We have only one child to begin with. That, of course, is probably our biggest failing. Not only that, we immunise her. Against almost everything. We are proponents of mainstream western medicine, and we don't embrace naturopathy, osteopathy, homeopathy, biomesotherapy, Buteyko, Chi nei tsang, kinesiology or ear candling, although my husband does visit a chiropractor occasionally, and we are fond addicts of both remedial and relaxation massage and of incense - not for its aromatherapeutic properties but because it smells nice. I worked for more than ten years for huge multinational pharmaceutical companies, and do not regard them as harbingers of evil.
We eat white rice, white bread, MSG, red meat, dairy products and sugar, although we do prepare most of our foods ourselves and rarely purchase it pre-packaged in a carton, tin or jar. We do not eat them all in the same meal. We drink wine. And champagne. And soft drink. And Diet Coke, full of chemical additives. We all like McDonalds.
We are Sabbath observers. We practice exclusive Psalmody and we sing no hymns. We believe in a young earth. We do not celebrate Christmas or Easter as religious holidays, but Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are all parts of childhood fun. We read about fairytale witches and magic, but not the occult or new age religions. We are very afraid of books like this.
We have a television, and we listen to modern music. And classical, and Kitaro, which some call New Age, but we call nice.
We like Growing Kids God's Way and Garry and Anne Marie Ezzo, but we continually evaluate and refine our parenting methods, depending more on God's grace than on the expertise and ingenuity of others.
Three times I have started the next paragraph, but I think it is too controversial and I think you will un-follow me if I leave it, so I won't.
I will leave you with a photo of our new season's Birkies. Mine, and Jemimah's. Soon hers will be bigger than mine, but so far I win. In this, at least, we look like homeschoolers. In this our behaviour is typical.
There had to be something.
Well, at least you know who you are and who you are not! :) And I still like you. Of course I am wondering what the unpublished paragraph might have said.... Mel x
ReplyDeleteIsnt it funny how we have to be 'better' than each other to 'find worth'.
ReplyDeleteNice to know your flavour, but not threatened :)
Hahaha, you need to come and spend some time with the homeschoolers here in Capricornia. No stereotypes here and almost all the above mentioned weird behaviours nicely covered. I think you will find homeschoolers are a very diverse bunch.
ReplyDeleteOf course, you have met me, and I am your typical denim skirt and sandals variety but there the stereotype stops :-)
Cheer up Jeanne, rather than un-follow you, now everyone will read with baited breathe to find out what that final paragraph was all about!
Love you, girl xoxo
Laughing myself silly. Now me, I'd'a written that last paragraph & blow the consequences. lol
ReplyDeleteSometime we are going to sit down & have that long chat about this, that & the other. ♥
Hmm. So far, not that shocking.
ReplyDelete:-) (My attempt at a smile got stripped from my previous comment!)
ReplyDeleteOh, Jeanne, how could you not publish that paragraph?! That's going to keep me up all night.
ReplyDeleteMuch of this applies to us as well - though we do try to avoid MSG and other additives as much as we can, and incense stays at church (not in the house, thanks). ;o)
Two thumbs down on that book link, and two thumbs up for Kitaro!
I am curious about the immunization schedule over there. Is it like the US where they are started very early (mere weeks after birth), and any number of them all at once? Or, is it more like Japan where we don't get started until the baby is around 4-6 months, and then only one per month at most - and, quite a bit fewer than the US gives?
Very interesting :) I also wonder what that omitted paragraph would have said. It's better to be yourselves rather than fit into a stereotype.
ReplyDeleteLOL but I do wonder how many who read your blog are in shock. I, for one, am not really :) It made me smile ;)
Sounds like we have a lot in common. ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou made me laugh, I am a weird homeschooler too, in all my own weird ways. And ah yes.............a massage. My lovely dh just sent me for an hour long Swedish hot stone massage yesterday for my birthday. I could surely become addicted to that. Your the best!
ReplyDeleteI liked this post. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is funny because I feel like we are "controversial" because we are into alternative meds and do not immunize...and you feel like you are controversial because you don't. :)
Anyhow, I do severely dislike the fact that Christians so often break fellowship with one another over secondary issues!
Oh, Jeanne! Teach me how to avoid Christmas and Easter, please!
ReplyDeleteThey are too great of holidays here, but I cringe to celebrate them as days. As Christians, it's our joy to celebrate the decended and ascended Christ with each breath, each moment, each passing day, by golly!
Can you write me a pass..?
And homeschoolers can be some of the most interesting people, for sure. Enjoy your sandals, Summer Girls!
This cracked me up! I feel controversial to, for some of the reasons you mentioned and for sone you didn't. We are on the other side of some of the issues you mentioned, but who cares?
ReplyDeleteI am wildly curious to know the deleted paragraph, though... I can't imagine anything so controversial that I would un-follow you over...
bahahahaha! That's hilarious. Thanks for the good laugh.
ReplyDeleteI'm controversial too (it seems we all are!) but I don't think I'm brave enough to post it all on the internet.
You know we all love you, Jeanne :)
Those are amazing shoes. I'll have to keep an eye open for them when summer finally returns to the northern hemisphere.
ReplyDeleteAnd I find that having many ways of living a life breathe fresh air into a room that could get too stale if everything were to be the same. It reminds me of that planet in A Wrinkle in Time where all the kids played the same games to the same rhythm.
...and I love you, just the way you are! I didn't laugh though when I read through this post like lot's of the above did. You left me pondering on that missing paragraph also. Your free to be you and I'm free to be me! xxx
ReplyDeleteGood morning Jeanne! Just wanted to add that I (and I'm sure others) was not laughing AT you but WITH you :-)
ReplyDeleteWe all recognise just how weird we can be. I would love to join Ganeida ~ we could churn out quite a bit of conversation in a very short time, we three!
Have a great day!
Morning Jeanne :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting to note that there are many closet unhomeschoolery 'type' of homeschoolers out there.
Happy Homeschooling! xo
I was just thinking this morning of how I've met such a diverse bunch of people just through my little blog.
ReplyDeleteI think we are all so unique and so diverse, there is no stereotypical homeschooler anymore!
You know you are so loved by so many people don't you Jeanne:)
so, on that note....I am going to unfollow you if you don't tell us what was meant to be in that last paragraph:)
(kidding of course)
From one Diet Coke drinking, white rice and white flour eating, wine and mixed drink sipping, massage loving,atypical Christian (Catholic) mom of one, vaccinated daughter to another, who wants to be cliche anyway???
ReplyDeleteI do completely understand what you're talking about, though. It's a mighty big sandbox and sometimes my corner is awful lonely.
I will add...that's why the network of homeschoolers on the internet is so super vital. I wish I had a more diverse network locally, however.
ReplyDelete@Ruby: Now there's an understatement! You've experience me *in the real*! ;D
ReplyDeleteLove this post Jeanne. Now I want to know what that last paragraph was too. Promise I won't in follow you.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing that if your paragraph seemed too controversial for you to publish, perhaps you were afraid it would offend someone, and sometimes it IS wise to say less than more. It is however cruel to tease!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, as one who censors my own words, I'll excuse you for deciding to not share that secret thought. It was nice to get to know all the other bits ... I learned something new today (exclusive psalmody), thanks for the food for thought.
Chuckle. someone un-followed. Wonder what it was that offended.
ReplyDeleteI *do* think that sometimes people unfollow for reasons totally unrelated to what we write as bloggers. I know that I personally have unfollowed people because I was cutting back on my online time, because I no longer needed the sort of information that person provided, etc. So, take heart...maybe it isn't personal. :)
ReplyDeleteRE the un-follower. It was those Burkies what did it, for sure!
ReplyDeleteI often read your page with interest; but today really scares me.
ReplyDeleteChrist never intended the wondrous event of his birth to be associated with pagan rituals or transformed into an annual festivity. As with the date of the Saviour's birth, much of what people associate with Christmas is simply untrue. Christianity, however, is concerned with the truth above everything else. The Bible is the true Word of God. Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life." There is simply no place in the faith and life of a Christian for deliberate falsehood. He is forbidden by the Ten Commandments from lying and therefore cannot go along with lies in any shape or form. He must not pretend that 25th December is Jesus' birthday. He may not sing the carol which says that Christ was born on Christmas Day. He does not accept the myth of Santa Claus. The Bible identifies the devil as a liar and therefore the Christian can have nothing to do with whatever he knows to be a lie, however "harmless" others might consider it to be.
THe is the Reformed Presbeterian Church here in Scotland would never support your justification for enjoying the "fan" of the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus - it seems you in Austrialian have decided to write your own rules - get the yes of everything - don't think I creator will allow that justification of pagan practices.
Gidday, Morag, and welcome.
ReplyDeleteI am interested to read your comments.
I am surprised that you feel that my views are so dissimilar to those of the Scottish branch of our church. Certainly those American, Scottish and Northern Irish Reformed Presbyterians that I have met share a very similar position to me regarding the celebration of Christmas. Our Northern Irish minister certainly does not share your concerns.
Jeanne, One of my favorite Christmas books, which explains where all of our various traditions come from, is called Christmas Spirit by Dr. George Grant. He even explains the--yes--pagan origins, and how our adoption of some of these things was actually an attempt at redemption and reformation, sort of like when the Brothers Grimm rewrote the pagan tale of Cinderella (Aschenputtel) to the glory of God. Dr. Grant is the pastor of a wonderful Orthodox Presbyterian church here in the States.
ReplyDeleteMorag, I think your concerns can be understandable, especially if your own traditions reinforce it. Saint Paul was very even handed when it came to the celebration of days--some men prefer to see all days as the same, and some prefer to set aside some as "special" or "holy." Paul's guidelines (in Romans 14:5-12) for dealing with this conflict within the Church is very clear. First, it must all be done to the glory of God--the man who does not keep days and the man who does keep days must both do it to the glory of God alone. Second, we must not judge our brothers in this thing (see v. 10).
Soli Deo gloria.
I will search out that book, Brandy. Are you OPC?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your answer to Morag's concerns as well. I hate to think that what I wrote scared her so much.
No, Jeanne, though I like to joke that I am secretly OPC in my heart. :) As far as I know, there is no OPC parish anywhere near us. :(
ReplyDeleteOur family belongs to the nondenominational evangelical church that I was raised in. We are much more Reformed than the rest of the congregation, but we stay because we are Family and they will have us. :)
Girl, I love you and this makes me love you even more! Nothing you could have written in the phantom paragraph would have made me unfollow. Well, maybe if you don't eat chocolate. Just kidding, you are so transparent and I love that about you.
ReplyDeleteBrandy- excellent follow up to Morag's comment. I love your answer.