tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061650.post7845596004666621844..comments2023-10-10T10:43:44.424-04:00Comments on cheaper than therapy: mini rant on parenting aheadDJ Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14597363296679699935noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061650.post-65360944316445051802008-11-10T21:31:00.000-05:002008-11-10T21:31:00.000-05:00Well . . . we raise our kids the same way. It's e...Well . . . we raise our kids the same way. It's easy now since our oldest will be 5 next month and currently at a Waldorf school . . . but thinking about grades, and do we do public school or not, Tim and I are wondering the same things. Those things and so many others that go along with it! :)<BR/><BR/>I think there are more people that think this way and so many more emerging all the time. Already in the last 5 years (since we were pretty much on board with these choices early) so many more people that we know have completely changed their standing on a lot of issues - no commerical toys, open-ended toys, organic food, no fast food, medicinal herbs, choices about vaccines and home birthing . . . just a more holistic view of life and way of living - eat locally, recognize the consequences of man and his greed, which is pretty much the corruption of many things, including food and nutrition!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061650.post-13216599283689403162008-11-10T13:35:00.000-05:002008-11-10T13:35:00.000-05:00Dave,It is good to hear from you. I have been thin...Dave,<BR/><BR/>It is good to hear from you. I have been thinking about you a lot lately. Thanks for the thoughts on parenting. I think mine is also a bit of frugality. But, I know that my natural state is one of rampant consumerism and I want to give my kids the skills to say No as I have learned to, but was not taught.<BR/><BR/>I love the Christmas trip idea. I would love to do that, maybe when they get a little older and we don't have such grandparental duties.<BR/><BR/>I hope you are right on Obama. He impressed me very much in the election and I hope that discipline and temperament are there throughout the presidency. He has potential. But, I am not an idealist.. that is for sure.<BR/><BR/>I hope he figures out how to deal with the extreme left, letting them feel empowered and listened to- without doing much for them (Republicans know how to do this with the Extreme Right).<BR/><BR/>I hope he learned from the good examples on both sides of the aisles.<BR/><BR/>Let me know if you guys are heading to the Bay area any time soon.<BR/><BR/>RickDJ Wordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14597363296679699935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061650.post-47585861827083873222008-11-07T21:53:00.000-05:002008-11-07T21:53:00.000-05:00Mark Twains advice, and I paraphrase:when they rea...Mark Twains advice, and I paraphrase:<BR/><BR/>when they reach the (pre)teens put them in a barrel and feed them through a hole. when they hit 16 plug the hole.Mike Murrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17953216797987615864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061650.post-62345540036018549112008-11-07T11:09:00.000-05:002008-11-07T11:09:00.000-05:00Hey Old Friend,As a parent of older kids, and one ...Hey Old Friend,<BR/><BR/>As a parent of older kids, and one who shares some of your values, I do have some thoughts on your struggle. We don't do the food thing, but we are anti-consumerism/commercialism. We began encouraging our kids early to think about the things we do value, instead of dwelling on why we don't value the accumulation of junk. So, for example, since we value spending time together and sharing new experiences, we take a family trip together over Christmas rather than exchanging presents. I could be wrong, but I think our kids feel lucky, not deprived, because they believe they are experiencing things that are more valuable to them than the junk their friends collect.<BR/><BR/>One other key component of our approach: give them an allowance or a way to earn money. If they really want some piece of crap, let them buy it with their own money. This teaches them to really consider the value of such items. I don't know about y'all, but my anti-consumerism/<BR/>commercialism is driven more by frugality than virtue. Put them in a position to make hard choices about the use of limited resources and you might be surprised how quickly they come to see things your way.<BR/><BR/>Good post. I enjoy keeping up with y'all through the blog. <BR/><BR/>Congrats on your guy getting the big win. If he can govern as he ran, ignoring the lefty moonbats, he may just be a great president.<BR/><BR/>Hope to see you soon.<BR/><BR/>Dave RiceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com