Today at aerobics the topic of homeschooling was passed over briefly. California is fighting for the right to home school. It is against the law unless you are a licensed teacher. It is a sad thing when parents are declared by the state to be incapable of knowing how to teach their own children. Well, the comment was made “some homeschoolers just keep their kids home to babysit to save on daycare”. Well I knew that might have happened once somewhere but I had never met any homeschooler doing that. I wish I would have asked this person if she knew any homeschoolers that do this or how many of the homeschoolers she knows do this. I believe she is just feeding some gossip she heard somewhere that feeds her viewpoint that no one should home school.
I disagree. Even if she knows of someone who did this, how does that compare to all homeschoolers. It seems that homeschoolers are often held to some higher standard by public schoolers than they are willing to adhere to. The number of children that complete their education and even graduate and still know so little is a very real and common happening. Their experience in school leaves them with no desire to ever read a book again.
Home school parents are often seeking to educate their children for noble purposes and desires. They love their children, like to be with them, and are willing to make the effort to help them develop a lifetime love of learning. They often give up the freedoms to go shopping, have a clean house, or develop their own projects because of the time put into their children all day long. These children grow up knowing their parents, knowing their own family’s values and culture, knowing how to learn, discover, work independently and so many good things. There are many parents, moms mostly that I know that are so glad to get their children in school. They are anxious for vacations to end, anxious for the schools to take over most of their daytime responsibilities of parenting as if a teacher with 25 kids all day would be better able to teach and influence their children for good. As if the bickering, backbiting, hurt feelings and self esteem based on A grades or success in sports is worth more than learning who they truly are and how God sees them.
I am not saying that all parents send their children to school for the benefits of state paid daycare. There are a lot of parents who get involved with their schools, make the effort to do things together at home, take time to teach their values to their children. All I am saying is that they are becoming a minority. More and more parents just want to send their children away as soon as possible for as long as possible.
As for this California issue and the comment I started with, I wish people would think an issue through before making general assumptions. Anytime the state decides they know better than the parent we all need to be wary. If the state decided that you couldn’t teach your children religion at home unless you attend a state approved school of theology because some parents may not be teaching their children right or maybe the parents are teaching too much, you might feel differently. After all those people in Wako were allowed to teach their own children religion and look what happened.
Ultimately parents are responsible for their own children. They are the ones that will be held accountable for the teaching, experiences, knowledge of their children. The sooner we accept each family’s choices and quit bickering over whose choice is right and allow for whose choice is best for their own family then we can all put the children first, allow for mistakes along the way, allow people to change their mind about what is best right now or allow people to change their plans and tailor their children’s education to what best suits that child’s learning style, interests, and mission in life. All learning, all education, not just family night topics, is ultimately our responsibility. We can take advantage of those who are placed along the way to help us. We each decide how much outside help we will accept but all learning is spiritual. All experience can teach us and bring us closer to who God wants us to be.
Doctrine and Covenants 29:34Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.
So we are the ones commanded to teach our children. We, as parents, are responsible. Mothers are to nurture. We have been entrusted with God’s children. When each of us is seeking his will and understanding, seeking to see these children as he sees them, seeking to raise them up unto him, how dare any of us think to judge another for their choice. May I be forgiven for the times I have wondered why someone has chosen to have children or questioned their style of parenting. We are each on a journey. We are each learning along the way and the sooner we go forward together without comparing or competing the sooner we will all progress in the way we should go.
Then the weather changed. Once most of the ice was melting we got hail. Big hail coming down fast. We even had thunder and lightening. 
Then finally the flakes started and kept coming all night I think. My boys were up at 5 shoveling snow. They each have 2 houses they are assigned to clear snow from for the winter and then there is our house too. Boy am I grateful for their help. Of course, Mr. Olsen went south for the week and beat the storm. We will just stay snowed in. I love snow days and snow cream. 
Our recipe for snow cream . . . 1 bowl of clean snow, pour sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, stir and enjoy. Can't beat that for easy and yummy.
