Cloistered Home Schoolers

Great reading here if you have the time. Good things to chew on.

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/index.php?id=86&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=482

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/child-training/teens/article-display/archive////patriarchal-dysfunctional-families-part-2/?tx_ttnews%5BbackPID%5D=86

I have been and am a fan of Vision Forum and No Greater Joy. I think you have to balance all things out and not get too exteme one way or the other. We do know people who isolate and do not allow their children around others for fear of corruption. It's too bad that they don't join a local fellowship of believers. It's almost as though they're too holy for God Himself. After being in Ethiopia I can tell you they count it a blessing to be around other believers and could not FATHOM not allowing themselves or their children to enjoy church or each other. They count on each other to help raise their children. Hopefully you're not an isolationist. It's easy to get drawn into it. You become so wise in your own eyes that other people just aren't smart enough. Oh the pride...........

I could not imagine what Mike is talking about in the second article. My two oldest sons are 25 & 23, married with careers. Yep, I worked myself out of a job. My third son is going to college full time, just got done with his soccer season and his previous employer just called him to ask him if he would like to come back to work. He's a good employee who actually works. When you train them within a big family they'll gladly go do someone else's bidding for money. And then there is my daughter. She is seventeen and most likely will be married sometime in 2009-2010. I encourage her and will not hold her back. If she is sure he is the one, then who am I to tell her that she cannot live her life? One of the reasons we adopted the babies from Ethiopia when we did was that I knew we only had a short window of time when Sarah would be able to help. She was sixteen and I knew with her help I could raise two babies at a time while I was in my late 40's. When she marries they will be at least 3 1/2 and 3.

My children are God's. I gladly look forward to working myself out of a job and going to Ethiopia to minister with my husband and any grown or almost grown children that want to go.