Julie Gentry's comments

Report Says Sibling Spats Are Inevitable - Blog Entry

10 Jan 2007 11:24 PM

I'd tend to agree with their findings. If you think about it, a divorce either makes kids very tight or tears them apart. It's rare that there's middle ground. I'd imagine it's the same with conflict or apathy.

We laugh very hard when that commercial comes on with the kids on the beach. "Mom, make him stop touching me!" And the kid's finger is a mm away from his sister while he taunts, "I'm not touching you, I'm not touching you." It's pretty true to life. lol. It's an opportunity to put (4) into practice.

Child Killer Executed in Texas - Blog Entry

10 Jan 2007 11:15 PM

You have to love Texas' judicial system! I can't understand going after the child. What kind of person does that?

I'm Not Pregnant, I'm Fat - Blog Entry

10 Jan 2007 11:42 AM

Me, to, Lashell (about the lotions). I also buy the stretchmark sticks to use when I get cracked feet. Expensive remedy, but the mystery shop company is paying anyway ;-).

Why Homeschool? - Blog Entry

10 Jan 2007 04:16 AM

We have great teachers in our district. They're stuck being parent, disciplinarian, and counselor as well as teacher, but most of them are very well-qualified. We homeschool for a lot of reasons; poor teachers isn't one of them.

I'd miss my children if they were gone. Childhood is too short to be spent in an institution. With homeschooling, they have time to pursue their interests. They are not confined by a schedule set by the clock. If they want to spend three months learning about Joan of Arc, they can. There's no hurrying to finish a book. They don't have to wait for the rest of the class that is behind them. Where they are the ones behind, they don't have to feel lost. They are also able to interact with their community. Where we live, most people are in their homes by 6 pm. If they were at government school all day long, they'd never get to know the local sheriff who cruises by at 1, the 78 year old mail lady, the quilting guild that's always at the library when we go, the rangers at the state park,, the salmon environmentalist, etc etc etc. All these folks are available to them when we're out and about. All of them enrich their lives. They are socialized in the real world; not in an artificial situation.

Another wonderful reason is that my children are each other's best friends. Yes, they have plenty of friends that they see in their clubs, activities, church, and co-op, but it warms my heart to see my 15 year old and my 12 year old curled up under a comforter telling each other stories. It's not just mine; many of my friends' children are similar. I don't see that closeness with children who are age-segregated all day long. We DO protect them from things, and from people who would steal their innocence. Because innocence lost is never regained. While we cannot keep them from everything, we want them to be able to enjoy their childhoods. Knowing about some things before they are ready can be a very heavy burden.

Additionally, there's a consistency with homeschooling that you can't get when they're away at school. The same rules apply every day and in every place. It gives them great security to know that life is good today, was good yesterday, and will be good tomorrow.

As far as your comment about violence, certainly that's a concern, but not a deciding one. We homeschool not out of fear, but because it's a BETTER choice -- for the children, for the family, for the community, and for the future.

Why I Homeschool: An Answer for Kaye - Blog Entry

10 Jan 2007 03:56 AM

Very nice! I would MISS my kids too much if they were gone all day long. Childhood is too short to spend in an institution!

Are Homeschooled Children Over Sheltered? Part II - Blog Entry

10 Jan 2007 03:54 AM

A long time ago, I read an article from Timberdoodle that stayed with me. It compared children to saplings, and talked about the stake to which they were tied, and how the stake was eventually removed and the tree was strong and straight. I thought that was a great analogy.

Homeschooled children are exposed to most everything that government-schooled children are -- the difference is that they are exposed under the protection and guidance of their parents. Your examples are good ones. They're exposed, but they are not DAMAGED by the exposure.

Is Your Method of Discipline Working? - Blog Entry

10 Jan 2007 03:47 AM

We have "Dr. Duty" -- military healthcare. Our current physician is a conservative Christian homeschooler who is a family friend. No worries. But I took my son in once for leg cramps, and got some new-agey doctor who told me I needed to let him "embrace the pain" and that the cramps were all in his mind and they were my fault for coddling him. D'oh (it turned out to be pronation according to the orthopedist).

Your doctor's recommendation to be consistent is probably not what the researchers have in mind. Things like this are progressive. First it will be an innocent comment, then it will be written down how you discipline, and then it will be 'you should', then 'you must'.

We have friends who are in the middle of a lawsuit against a children's hospital and a social worker. They accused the mother of poisoning her and beating her because she had an extremely elevated blood level of some chemical or something and a bruise on her legs, and when asked, the daughter told them that she regularly was spanked. Repeated requests for a retest and another social worker went unheeded. They removed the daughter from her home. She finally got a sympathetic judge who ordered a retesting. Turns out the hospital had a DECIMAL PLACE off. Traumatized the little girl and the family. They'll win. They've already been offered a substantial settlement. Knowing the mother, she'll probably push for punitive and public damages so they won't do it to anyone else. Unless a child presents with an INJURY, it's not the pediatrician's place to talk about discipline. Period. No matter how innocent.

This is a telling comment: "If a parent feels that their method of discipline is not working, they will quickly let their emotions take over. So if time-out is not working, a parent might resort to yelling or spanking." Resort to spanking? Let their emotions take over? Can you spell BIAS? A proper spanking is not a 'resort' nor is it the result of a parent who has lost control.

An Affair to Remember (1957) - Blog Entry

10 Jan 2007 03:32 AM

Great movie! Will there ever again be a romantic lead as perfect as Cary Grant?

Are Homeschooled Children Over Sheltered? - Blog Entry

10 Jan 2007 03:27 AM

Thanks, Anna, for saying that! I don't see any rebelliousness in my almost-16 year old. Not at all. And like you, I can't imagine that she'd really think about it. She's intelligent, mature, and firmly grounded. And she still holds my hands in public, sits on my lap, and kisses me good night. "Rules without Relationship = Rebellion" When children are raised in a strict environment based on rules rather than relationships, that's where the rebellion comes in.

There's that natural testosterone-induced challenging that boys go through, but I don't think that's rebellion. It's a testing of the limits, and it's healthy. btw, we DON'T plan to have our boys stay with us until they're married. With the girls, it's a protection and authority issue - the passing from their father to their husband.

I'm waiting for the other hand, Andrea! :-)

Diary of an Overweight Mom: Progress! - Blog Entry

10 Jan 2007 03:07 AM

Congrats on the weight loss so far!