Barrow Journal

One day when I was pregnant with my first child, I stepped into the entryway of a neighbor’s home. She homeschooled her children, and, in fact, she’s the person I learned about homeschooling from, but at the time, I wasn’t considering homeschooling. I hadn’t even had a child yet.

While I was speaking to her, she excused the state of her household because they had been very busy, and she didn’t have time to clean that day.

I had not noticed the interior of her house, but when she said this, I glanced over into her dining room, and I could see her table was littered with toys and other stuff. You couldn’t see the top of her table. [Full Story »] 

I’ve had a number of people ask me advice on how to meet other homeschoolers.

To be frank, these parents were discouraged at their efforts to meet other homeschoolers because all they found were Christian homeschooling groups who required a “statement of faith.”

I don’t mean to insult anyone by bringing up such issues, but these are topics potential homeschoolers have to deal with. People who chose to build an exclusive community have an easier time banding together and standing up for their beliefs because they’re all on the same page. Their families are making a profound statement to the rest of the world. As someone who doesn’t want to exclude on the basis of belief, I can’t do anything about them, but I want to speak for those who are more open and tolerant. We, too, need to make a statement despite our varied and diverse belief systems. [Full Story »] 

It can only be divine intervention that has brought me to this café/coffeeshop this morning to write a column. Alone. Sans Children. Actually, it’s because my five-year-old is in camp, and my wonderful husband volunteered to take the two-year-old to the park.

It has always been a dream of mine to be able to sit alone and write in a coffeeshop, and I know you are probably laughing at me for that. But for these past six years of child rearing, any time alone is a dream. I can hardly believe I’m sitting on this hard seat, listening to dishes clink, the murmurs of other coffeeshop goers and soft jazz in the background.

I used to think my penchant for being alone was unique, but after reading Introvert Power by Laurie Helgoe, PhD, I’ve realized that I’m not “alone.” Nearly half our population is introverted. [Full Story »] 

I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to want a child and not be able to have one. Children are everywhere, yet the love you have in your heart has no place to rest. Unfortunately, this is happening to one of my dearest friends.

Have you ever met someone for the first time that you knew you wanted to be friends with? This is how I felt the first time I met my friend Liz. She has one of those personalities that makes you feel at home.
Her kindness has no boundaries, and to top it off, she tells great stories.

Now she lives with her husband, Kent, in the foothills of Mariposa County, California on a four-acre property outside of Yosemite National Park. Kent is a fire geographer and works for Yosemite National Park, and he loves his job. Liz is a scientist and analyst for the Sierra Nevada mountain range. They are ready to grow their family, and they are trying to adopt a child through an open adoption. [Full Story »] 

Last week I finished reading Raising Boys by Steve Biddulph. Not long ago I wrote about one of his other books, The Secret of Happy Children. Like that one, Raising Boys is short and easy to read. I found it full of useful advice.

Some of it was similar to Michael Gurian’s book, The Wonder of Boys, which I reviewd last year, but there’s enough difference that I highly recommend both. Busy parents may find Raising Boys more concise and practical for their needs, however.

Biddulph begins the book by noting that thirty years ago, a huge effort was raised to help girls gain confidence. While this was good (I think I benefitted from that), there was neglect when it came to boys. [Full Story »] 

Last week I had the pleasure of going to the beach with my boys, dad and stepmother for a few days. My aunt who owns a timeshare on Edisto Island, S.C. granted us this pleasure because she wasn’t going to use it this October. I am not in the habit of refusing free vacations, so I left hubby at home (poor thing had to work) and took off.

We’ve been to Edisto Island one other time for a week when my aunt also offered her timeshare to us. My eldest son was one year old at the time, and we went with my husband and in-laws. So I already knew it was a peaceful island with a lovely, serene beach.

If you haven’t been to Edisto, I highly recommend it. It’s about a 45-minute drive south of Charleston. There is very little commercialization there, and you will find no chain restaurants. [Full Story »] 

When I was pregnant with my first baby, my husband and I took advantage of the free music concerts at UGA. One of the concerts my husband wanted to attend was a performance of Beethoven’s 9th symphony. It was during that concert that I felt my baby move for the first time.

Fast forward a few years until my first born is five-years-old. He loves the cartoon Little Einsteins, which features music by a famous composer in each episode. Out of all the music he hears on that show, he begins to hum (constantly) Beethoven’s 9th symphony or the part we are most familiar with: “Ode to Joy.”

Is it a coincidence, or is that just a catchy tune? Obviously it’s a catchy tune, but I’ll always wonder if that prenatal exposure might have given him a predisposition to liking that music. Anything is possible, right? [Full Story »] 

I found a great article in the Fall 2011 issue of “Healthy Pets,” which we receive through our vet’s office. The name of the article is “Kids and Pets: Growing Together” by Lynette A. Hart, Ph.D.

Many times as I watch my boys interact with our pets, I’ve been thankful that we are in a position to own pets. That is, nobody is allergic to the animals, and we have time to care for them properly. We have two dogs, one cat, and six little fish.

The article begins by stating that many parents think giving a child a pet is a great way to teach them responsibility, but unfortunately, most children are not mature enough to care for a pet’s daily needs. My husband learned this lesson when he bought that fish aquarium for our then three-year-old. [Full Story »] 

I was pleasantly surprised when my five-year-old requested a bicycle for his birthday. Although my husband and I own bikes, we never ride them anymore, so I think my son got the idea from one of his favorite T.V. programs, Kipper. There’s an episode when Kipper the dog babysits the Pig, and he teaches him how to ride a bike.

My son has never been the most coordinated child, and he shies away from many physical activities, except when it comes to running or bicycling. On the bicycle he is still learning, and it will be awhile before those training wheels come off, so I patiently push him along when needed. [Full Story »]