school, it is for the entire time. The ps won't accept any hsing credits, so you pretty much have no option to enroll there later unless you want your dc to start in 9th grade, no matter how old they are or how many courses they have completed. But that was okay! We didn't intend to enroll in ps anyway.

 

Honestly, hsing high school was the same as hsing all the other grades, just on a higher level, with more records to keep. It was not harder, and mostly the additional record keeping came just before starting the school year, preparing course descriptions. I did the transcript after each semester, so it stayed up to date. In fact, because my dc were older, they were more independent and didn't need me every minute. They had good ideas of what they wanted to study. I gave them their week's assignments on Monday and they had them completed on Friday.

 

It is necessary to research and know of any requirements your state has (if any) so you can meet those and issue a high school diploma. You need to research college entrance requirements because those vary depending on the state, and sometimes change every couple years. Just stay on top of that. But it is not difficult. Once you have that information, make a quick list of what courses you need to be sure your dc complete, and mark them off as you go along over the next four years. They may need four social studies courses, including U.S. History and World History, but you don't have to finalize the content of the others yet. See what comes up for your dc later and decide then. Just meet the requirement. Don't plan every detail, just have a general plan. You will need to adjust it as you go along anyway.

 

My dc were accepted at all the universities they applied to (public and private, in state and out of state), and two have very good merit scholarships. The universities accepted our transcripts without question. Hsing was not a problem as far as university acceptances goes. They did well on the SAT/ACT, and took community college courses while in high school.

 

Please don't dread hsing those years. It is a fun time!

[Where can you go on field trips *without* a group?]

Local festivals, both at parks and fairgrounds (Scottish Festivals, etc.)

 

Emergency services fairs, open houses (Police station, Fire station, Search and Rescue, etc.)

 

Renaissance Faire

 

Wildlife Rescue center, zoos

 

Caves (guided tours)

 

Behind the Scenes tours at animal parks, zoos, etc. (Have to pay for these)

 

Taylor Guitar Factory, chocolate factory, other factory tours (some have planned tour times you just sign up for)

 

Ranger led tours and walks through Regional Parks and National Parks (usually with a specific focus such as Native American life, local wildlife, birds, reptiles, or plants)

 

Concerts in the park, Shakespeare in the park (free, bring your own blanket or chair)

 

Any museums I can find (We visited the Donner Party Museum during a fierce snowstorm. It was too blizzardy to snowboard that day, so we went there instead. That was impacting.)

 

Living History days at various locations

 

Observatories

 

Plays, concerts, performances at several theaters

[MacBook Pro Users]

Yes, you can. My ds has lots of music on his laptop iTunes, and as long as it is turned on, we can access that music and play it on our laptops anywhere in the house. His iTunes shows up on our iTunes as an option. We can't transfer music from his iTunes on his laptop, but we can play the music. Ds set it up, not me, so I don't know all the steps involved, but I think it was pretty easy because it only took him a couple minutes to do.

[Children's classics; I need recommendations]

Some my dc have enjoyed:

 

Winnie the Pooh, House at Pooh Corner

Tom Sawyer

Peter Pan

Swiss Family Robinson

A Jungle Book

The Just So Stories, and Rikki Tikki Tavi

Tales of the Arabian Nights

Chronicles of Narnia ( some may not consider this a classic, but I do)

Story of Dr. Doolittle

A Little Princess

Black Beauty

Five Little Peppers

Treasure Island

Pollyanna

Wizard of Oz series

Mary Poppins series

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Freckles, and A Girl of the Limberlost

Little Women

Little Men

Heidi

[If your spouse was gone for a year what improvements would you make....]

I would:

 

House:

Sort and organize the garage

Paint rooms inside the house

Paint the trim on the outside of the house

Work on the yard, tear out some raggedy looking plants and plant new ones

Sort and organize closets

Start a garden

 

Personal:

Exercise more, lose weight

Spend more time scrapbooking and reading

[Any creative ideas for a room divider?]

Ikea sells curtain panels in all colors and track systems that attach to the ceiling. It would work on a slanted ceiling. Then the curtain could be slid to the side

when you want the room opened up, but easily pulled back for privacy.

 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/18891/

[Is it possible to find a place where everyone]

I would like to move to wherever that place is - a place where people have time for friends and actually want friends.

 

I was realizing recently that I have never felt so lonely in my entire life. We have lived here for about 15 years, and it took a few years to make some friends. People are busy, and have friends, and don't want or need more friends. So while I have friends, we rarely see each other anymore because our dc are not in the same activities together anymore. They do things with people who participate in the same activities. I guess what I thought were friends were actually only friends because of shared activities. I thought we were friends because we liked each other and enjoyed being together. We still get together when they have time, but that is not often because they are too busy. They are friendly if I call them. They are not mean people. They are just very busy. I am busy, too, but I make time for people.

 

I guess I want some friendships that are not one-sided, and I feel like all mine are that way. I do the phoning, I do the inviting. If I don't call them, we won't speak or get together.

 

Is it asking too much to want friends who invite me to do something? To have friends who call me to see how I am doing?

 

Same thing with people at my church. As much as I like my church, it is one of the most unfriendly places I have ever been, and we have been there for over 10 years. We have been very active in youth ministry the entire time. People are friendly when we are at church, say hello, etc., but they really are not interested in being friends. They are interested in being friendly while at church. There is a difference. It is quite shallow friendliness. In all the years we have been there, we have only been invited to one couple's home for dinner - and that was after we invited them to our home and they were busy, so they suggested we get pizza (meaning since we invited them, we would buy pizza for everyone!) and bring it to their house instead. But at least they did invite us to their home, so I am counting it. Other than that, it is me doing the inviting.

 

I truly make an effort, and we have enjoyed the few times people have accepted our invitations. And I do mean few. It is very rare when people do accept our invitations because they are busy or not interested. But it is still one-sided. No one invites us. To be honest, after more than 10 years in this church and in the same youth ministry, I don't think anyone there knows us. Really knows us. I don't think anyone there wants to know us. They are busy. They know our names and faces, and our dc, and they know what we do, but they don't know us. Once, because of volunteering in another activity, I missed four weeks of church in a row. When I returned, not one person indicated that they noticed I had not been there. No comments at all. And since we serve in the youth ministry together, I assumed someone would notice I had not been there and was now back. I seriously think I could leave the church and people would not notice I was gone, except that what I do would not be done and someone else would have to step in. But I don't think anyone would even care or ask about us. I guess since we are considered mature Christians and we serve regularly at church, do whatever needs to be done, and are trusted, people at church think they don't need to pay any attention to us.

 

I invite people over for dinner or dessert or out for coffee or whatever because I want to get to know them. I don't do it to get something in return, but it would be nice if there would be someone who would reciprocate or reach out to me sometime. I am weary of always doing the reaching out and being rebuffed (sorry, but we are SOOOOOOO busy we don't have time...).

 

So this year I have decided that I am not going to keep initiating one-sided friendships anymore. Obviously, I care more about friends than the people I have reached out to. There must be other places to find friends because as much as I have tried, the hsing community and church have not been the right places to find friends. Surely there are other people who want friends and have room for people in their lives. I just need to find them. I just don't know where. I do know that my non-Christian neighbor is far friendlier than most Christians I have known, and she is friendlier to me than anyone else here. I do spend time with her and enjoy her friendship. I just find it sad that Christians don't have time to develop friends. Something is very wrong with that, but that is probably another topic for discussion.

 

I do think that the use of social media (Facebook, etc.) and other technology may be isolating people instead of bringing them together. People choose to be too busy, so a one-sided relationship via social media is the only thing they have time for because it can be done on their own terms, when they have a few minutes for it. They can turn it on, post, then turn it off and there are no real people to get in their way or demand their time. Oh, and they can have a few hundred 'friends' or 'followers' so they think they have friends. I want real friends.

 

Sorry this got so long. I have been evaluating this situation for a long time, watching, seeing how people are relating to others, and realizing that people, in my area, just don't have time for friends, and few seem to even want any friends. I just don't fit in because I value friends.

[Mother angry after daughter vaccinated (by school) without her permission]

No way would I let them get away with this violation of parental rights and possible child endangerment (because of the reaction the girl had that may be the result of an injection). There is no excuse for giving a child unnecessary medical treatment, especially without parental permission. In this case, the parent already denied the school permission to provide any medical treatment that was not life saving.

 

I am not one to support lawsuits in most cases, however this is one time that I hope the parents sue the school and medical center for this blatant violation. Saying it was an innocent mistake is not good enough. I wonder if injecting a child with a foreign substance could be considered assault or battery. This school system and medical community need to stop believing they can do whatever they want to children without parental permission. There is no acceptable excuse.