:iagree: Requiring a child to read a book that is completely beyond her reading or interest level is a surefire way to kill the child's interest in reading. My son (10 yo) is a voracious reader. But he rarely if ever chooses to read "classics". He finished all the 7 Harry Potter books when he was 8. He loves to read comics like Tintin, Asterix and Calvin and Hobbes all.the.time. He loves Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey, The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton and a whole lot of other books which are not great or even good literature. But he also has recently classics such as Alice in Wonderland and the Narnia series. He doesn't balk at thick books if the subject matter interests him. He loves Roald Dahl. And he reads lots and lots of non-fiction as well. Some of the books which are more difficult for him to read by himself, I read them to him. I would suggest that you let her read whatever she wants as long as it is age appropriate. Pick some interesting children's books that she might like and read them to her if she does not herself. I do not know how old your daughter is but personally I would not consider "Little Women" as something that would interest kids. There are so many great kids' authors out there. It is important for her to like/ love the books. Once she has established a reading habit, you can then have her read the more mature classics.

If you are perfectly willing to accept that God can lead people to different conclusions and choices, then how can there be a single morally right choice? Why can there not be several right choices? Would it not be better to think that God intended for us to use our hearts and minds and intellect when making choices for ourselves and our families than to try and second guess God's will?

Yes, I know what you mean. Everyone has to deal with differences with spouses I suppose, especially when it comes to parenting and more so when the husband and wife come from completely different value systems. I know I have had to deal with it...I still do. There are times when I just let things slide and times when I will stand up for what I believe is right. We have to pick our battles I suppose. It helps me to remember that my DH is also trying to do his best within his capability. Patience and conversation and not trying to turn the other into a villain in my mind for believing differently than me helps too I have found :001_smile:

:iagree: This is so right. I have learnt this the hard way at least as far as parenting is concerned. There are so many different ways to do something right that morality can never be absolute. There is no one rule that can be applied to all people for all time, or even just a rule that will hold true always for just one situation or one person. You know it is funny that you should say this because I am going through this exact dilemma. On the one hand I want to adopt and on the other I want to just do the best I can for the child I have. There is no handbook for life, which is actually the point of living in the first place isn't it? You are supposed to make mistakes and learn from them and grow and do better the next time. There is really no way other than to just do the best you can with what you do know right now and then trust yourself.

This seems like a great idea. I think this is much better for the earth than being cremated. I love the idea of being sprinkled into the flower beds :001_smile:

I loved this one...very poignant. It was one of the best I have read.

The books that were life-altering for me were The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Another book I read recently and I absolutely loved was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I highly recommend this.

I am from India and women here dress pretty modestly. And yet ogling, teasing, groping and sexual crimes against women are very very common. This has very little to do with how women dress and everything to do with how boys are raised. We are a very patriarchal society and young men are often fed the message that "macho" men don't let women push them around or get away with a "No". To tell girls that they must dress modestly so that they do not attract the attention of men is an extremely dangerous idea to put in their minds. It tells them that they are responsible for others' behaviour and that they should feel ashamed of themselves when others behave indecently. Growing up, I was very familiar with such feeling of shame. It took a long time for me to understand the underlying message of patriarchal control. Yes I believe we must dress appropriately and modestly, because we live in society and must follow the rules of decency NOT because we want to avoid the attention of men.

IMO, an evil act is rarely so simple and straightforward as "choosing" to do wrong or "choosing" what is bad. Our actions depend on the filters through which we see situations and the emotional baggage that we collect from our upbringing and experiences.

Hi Aubrey, From the wording of the opening post and poll I suppose you are looking for mainly Christian and/or Conservative perspectives. I am neither. However it seems to me after reading the replies in this thread that what is being labelled as "sin" is really just the ability to choose. I believe that we have an unlimited power to choose our every thought, every word and every action. These choices can lead to pleasant consequences or to unpleasant ones but "good" and "bad" cannot be judged by how pleasant something is. Some people seem to regularly make more bad choices than others - bad in the sense that they harm themselves and others around them. I do not think of these people as "inherently bad". I think of them instead as people who are acting out of fear, "reacting" to people and situations around them rather than exercising their power of consciously and fully choosing their thoughts, words and actions.

Hi Melissa, My son was a dedicated thumbsucker for a looong time and nothing we did really helped. We unfortunately even tried scolding, threatening and shaming him which did nothing to stop the thumbsucking and only ended up making him feel generally insecure and inadequate. I really thought he would never stop. But then he reduced his thumbsucking to "only when sleepy or tired" by the time he was 7 and finally stopped completely by 8. At the time he finally stopped, his teeth were protruding out because of all the thumbsucking over the years and we felt sure he would need braces. He is 10 now and his teeth seem to be going back to normal. The dentist has asked us to wait a while before we finally decide about the braces.

The post on SWB's review does remain though over here

Is this not akin to ascribing human ideas and opinions to God? "I think death is unpleasant and bad and hence God could not have called creation consisting of death as good".

Hi, I am Rashmi from India. I have a 10y.o. son. Ever since he was little, I have been searching for the "perfect" school for him and have failed. He goes to a private school now which is decent but not great. Finding serious gaps in his science and maths knowledge and skills recently, sent me rushing to my computer to search for ways in which I could supplement his education myself. That is how I found the Well Trained Mind Forums. I have been lurking here for a month and have received some wonderful insight into the kind of education I would want for my son. One immediate change that I have already started implementing is discussing books with DS. He loves to read and devours even large books in just hours. After WTM, I now put in the time and effort to read the books myself and discuss them with him. I am glad to have found a really rich and diverse community of passionate and articulate homeschoolers. Homeschooling is not a valid choice for me here in India, but the insight I gain from participating in these forums will go a long way in helping me raise my son and educate him.

Yes from Susan's post here.

"Why Evolution is True" by Jerry Coyne It is not a text book but a fairly short and engaging read. It is comprehensive because it covers all areas of evidence. Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin is fantastic, though he only speaks of anatomy.

I voted other. My DS aged 10 is in school. It is a decent school but it does not provide the kind the education I was looking for him. It is not possible for us to homeschool, but I do spend considerable time in afterschooling.

:iagree: I am very new to this board and have been lurking here for the past month or so. Having noticed the trend of posts on both sides, I believe this sums the entire issue completely.

I am an agnostic...I am open to the possibility of the existence of God and to the possibility of some form of continuation of the consciousness after death. No I never wonder about either Heaven or Hell. I am certain about their non-existence.

My concept of God is pure energy and pure love - the center and cause of everything and every emotion that exists. Such a God would not take things personally or get offended or withdraw his love. That is my personal perception of God.

I have been a theist for a long time and have recently turned agnostic. I voted "other" because I would not really use the word "wrong" to define my beliefs or lack thereof. I do wonder about the existence of a higher power/energy but I have also come to accept that death may be the end afterall.

Hi All, I am not sure if the Big Bang would be relevant to a study of evolution, but here are a few things which I would love to see covered: 1. A discussion on basic principles of Geology. What is the Geologic column? How do scientists find out which layer corresponds to which period even when the column is not complete in most areas. The different dating methods such as ice-core dating, coral reef dating, etc. 2. Basic discussion on genetics and the meiotic process. Do genes have boundaries? How is the "integrity" of the gene maintained during meiosis? I read somewhere that mutations are "repaired" by the body. How does the body "recognize" the mutation? I have come across many texts which do discuss fossils, anatomy, homologous organs, vestigial organs, bio-geography, embryology, speciation, sexual selection, etc. etc. but gloss over the basics of geology and genetics which I feel are essential in understanding the theory.