I know I can't be the only one of my species. (Well, I know I'm not because I married a guy just like me.) But I want a friend like me. Just like me. I want somebody to hang with. I don't want to be alone anymore.
Sure being a homeschooler puts me automatically in the minority. And being a Happy Little Republican allows me to fit in with 51% of the voting population and about 75% of homeschoolers, at least that is how it seems.
But even among homeschooling republicans, I am the odd bird. You see, I am an evolutionist. In fact, I'm a Political Conservative, Christian, Secular Homeschooling evolutionist who 'does" Santa, the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy.
And that just doesn't fit in anywhere.
When I meet a group of evolution minded homeschoolers, they inevitably start bashing Christians and/or Republicans. Though why they think evolution and Christianity must be mutually exclusive is beyond me.
Conservative groups are way too religious for me. When I evitably hear some child say that the Earth is only 6 or 7 THOUSAND years old, I balk and stare and say something...Which I know has caused some people to think I am a plague to be avoided at all costs. And yet, they ask me to teach science co-ops. (figure that one out!)
So I just float between the two worlds: the Christian Conservatives Creationists and the Anti-Christian Liberal Evolutionists. And I never really ever fit in. In both groups I have learned to keep my mouth shut.
The CCC's must never learn that I think Darwin was cool, I let my kids trick-or-treat, and that I hate all those forwarded prayer requests and religious emails. The A-CLE would be aghast if they found out that I am jumping for joy that Bush won re-election, that I am opposed to gay marriage, and that I think that God does have a plan for all of us, even if we aren't privy to it.
So here's my personal ad for a homeschool buddy. I need someone to hang out. Yes, I know it's snobby to want someone just like me. But it's human nature to not want to be alone.
Friend wanted.
Must be a homeschooler, preferably with a lot of boy children. Curriculum not important but if you are a pseudo-classical homeschooler who doesn't use religious materials...It would be a plus.
Conservative politics is a must but I have no problems with domestic liberals. I have some liberal ideas on domestic policies. If you didn't vote for either Bush's, don't bother to apply. (edited to add: If you didn't vote for Bushes I or II, it isn't a deal breaker. As long as you don't tell me how wrong I am for doing so. I don't berate anyone for voting their heart. I do berate them for not voting at all.)
You must believe the Earth is at least 3 Billion years old. However, use of the terms BC and AD is encouraged. I would also love it if you didn't find Genesis and "The origin of the species" to be mutually exclusive.
I would also like someone who has faith (any faith) but doesn't feel the need to talk about it, enjoy reading but realizes that there are also other things to do, and enjoys being with family but still sees the need to do things with friends.
You must also decorate for Halloween, hide Easter eggs, and leave cookies for Santa. (Bonus if you also have an Advent Wreath)
You must also be spontaneous, love music of all kinds, and have a good sense of humor and an understanding husband.
Having a special needs child and a disorganized home are major positive points! Living around the corner from would seal the deal.
I offer, to the person filling the above requirements, lots of distraction, a partner in crime, a place to hang out, kids to play with, curriculum to peruse, and someone to call and chat with.
I also pledge to support you in any way, loan you whatever I have, laugh and cry with you, and be your loyal friend.
I hope you write soon.
2 comments:
Janet, I'll have to pop over and visit you.
We have more in common that you realize.
I'm about 150 miles east of you, on the river. I was raised Catholic and married a Presbyterian. I also don't see the bible as a science textbook, more a collection of things for us to think about and advice to heed.
For halloween, we had two dragons, one knight and a wizard. (The Merlin kind, not the Harry Potter kind.)
I've never been to Canada though. It would be way too cold for me. D.C. was too cold for me.
I'm looking forward to 'talking" with you.
Sheila
Hi,
I had no intention of posting anonymously, but I couldn't seem to sign in with a new name, password. My name is Nerni and I live in sunny Southern California near San Diego. I would gladly be your friend. I too do not fit the mold of most homeschool groups. I am the mother of 2 very "zooful" boys, age 6 and 8. I'd say we are classical relaxed homeschoolers. Relaxed because we are child led in all areas except math, reading and writing and classical because all the schoolish stuff in our house is of the classical vein. I am a diehard classical mommy, but my boys would just as soon play in the mud all day, so we find a balance.
We are a conservative Catholic family who voted for both Bushes, but also for the democratic senator from our state. I quit going to the Christian homeschool group because I had to spend half my time convincing the other parents that "yes, Catholics are Christians and here is why....." I then joined a Catholic group hoping for at least some like mindedness and found that alas, I wasn't Catholic enough. Hmmmm.....didn't know faith had to be one specific very narrowly defined path within a certain set of very rigid perameters (sp?. The Catholic Church is beautful to us for the very reason that it is so broad. The non-negotiables are very clear, the rest is pretty open, including evolution. So I found myself joining a coop of all kinds of schoolers and it has been a good fit except that religion and politics never come up at all, which isn't reality either, as both are important to people who think about their life and the world in which they live. Too much walking on egg shells for me or always qualify your beliefs with the statement..."Well, for us.... but you have your opinion I know" I am by far the most conservative and that's no fun either.
I went to college at UC Berkeley so that time formed much of my early adult opnion, so there is enough democrat left in me to get my feathers ruffled when someone lumps me in, with "all those right wingers".
We teach that God got the whole thing started and from there things happened and no one knows exactly how all of it happened and there are lots of theories and we need to look at them, but...it wasn't just 6 or 7 thousand years ago.....please. My oldest, age 7 at the time, asked our parish priest, "When did early man become..well....human?" The priest was totally excited by the question and they had a good few minutes after Mass to talk about it. No conflicts here. It helps that our parish priest is a former NASA physicist and is an Episcopalian convert! Pretty cool!
I don't want my boys just hanging out with conservative Catholics and I don't want to limit what they learn about from others of different faiths.Their faith will never be their own if they don't discuss it. We do Santa, the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and this year even went to a "Day of the Dead" celebration with our friends of Mexican heritage. The boys loved it. Eyes rolled a plenty when they were telling their other friends about it and how they had made sugar skulls.
Don't know if all this info qualifies as a valid application but it's me and our way of life and we love it. My husband is an awesome dad and husband and for the most part says, "Sure" when I come up with something to do or try.
We don't find any inconsistancies in telling our kids that there is a Santa and then telling them to tell the truth. We also don't neglect the Jesus part of Christmas. Though my kids do know that Jesus was not born in December and they think the Santa in the mall is a "fake" helper. No conflicts there either. We believe that kids need to have magic and surprise in their lives and as parents we get the joy of providing it! This includes a little bit of fear through fairy tales and GI JOE is not neccesarily a bad guy.
So I'd love to be your friend, but there's the whole distance thing. If I could figure out how to log in, we could definitely be blog friends. I don't have a blog, but I do read several and yours is now added to my list.
Keep looking, others are out there. Probably more that you think.
Warmly,
Nerni
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