[quote]on edge wrote:
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
My oldest was in private school until sixth grade, now he is in public school (8th grade). My youngest is being home schooled. I asked my oldest if he wanted to switch to home school and he told me he’d rather be in school with other kids. He is an honor roll student, so I felt that as long as he demonstrated the responsibility of keeping his grades up I would respect what he wanted. (also, he is much older than his brother, so the curriculum would have been a lot more time consuming).
Many of you are probably wondering about the arrangement. I am divorced and I have joint custody of my kids and she has primary physical custody, although they do spend a lot of time with me.
I have found that as a part time dad, it is critical for me to make sure that I not only spend quality time, but that I go the extra mile to teach them about life. (as I am writing this, my youngest just spilled a glass of juice all over the floor and is cleaning it up by himself). So I very rarely take them to the movies or the zoo, instead I take advantage of many of the museums and historical places here in Washington. Many of my visits are scheduled around a “lesson” or showing them a point or perspective about something. I see them both together and individually, as the younger one sometimes isn’t ready for the lessons I’m helping the older one learn.
My proudest moment as a father was last year when my oldest was in the bathroom as school and witnessed another older kid bullying a younger kid. So he just stepped in between them. He didn’t hit anyone, but he didn’t back down either. He just stopped it. And when it was over, he didn’t go run and tell, he just went about his business. The other kid told the teacher what happened, and there was a “conference” about it, but I was very proud that my son intervened yet showed restraint. It all worked out in the end. To me, that tells me that I’m on the right track with my parenting strategy.
There’s been a lot of good advice given here, and I have to agree with push about instilling values in your children and not just leaving it to chance or trusting “the system” to do it for you. Character and integrity don’t build themselves. HT has made some fantastic points as well.
To answer the OP’s question, I’ve found that limiting the exposure to television and encouraging reading cuts down on a lot of the “brainwashing” that goes on. My kids are allowed a two to one ratio of books to television (and I approve the shows and the books, of course) and this is AFTER school requirements are met. They also play sports two seasons out of the year, what ever they want as well as one instrument when they are not playing sports (my oldest has gone from piano to violin to sax, the youngest is still banging on the piano). They are also in Boy Scouts (tiger cubs for the youngest).
To be honest, I am the luckiest man in the world to have the kids I’ve got. They are both smart, strong, tall and show good character. They will be outstanding Men when I am through - I take that responsibility VERY seriously. And they are both EXTREMELY handsome! LOL[/quote]
For God’s sake, Chicken, take your kids to the zoo or a ball game or a movie. Life lessons can be learned anywhere you don’t have to drag your poor kids to the museum. Are you kidding? I swear, if either of your kids ask, I will help them kick your ass.[/quote]
Oh, I do - I was more speaking of the movies and how I spend the MAJORITY of my time with them. They are both Caps fans, I was at the game with them last year when OV scored a hat trick and everyone started throwing their hats onto the ice! And we do the Washington Zoo and Baltimore Aquarium several times a year. Believe me, dude - my kids LOVE hanging out with me, even at the museum. My oldest used to go to Rugby games with me - I’d be carrying him on my shoulders and he’d be handing out refreshments…
Two years ago, my son went back to school after summer break and the first assignment was to make a “front page” newspaper with various articles about how you spent your summer, etc… And one of the sections was, ‘who is your hero?’ I was the only Dad to make the front page! Believe me, I GOT this…
As a parent, if I were to homeschool my child, I would wonder if my child will lack when it comes to the social aspect in their lives. You know, their opportunity to interact with other children of all ages. (Okay, I would not be concerned for MY kids since I’m a social butterfly lol, but in my profession, I do get asked once in a while about homeschooling, even though this is not my area of expertise). I know you’re no wallflower yourself haha, so I have no doubt that your children have plenty of social skills. I would love to know, since you can tell me first-hand, how your children felt about being homeschooled, and how they reacted socially and academically when they went to high school, after being homeschooled all their lives. Thanks, I appreciate any info you can pass on to me :)[/quote]