Patrish Computers -- www.patrish.com
5455 US HWY 231 S, Beaver Dam, KY 270-274-0311
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Oh waah..... I lost the June stuff and have to try to remember what I wrote. Okay, Sunday, June 1, Matt came to sing, and it was great, as always. We surprised Mike. That is always fun. Plus afterwards we went out, hubby and I, for SubWay and to get kitty litter. Oh yeah. Kitty litter. This morning we inherited a couple of baby kittens. Thanks, Kim, for bringing the litters for us to choose from! What happened to Squeak? Oh, it is too sad! We guess he jumped from a tree last weekend, because his leg was broken. The vet being out of town until Tuesday because of the holiday, his muscles kinda drew and he couldn't be set. Tears in my eyes. So, it was amputate and hope he could live a happy life with no right rear leg (and pray tell how does a kitty climb trees and hunt and protect himself that way?) or leave him with the vet. Yes, tears. So, anyway, we got a boy and a girl, hoping we can keep them alive and healthy for many years. |
So I forget what else I wrote in between, but I'm sure part of it was about that cg was supposed to be here today. He called yesterday to say it will be next week when he comes. He is actually getting along with his sister. Go figure! Oh, and we had to name the kitties, so we just named them what we were calling them. The girl is Fuzz. Yes, I know it is the same name we gave Mom's cat, but I kept calling her that, so she is Fuzz Too. Jerry is so lonesome for Squeak and got used to calling that name, so his boy is Squeak. Yes, I know that is the same name, so I guess he is Squeak Jr. They need names to get their worm medicine and stuff. This was also pamper me day, not as in diapers, but as in pedicure, hair and nail appointments. And when I got back, Grandson was on the phone to share a part of his day with me. I love you, Zen. |
Amanda sent me a link on "unschooling" and asked if I'd ever heard of it. ( http://www.geocities.com/hsmomma/ ) It interested me enough to answer the following: That's a cute way to label it. I called it nurturing. I nurtured my son, my son and his wife are nurturing Zen. Being there for the questions, providing stimuli to encourage questions, paying attention to what is going on in the kid's (or kids') life to help them develop their curiosity... nurturing. To me it was natural. Quite different from the moms who lock their kids outside and say, "Go play." What it got me was a child who questioned EVERYTHING, including what his teachers taught. He became the child who investigated the school topics at the library and at home (if we had the materials) to gain more depth. Then he would challenge the teacher, citing his resources. They hated him, loved him, admired him, respected him, feared him. Even still. They definitely remember him. Zen is coming up on three, and, as his daddy, reads simple words, like his name, mom, dad, on, off, yes, no, cat, dog, etc. He knows more words, but isn't reading books yet. Son would float from topic to topic as a child. We spent months on rocks. He remembered everything we looked up, everything the museum guy told him--because that is what he was interested in. We spent months on art--and he got drawing lessons. He saw something about space, then we spent months with a telescope and finding answers to whatever his mind conjured.... like on the movies The Black Hole and Star Wars, how much of that could be true, how much is made up, or possible in the future. Many of our homeschoolers "protect their kids from tv, movies and other outside influences." We used them as a catalyst for learning. At three we played a game called FALLACY that I made up. I took it from my dad. When I was a teen and trying to convince him of something, he would tell me I was using fallacious reasoning. To my son, when we were getting to go outside on a hot sunny day, for instance, I would say, "Oh, look! it is hot and sunny. We better get our boots and umbrella." He would laugh and say, "Fallacy!" Yes, I taught him always to use his own mind; that is something I learned by default the hard way. It is okay for a kid to question even his parents, and the parents should answer honestly. This got me a child who, when it was time for that awful awful music, when I told him he couldn't listen to it, asked me, "What is your objection?" When I told him I didn't like it and I thought he would turn satanic from listening to it, he offered to use headphones, and if I saw negative behavior attributable to the music, he was willing to give up the records. This taught him consideration of others, our values, and music discrimination. He was able to separate the message from the catchy beat. Case in point, Tom Petty had a song out.... "You don't know how it feels..... to be me" or something along that line. He caught me singing and dancing to it (great beat, good line) and laughed so very hard, "Mom is dancing to a druggie song!!" I had totally missed, "Let's get to the point, let's roll another joint....." because the music FELT good. I made many mistakes as a mom, but, looking back, I think I did more good than harm. I remembered what I liked as a child, what I didn't like, plus had already had three years of college in psychology and education to help me develop alternative methods of dealing with a child, plus my mom and dad had learned through the kids that came after me what they could have done better. I can see in my son, in the wife he chose, and in their upbringing of Zen that parenting is a good thing, a noble "profession". I will always say that children should always have at least one parent available to them at any given time...... If they are at school, they should have somebody to call to come get them right away. I might even admit to telling my son if his temper was going to get the better of him, or if he was particularly bored, or whatever, to go to the office and call and I'd come pick him up. Just knowing he could do that is part of what helped him through school. Not wanting to leave his friends helped him control his temper. Well that is all I'll write today. You didn't ask for a book. Again, though, the answer to your question is, I think everybody knows about the method, few realize its benefits, some thing it is novel, but mostly it is the giving yourself permission to trust your children and yourself to know what the next step is. |
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cg is coming today!!!!
Oops! NO he isn't. Maybe Sunday. |
| Father's Day, which I will be spending with my father and mother. Maybe cg will get in today, too. |
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My Birthday. What did I get? Like, as if I even wanted anything! I have everything I could
ever wish for already. Well, I got something... Hubby was talking about going trucking again,
and I really like him here, so I got a project to keep him home: a motor home. 1977, not in
very great shape, but a good motor. For my present, he will be at home and he will work on it.
Yes!!!!
Also, today I got to meet cg and Ulysses. Ulysses loves me and cg will put up with me for a while just because of Ulysses. Plus I can help some with the puter stuff and have an extra connection to the internet he can use (broadband). cg is mountain man hermit looking in the picture I saw of him at Old Salt's place, but in person he is just another Ohio County boy. From his profile I can tell he is a good part Native American. cg is a quiet kind of a guy, pleasant to be around, and knows the value of loafing and taking it easy and relaxing and enjoying the shade of a couple large maple trees. Besides that he isn't even a dummy. Rosie and I went out for birthday dinners and she got me a chocolate cake to celebrate. She is so sweet to me! I really enjoy her company. Hubby didn't even mind me being away from him on my birthday; go figure! Well, I'm a deck of cards, but she finished the jokers a couple years ago. |
| Dad's Birthday. I remembered to call him, but called late so it would be okay for sisters and Bubby to call him ahead of me and remember him sooner. Three quarters of a century, and doing better than ever in many ways. My daddy. |
| cg came to church with us and I hardly had to bribe him with catfish dinner afterwards. That, to me, is a sign of true friendship, when a person will share fellowship with you. He got to hear me be the choir. It felt a bit strange with him there, mostly because I feel like he thinks of me more as Anna Maria Micelli or Patty Kake than who I really am. It was nice, though to be ourselves for a while, not pretending, not teasing, but just friendly. I will always hold a deep respect and caring for cg. I kinda think he liked our area a bit too. |