The Gospel of Philip

Here is one place to read a translation

I am in the process of reading this- mostly because I can not get enough information about the Messiah, but also because it is controversial; and I LOVE controversy!

I will be back with thoughts... (It is a somewhat difficult read, eclectic and fragmented, so try it bit by bit- maybe just search for the reference to the birth of Jesus)

-J

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all the love, joy, and peace that Jesus brings..

at Christmas and throughout the new year!

With love, the Vogels

Velvet Elvis

I just finished reading this book, and it was wonderful!

I had not heard of Rob Bell, Mars Hill church, or Nooma, so this is not a biased review. Actually, I do not expect anyone to read it, so I guess it really has no bias at all.

My good friend Lance recommended this book to me, and I always listen to Lance!

When I first started to read it, I was caught a bit off guard (I believe intentionally). What I learned was that my faith is flexible- no matter what anyone can throw at it!

Chapter two- I never thought Jewish history could be so enlightening. I learned what being 'unequally yoked' means. I read that learning comes from wrestling with, debating, and questioning what is going on in the scriptures. Finally, I see that I am not alone in that I never accept anything at face value- I always wrestle with a topic before I can wrap my mind around it.

Chapter three- Realizing that truth is everywhere. Simple as that may seem, I often get caught on this one. Rob Bell provides some insight into truth, and the strangest places you might expect it to popup. I wont clarify for fear it would spoil your reading experience.

Chapter four- This chapter really got my attention. You will read about a pastor of a 10,000 member church who wrestles with depression, purpose, and meaning.

Chapter five- I think of this chapter as 'the life and times of biblical Jews'. Rob explains context for the disciples and how they came to be disciples. I left this chapter humbled by the love and grace God shows to us.

Chapter six- Were you ever wronged by holier-than-thou religious zealots? Have you ever cringed at the hypocrisy, and felt condemed for being 'broken', 'bad', or 'worthless'? Rob takes us through what the Bible says, applies it contextually, and we leave understanding that God loves us- every aspect of us- as we are, and desires to be close to us. It is the ultimate love of a Father for His children- unconditional.

Chapter seven- I leave for you te read and discuss. Of course I, God willing, will be here to listen when you are ready.

With Love,
John

COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!!

Dear Friends, We've been mighty homesick for all of you!! Your video talked us into it... http://www.lancebradley.com/assets/video/christmaseve_commercial.mov So, we're coming home for Christmas!!! Can't wait to see you on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning!!

Thinking again....

The following are lyrics to a Casting Crowns song: Stained Glass Masquerade. They've been speaking to my heart all week. I pray they do the same for you. Too many times in my life I have witnessed the stained glass masquerade and the pain and confusion it has caused to myself and others.... We are all imperfect wretches, looking for the One who can free us from the chains that bind us. And when we can close the curtain on the stained glass masquerade, not only do we find freedom through the One who gives life in abundance, but the veil is torn down so that others can see Him as well.

Is there anyone that fails? Is there anyone that falls? Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small? Cause when I take a look around everybody seems so strong, I know they'll soon discover that I don't belong.

So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay. If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too. So with a painted grin, I play the part again, so everyone will see me the way that I see them.

Are we happy plastic people under shiny plastic steeples, with walls around our weakness and smiles to hide our pain? But if the invitation's open to every heart that has been broken, maybe then we close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade.

Is there anyone who's been there? Are there any hands to raise? Am I the only one who's traded in the altar for a stage? The performance is convincing and we know every line by heart, only when no one is watching can we really fall apart.

But would it set me free if I dared to let you see the truth behind the person that you imagine me to be? Would your arms be open or would you walk away? Would the love of Jesus be enough to make you stay?

Or are we happy plastic people under shiny plastic steeples, with walls around our weakness and smiles to hide our pain?

My friends, the invitation IS open to EVERY heart that has been broken! So let us close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade. Blessings, KV

Empty Rituals

The following editorial is written by John, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the Vogel Family

What is an empty ritual? I have been thinking about this lately, and when I get to thinking, the topic consumes every part of me, until I can solve the puzzle, get the answer, or identify purpose. Well, I finally got it...

The problem with empty rituals is that they, by definition, do not have a purpose.

Have you ever heard someone say "that's just the way we have always done it"? AAAGH! When I hear that I just want to slap the speaker... But I don't.
Maybe my parents ruined me by teaching me that "I don't know" is not an acceptable reason for doing something.

Remember when:
"Why did you pour 27 gallons of water on the floor?" ..."I don't know"
"Why did you leave the bread bag open?" ..."I don't know"
"Why are there 13 empty twinkie wrappers under your bed?" ..."I don't know"
"Why are the Police at the door?"

... You get the point.


Empty rituals are cop-outs. They serve absolutely no purpose. So why do we do them? Good question; one I have been pondering. :^)

Empty Rituals start out as a good practice, one with a purpose. I am reminded of the story about ham, perhaps you have heard it:
Once there was a young lady who cooked a ham at every Christmas. Every year the Christmas ham was prepared in the exact same fashion. The young lady would get her roasting pan, put in the ham and sprinkle the ham with spices such as cinnamon and brown sugar and honey. She would then cut both ends off the ham and place it carefully into her roasting pan and put it in the oven to bake.
One Christmas morning, the young lady's husband was excitedly watching his busy wife prepare the ham for the noon meal. Suddenly on a whim, the man said, "Honey, I understand everything about the process of the preparation of the ham except one thing. Why do you cut the ends off of the ham?" To which she quickly replied, " Because that is the way my mother taught me. I will call her and ask her why."
The young lady called her mother and asked the question, " Mother, why do you cut the ends off the Christmas ham?" To which the mother replied, " Because my mother did. I have always prepared it that way. I will call Grams and ask her."
The mother called her mother, Grams and asked, " Grams why do we cut the ends off the Christmas ham?" To which Grams replied, " I don't know why you girls do, but I do it because my pan is too small for the ham."

Gram' had a purpose, the daughter's were empty rituals. The ideas start out fine, then somewhere down the line, we lose the meaning- we become like mindless puppets performing rituals for no other reason than "I don't know"

So, are empty rituals harmful? I think they are. When our actions are dictated my mindless habits, we become reliant on others for direction and lose our creative abilities. Let me cite some examples to explain:

• Give a child an outline of a flower to color, and tell them that they are only allowed to color it red. If they do not challenge that idea (they stick with the empty ritual), not only will they miss out on the joy of coloring with the full box of crayons, they will have a difficult time recognizing the beauty in a Picasso, Dali, or Warhol. How Sad.
• Poems need to rhyme. Again, joy is dictated by an empty ritual, not allowing for many more facets of poetry. How sad.
• Have you heard someone ask "How are you?" when they really did not mean it? It becomes harmful because that relationship is no more than superficial, and will never grow. How sad.
• Know anyone who goes to church on Sunday? Did you know that Adults who attended church regularly as a child are nearly three times as likely to be attending a church today as are their peers who avoided the church during childhood (61% to 22%, respectively). They go because they were taught to-but many do it for that reason only- an empty ritual. How sad.

No, that does not mean that red roses, rhymes, polite people, and attending church are intrinsically bad- the empty rituals they can become are.

Look at yourself. Ask "why?" for anything you do.

Why do you put salt on food before tasting it to see if it even needs salt?

Why do you shut the door to the bathroom when no one is home?

Why do you say "God bless you" or "Gezuntight" when someone sneezes?

Why do you cross yourself when you pray?

Why do you go to church?

Why do you say "amen" after you pray?

Jesus said it best:

"Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:" 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."

So, do you get the point? If so you would ask why I wrote this. What is the purpose? Is challenging something a ritual in itself?

I do know, just ask me.

:^)

NO NEW FLESHY FURNITURE

I'm starting this off with a big *SIGH*. This past week at church Pastor Dave was teaching from the book of Joshua. More specifically, Joshua chapter 7, where Achan has taken the devoted things or "first fruits" of Israel's successful battle against Jericho. God then removes his blessing from the people of Israel until Achan (after a long, drawn-out ordeal that he puts his whole family through) admits that he took them and gives back the devoted things of God. The things were God's in the first place; God handed them to Israel. This poses the question: Would you rather have 90% of your money that is blessed or 100% that is cursed? It was an excellent question that I've been pondering all week. But this in and of itself wasn't the deal for me....

It was the part in Joshua 7:21 where Achan tries to justify his crimes by using words like "beautiful robe, silver, gold, etc. " In other words, (in my words that is), these things were so exquisite and tempting that anyone would have taken them... like seeing the keys in a shiny red Ferrari parked precariously in the dealer lot, with a sign that says.... this can be yours Vogel for ONLY blah blah blah (debt and chains). It was Achan's flesh, his sinful nature, his "me syndrome" or as Pastor Dave put it, his SINdrome, that led him to take the devoted things. It's the flesh that desires to have new, shiny, exquisite things, regardless of the cost.

In my case, those things are a new leather sofa, loveseat, chair, ottoman, coffee tables, end tables, hallway tables, paintings, etc. You get the picture. Oh, I can smell that buttery leather now! It would feel wonderful on me flesh!

We have no intention of going into debt for these things though. And as a family, we have vowed to never do that again. A combination of the Holy Spirit, Dave Ramsey, and years of paying "stupid tax" have attested to it. Thing truth is though, that we're still paying off that 'stupid tax' and debt (student loans, car, house).

God has been so gracious to us and as the years go by we are more and more abundantly blessed. We could, next pay check, go and buy the new furniture that I've been dreaming of. And of course I can justify it by saying things like "we need places for people to sit and sleep when they come for Thanksgiving." or "I really really need that new dining room suite with buffet hutch to serve the turkey on." Here comes the *SIGH* But, wouldn't it be so much more rewarding to work at paying the debt and stupid tax? Wouldn't God be happier with us if we work on getting out of debt instead of having new fleshy furniture? Well, duh, of course!

The Lord says in Romans 13:8a - Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.... The NLT says it like this: Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. So, I guess what I'm trying to say here is that instead of buying the new furniture (that we already have picked out), we'll put the money toward our debts, after we give our first fruits and offerings, that is.

We have faith that the Lord will bless us abundantly in many ways. A queen sized air mattress will probably be more comfortable than that lumpy sofa mattress anyway. Our family loves us and will be happy with the stuff that we have. And a folding table with loving family faces around it will be even more beautiful. Thank you Lord for all the blessings you've given us and the wisdom to know what to do with them.

Unpacking.....

Well, we moved into our new house this past weekend. A bunch of big, strong friends came and knocked out the moving in just a few hours! Mom and Dad also came from SC to help. I don't know what I would have done with my mom.... she scrubbed every kitchen cabinet and the bathrooms.... what a blessing!! A big hearty THANKS to all who came to help!

Now the unpacking has begun... The kitchen is pretty much together and organized. Everyone who knows me well knows how particular I am..... (and to a fault at most times). I abhor disarray! It pains me to look at piles of mess everywhere. That being said, the downstairs is neat. No pictures have been hung or anything like that.. but everything has its place, at least for now.

The upstairs is entirely another story. There are boxes lining the walls in the bedrooms and bonus room. This in and of itself is not a problem for me. The problem came yesterday when I was taking a shower. My darling children apparently were so excited to find all their "stuff" that had been in storage for the past seven or eight months... I guess they likened it to Christmas morning... so ensued a 'free for all' that lasted the 40 minutes I had locked myself in the bathroom.

It looked like an explosion of sorts. Boxes were everywhere... game pieces, easy bake oven parts, hats, mittens, clothing, legos, blankets, more clothing, more game and toy pieces.......AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I somehow managed (the Holy Spirit) to keep my composure... I went downstairs and didn't go up for the rest of the day. *sigh*

Thankfully John and David Keating (who was here visiting) managed to 'motivate' the darlings to pick up the bonus room. As for the girls' rooms... you can't even walk into them. The kids camped out on the bonus room floor last night.... with all the blankets, etc. that they had 'found'.

Today I have the daunting task of tackling the bedrooms. I keep going back and forth... thinking of giving the kids the day off from school. But my common sense tells me that if I don't keep them busy... who knows what they'll do to the downstairs when I am upstairs. Maybe I should go buy some duct tape. What do you think?

The Book Nook: Last updated 1/25/05

What are we reading?? Take a look at our book list:

1 Samuel

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

IT MAKES YOU THINK

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING BY CASTING CROWNS

Oh little town of Bethlehem, looks like another silent night.
Above your deep and dreamless sleep, a giant star lights up the sky.
And while you're lying in the dark, there shines an everlasting light.
For the King has left His throne, and is sleeping in a manger tonight.

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping,
For God became a man and stepped in to your world today.
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history, as a city with no room for its King.
While you were sleeping, while you were sleeping.

Oh little town of Jerusalem, looks like another silent night.
The Father gave His onlySon. The Way, the Truth, the Life had come.
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save.

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping.
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today.
Jerusalem, you will go down in history, as a city with no room for its King.
While you were sleeping, while you were sleeping.

United States of America, looks like another silent night,
as we're sung to sleep by philosophies that save the trees and kill the children.
And while we're lying in the dark, there's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky,
For the Bridegroom has returned, and has carried His bride away in the night.

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping?
Will Jesus come again and leave us slumbering where we lay?
America, we will go down in history, as a nation with no room for its King.
Will we be sleeping? Will we be sleeping?

NEW HOUSE

KITCHEN AND GREAT ROOM

Our first pool! FUN, FUN!!!

THIS IS OUR NEW HOUSE, WE MOVE IN ON OCT. 22ND!

Vacation Photos

Why We Homeschool

HOME'S COOL!!!

DISCLAIMER: WE REALIZE THAT OUR CHOICE TO HOMESCHOOL OUR CHILDREN IS JUST THAT: OUR CHOICE. IT IS RIGHT FOR OUR FAMILY AT THIS TIME. WE HAVE NUMBEROUS FRIENDS WHO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS WHOM WE LOVE AND RESPECT DEARLY. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT WE NEITHER JUDGE NOR CONDEMN OTHERS FOR THEIR EDUCATIONAL CHOICES. WE HAVE SIMPLY MADE THIS CHOICE FOR OUR OWN FAMILY. WE APPRECIATE YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT. ~ the Vogels


Why We Homeschool
~a summarization of thoughts from The Socialization Trap by Rick Boyer

Socialization:

The Myth: One of the great myths of our day is that they way modern America socializes its children is good and in fact the best way in which social skills and values can be learned. It assumes that peer groups are healthy for children and that this is why children are grouped by age in school. It assumes that children need lots of peer exposure and so extra activities are needed to bring children of the same age together even beyond school. To rephrase it, the great myth says that children need to spend large amounts of time with children their own age to learn to relate properly to other people.

The great myth can be seen as a compilation of related myths like these and amongst others:
1. School is a great place to learn social skills.
2. Constant comparison and competition are not harmful to children.
3. Team sports are the ideal way to learn teamwork, self-control and dedication to the goal.
4. Television is a valuable socializer because it exposes children to the world outside their own home.
5. Social contacts should be made at random so that children will meet a wide spectrum of personality and character types.

We believe that each of these assumptions is wrong. That they form the bedrock of contemporary public opinion about child social development is irrelevant. Practically everybody believes them; but there was also a time when common knowledge had it that the earth was flat. Why do so many people fall into this trap? They assume that normal living – home, community, church, and marketplace – does not provide enough opportunity for social development.

The school model for education includes a strong emphasis on peer group socialization. School children in America spend between thirty and forty hours per week with their age peers in large groups and the “well-rounded” ones more than that through extra-curricular activities. This has been common practice for decades and we are now conditioned to think of it as normal. Kids need lots of time with kids their own age. We don’t know just why, but we assume it’s so. After all, that’s the way the government school professionals do it and the government would never deceive us, would they? In school, they tell us, and not sheltered at home, children are able to come to grips with the real world. We don’t agree. Age segregation is a stealthy and sinister evil that is robbing our society of its humanity. We are careful to group people with those of different sexes and races, but age isn’t considered. Or rather, it is carefully considered and acted upon wrongly. As a result, we have become a fragmented society. We have a much-talked-about generation gap such as was unknown at any previous time in history. Boy scouts were once know as little gallants who helped old ladies across the street and anybody’s toddlers were everybody’s pets. Now it seems old ladies dodge traffic on their own and while many people still have time to smile and admire toddlers, a woman who takes three preschoolers to the supermarket leaves others wondering just what she wants with so many little rug rats, or if she knows anything about birth control.

Our point is that age grading of children in schools prepares them for a world that doesn’t exist. That is, despite all the hype about learning to get along with others their own age, people in the real world need to deal with persons of all ages. When the new employee arrives for the first day on the job, he isn’t told to report to plant B because that’s where all the twenty-seven-year-olds work. The neighborhoods in which we live may tend to attract retirees or yuppies one more than the other, but generally they contain a mix of ages. The real world is an age-integrated place.

In addition, we believe we need to protect our children from addiction to peer status and the many other dangers of indiscriminate companionship. Besides well meaning people such as some family members, friends, and some in our own church, there are plenty of other helpful souls who will assure us that it is socially destructive to “shelter” our children. Now let’s stop and think this over for a minute. Would it be so terrible if parents suddenly got less permissive and more protective? I don’t know about you, but when I think about the big social issues of our time—AIDS, drug abuse, alcoholism, teen suicide, racial tension, oppressive government, occultism, humanism, etc.- I am hard pressed to think of any that seem to result from children spending too much time at home. As a matter of fact, we happen to believe that it is the breakdown of the family structure, rather than the exaltation of it, that is the great contributing factor here. I wonder how many people are now dying of AIDS or how many teenagers suffering from the physical and spiritual trauma of abortion, who wish their parents hadn’t been so protective?

One line of reasoning we hear from the un-protectors says that kids have to make their own mistakes. They can’t live by their parents’ values and guidance forever. They have to experiment. They have to learn it all by experience. Hmmm. Did you learn it’s unwise to stand in front of a speeding truck—by experience? “But they need to experience the real world, to learn how to deal with what’s out there.” True. They need to learn to drive, too. But there’s a right time, place, and method. Besides, sometimes the appropriate way to “deal with” something is avoidance. We wouldn’t want our children to learn to deal with sharks by swimming with them or with poison by swallowing it. It’s not always easy to do what you believe is best for your children. The tide of opinion can be pretty hard to swim against. Some people are threatened by our example, wondering if they should consider making some similar changes for their own children. Most public and private school people will think we’re depriving our children socially. We disagree. What we have seen in school we believe will impact our children negatively.

Most of us can recall one or more adults from our school days who were good for us. We are thankful that education attracts many people who are there because they sincerely love children and want to help them. But all the adults who impacted us positively in school have not taken away the memory of the ones who affected us otherwise. Some of our memories are no doubt very inaccurate these many years later, but accurate or not, they have stayed with us. If adults treat children as slaves and peons, they should expect children to rebel or lose heart and give up. If they treat them as though they had no feelings adults are obliged to respect, they should not expect inspired students who will teach themselves and be excited about plowing ahead in a given interest area beyond material covered in school. The obvious conclusion in all this is simply that there are kind adults and unkind adults in schools, just as there are good and bad people in every group. We think the system of school as we practice it can make good people into bad influences sometimes. It seems to us that an important point and possibly the main point here is that when we put our children in school, neither they nor we have much control over what adults are put in charge of them or how those adults behave. By educating our children at home, we can protect our children from emotional abuse and we make no apology for doing so.

Another fact is that while children in school are very dependent upon and responsible to adults, the legitimate socializing value of the contact between adult and child is virtually nonexistent. One reason is that the adults are seen by the children as role models (even though some are not appropriate role model material). Another reason is that the relationship is narrow. The adult is the teacher, the child the learner. They seldom see each other outside that environment. Besides that, even in class there is neither time nor opportunity for in-depth communication between the teacher and most of his students. One study showed that the average instructional day included 150 minutes of talking, only seven minutes of which was initiated by the students.

The way to expose children to adults socially is to get them out of the regimented isolation of school and into the real world. In school, a child has contact with only one or two adults as a rule and that contact is very limited as regards to real communication. Outside school children have access to their parents, other adult relatives, neighbors, and church friends. In addition, there are any number of possibilities for short-term apprenticeships that not only expose children to adults, but to the real world of work and community in which adults play their roles and for which we are supposed to be preparing our children.

What does the structure of school do for children socially? It isolates them in an unreal world and separates them from the real one. It can teach them to value unimportant and irrelevant things. It can stifle their curiosity about life around them outside their own age group of humanity. It can teach them that some people (i.e., the ‘smart kids’, ‘rich kids’ or the ‘gifted kids’) are more valuable than others. It encourages them to be like everyone else and cast away their individuality. It can make them feel low and insignificant. It can rob them of opportunities to communicate with others. The way schools are structured today virtually insures that children grow up with unhealthy attitudes.

The main reason for all this is that, contrary to popular opinion, school in no way closely resembles the real world. The real world is a place where people of all ages live and do things together. School segregates people by age group so that the natural dynamics that build respect for the old and gentleness toward the young are not operative. Another dissimilar aspect is that in the real world people work to produce products and services to meet the needs of others. In school, people work only to learn to do the work and give other people opportunity to evaluate the work. No product, no service, no point. No satisfaction. No achievement.

Today’s emphasis on mass production lumps children together by birth year. This, of course, defies the finding of research that children differ in ability and readiness, that boys generally lag behind girls in maturity during the early years, etc. It should come as no surprise that eighty percent of “learning disabled” children are boys as are ninety percent of “hyperactive” children. But schools already have their minds made up; they can’t be distracted by the facts. It is convenient to group kids by age and so we do.

It seems to us that school structure is good preparation for a world that doesn’t exist. It teaches children that work is pointless, which it isn’t. It teaches them that creativity can be turned on and off at the ringing of a bell, which it can’t. It teaches them that all people should think, work, and act the same, which they shouldn’t. Unfortunately, age segregation is only one of a number of unnatural forces shaping the experience of children in schools.

Another is the so-called healthy competition in academics. Children are trained from the beginning to place value on a system of gold stars, percentages and grade curves that would be meaningless in the real world. Another is, “If you home educate your children they won’t be able to play team sports. They’ll miss out on such good character building opportunities.” We don’t need an elaborate, contrived system of gymnasiums and uniforms to teach our children cooperation and teamwork, aside from the fact that these things are widely available to home-schoolers today. What we need is that which is all around us: worthwhile work and healthy play with sensitivity not to our own status but to the needs of others. This happens better at home than anywhere else. In our own family, everyone learns that he or she is important. We all need each other.

· Labeling

Labeling can create self-fulfilling prophecies. People have a very strong tendency to do what they are expected to do and this is exacerbated in children, especially in regard to the seemingly omniscient and omnipotent adults in authority over them. We have seen this in action. Children become labeled and placed in ‘tracks’ that they very seldom get out of (by John Holt). It is no less than a crime against children to teach them that they are of less quality and value than other children. Thomas Edison quit school in the elementary grades and was taught at home by his mother because the teacher had labeled him “addled.” Benjamin Franklin only attended school for two years, during which time he was considered excellent in reading, fair in writing, and poor in arithmetic. He taught himself and became one of the best educated and most famous men in the world.

· Peer Groups

The “peer groups” into which we force children have many other powerful and harmful effects. Every now and then, at the mall or some other public place, I see young people, perhaps twelve or thirteen years old, sometimes even as young as ten, smoking cigarettes…The smoke tastes awful…They have to struggle not to choke, not to cough…Why do they do it? Because “all the other kids” are doing it, or soon will be, and they have to stay ahead of them, or at least not fall behind. In short, wanting to smoke, or feeling one has to smoke whether one wants to or not, is one of the many fringe benefits of that great “social life” at school that people talk about.

If the children have lived in the peer group long enough to become enslaved to it, addicted to it—we might call them peer group junkies—then they are going to smoke, and do anything and everything else the peer group does. If Mom and Pop make a fuss, then they will lie about it and do it behind their backs. The evidence on this is clear. In some age groups, fewer people are smoking. But more children are smoking every year, especially girls, and they start earlier.

Of course, children who spend almost all their time in groups of other people their own age, shut out of society’s serious work and concerns, with almost no contact with any adults except child-watchers, are going to feel that what “all the other kids” are doing is the right, the best, the only thing to do. (Ibid., pp.49, 50)

We’re sorry if you’ve been depressed by the negative tone of the preceding paragraphs. It will start to get better now as we switch from the negative to the positive side of the socialization question. We felt it necessary to spend the time on the negative aspects of the issue for a number of reasons. One reason was that most of us are so enamored with the idea that school and the other usual trappings of childhood social life are necessary, that we thought pretty heavy artillery was needed to tear down the false assumptions. We wanted to provide you with the substantiation of the fact that school socialization isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Principle #1: Social learning is a byproduct

We learn to have effective relationships with others in the normal process of living. We begin to build a real social environment for our children when we realize that school is an artificial environment unlike any situation in which they will ever again find themselves. Real social learning begins when we set them free from the captivity of artificial social environments and put them back in the real world. Obviously, social skills are important. We can’t very well get through life without knowing how to communicate, encourage, direct, organize, learn, negotiate, compromise and employ many other people skills. But we need to rethink the process by which we learn these things.

Principle #2: The family is a social group

We seem to assume that social learning takes place anywhere but home. This assumption is not shared by social scientists. Home is, in fact, the best place in the world to learn about living successfully with other people. It is, of course, the scene of nearly all our early interpersonal experiences. As children are being separated from their parents at ever earlier ages, the “generation gap” that once was thought to exist only between parents and teenagers is creeping downward on the age scale.

On another note, we continue to strive to give our children the best education possible, while nurturing their individual learning styles, interests, and spirits. We are committed to using a vast array of resources to make sure that their educational needs are met. But lastly, we believe that when you look back at our family, only a few years from now, you’ll see how well-rounded and educated our children really are. The proof will be in the pudding, and it will be so sweet!

Camera Hams

The kids get their hands on a camera any chance they can get!!

They love to take silly picutes of themselves.

They're asking Santa for a digital video camera for Christmas this year

so they can make their own movies.

Welcome

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to our blog spot!

We hope you enjoy your visit and

check back for updates frequently!

Many Blessings,

~John, Kirsten, Lilly, Jake, & Sadie

(Spanky the dog and Alfalfa & Darla the parakeets too!)