Adults only
Yes, this would be a post not suitable for young eyes and ears. Tonight brought quite an R-rated conversation that I had with my oldest son. My day went like this:
Another extensive day of academics, then extra-curriculars beginning at 4:30 with soccer for the boys and Hip-hop dance for my daughter (It’s actually, thankfully, very tasteful-no “Funky Cold Medina”). I made a quick trip to the grocery store while my daughter was in class (45 minutes) because our cupboards were bare. I picked her up from class, picked up my youngest from soccer, and drove quickly to the gym to take a class (Tabata) Work! Then, I went back to the turf field to pick up the other 2 boys from soccer. We arrived home around 8:30, and I began dinner-chicken Parmesan with precooked hormone-free patties. We ate dinner around 9:30, and they finally went to bed around 10:00.
So, now to my adult conversation with my son. It started out with me telling him about a book I’d purchased for him to read going in-depth on many issues such as porn and masturbation and STDs written from a Christian perspective. Then, he chimed in with questions about things that he’s seen or heard. We talked about condoms, oral sex, masturbation, STDs, AIDS, girls, protecting his body, and so forth. I hadn’t planned at all on having this conversation at 10:30 at night, but this is what developed as I sat beside him on his bed. He’s hearing and seeing different things from his friends and so forth, so he needed clarification and guidance on how to handle himself and the conversations. We ended our discussion with me emphasizing that he can always ask his dad and me anything, anytime. Such is the season that we are now in. This is reality for us, and I’m of the approach to discuss topics in real time with real facts. I don’t dance around issues. That probably stems somewhat from my personality and partly from my medical background. Equipping them to make wise decisions is a primary goal of mine as their decisions can have huge impacts not only on their own lives but on others, as well. Homeschooling offers you many opportunities to have these types of conversations, because you are with them so much. I’m thankful for those sweet moments. Parenthood is a dynamic process, to say the least.
The Nightstands and such
You will find many books in and around our bedroom nightstands, and I try to encourage quality literature selections although Pokemon slips in there sometimes. The only permanent media devices allowed in their bedrooms at present are a karaoke machine for singing and a CD player for listening to audio books. There are radios on the players, but I prefer the kids listen to music downstairs where I can filter what’s on the stations. I do let them listen to classic rock, pop, the oldies, and so forth although my house is usually filled with either classical or jazz music. I want them to appreciate talented musicians and the great songs that have shaped our culture, but there’s no since filling up their minds with words that may not be healthy, either. However, if a song comes on that has less than stellar words, we do discuss why I may not approve of that song. Those times tend to spur conversation. We all know music can affect you, and that influence can be of a positive nature or potentially a negative one.
Along those lines, I let them watch part of “American Idol” tonight while they waited for dinner..
Ivy League Homeschooling 