From a friend's blog: Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps. "DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. "Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. "Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.' "Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

My kids started out on the conventional education path so I know exactly what I'm missing. I'm good.

:grouphug:

Cancers in seniors tend to be slow moving so hopefully he will have some options for treatment. So sorry for your plight. :grouphug:

At the very least, pinched her arm really hard. :grouphug:

Sure, nothing crazy and unspeakable has ever happened while the rest of the world watched and said, "That could never happen. Who would allow it?"

I think there's a pressure to have a "shorter than public school" day in the home school world. To show how efficient it is. I really sweated this last year. I don't this year. It takes us as long as it takes us. I'm dealing with attention issues and various grade levels and temperaments. Today will take us FOREVER because I'm also on a "natural consequences" kick and my kids have made bad choices. I think we will be doing school up until dinner b/c we will have to leave for dance and swim this afternoon.

I think we're close to this. Like you this time includes music practice (lessons on some days), free reading, read-alouds. I know if I just taught her it would go a lot more quickly but my time is divided. It works out.

:grouphug:

Its not as bad as the anticipation of it. They blow cool air on your face so you don't FEEL contained as long as you keep your eyes closed. This is key. If they offer you a blind, go for it. Things to know. Its LOUD. Almost hilariously loud. Like Star Wars. I was thinking, "Great. The Death Star is attacking and I'm stuck in the MRI machine." The contrast made me very warm and made my tongue and lips tingle for an instant. Then it went away. It happened twice so I know it wasn't just a fluke. But, there are different kinds of contrast. All in all, very tolerable. Good luck. :grouphug:

I know. I'm saying YOU got spanked by someone who thought you were being naughty and needed to be corrected. Lot of that going around. I'm on your side.

That's how I understand it, too. There seems to be a real lack of true graciousness anymore. No lack of strong opinions though.

My children and I write thank-you notes for most gifts even if we received them in person. Some of our notes are tackier than others. :001_smile:

Because we deserve it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

You know what would be fun? To compare the answers to the question, "Do You Like to Give or Receive", to the same posters' answers to, "What Kind of Thank You is Acceptable". I mean, not actual fun, like repeatedly hitting yourself over the head with a hammer. Maybe revealing would be a better adjective than fun.

I let my kids use these when they were new to writing...5-ish. My 6 yo is using regular cards this year. I think they are an effective stepping stone. I'd be alarmed to get one from a much older child. Although, I get so few thank you cards from children that I think I'd take what I could get at this point.

Tee hee! :D

If that's what you think this board is then the choice looks pretty easy.

Sounds like the perfect set-up for a black market. Brilliant.

Extreme Reading! I like it. :lol:

You know, my dad, who has had a major stroke that has severely limited his memory and communication, was visiting me over the break and was trying to tell me about swimming lessons/class when he was a kid and kept insisting that it was nude. I thought one of us must be very confused or that he was saying nude but meant something else. I'm going to call him now.

Rowenta but not the ones from Target etc. My mom uses Rowenta's professional irons at her shop and they are reliable and, second most important, heavy. Heavy irons are a lot more efficient.

Wow. You got spanked. ;) That'll learn you to express an opinion. :rolleyes: FWIW, I totally get your point.

So true. This idea that we have to be respectful of every cockamamie thing in the universe is, wait for it, STUPID. There is ample evidence in this thread alone that NO ONE is walking this walk no matter how much they love to talk about it. :rolleyes:

When you said one did not have license to say things that are disrespectful or indecent, as you define those standards, it implies that those things should not be allowed. Is wing-nut respectful? The way the terms "Nazi" and "Joy Behar" are slung around these days they've both lost a lot of the negative resonance that the original bearers of the names once inspired.