The Day....June 23, 2009

This is going to be another one of those really boring post. Then again, what makes a post boring I don't know. Since everyone likes to read different things, I guess it just depends on the reader.

Anyway, today was a typical school day for us. The only thing that was different about it was that Toby was home. Since transferring to a different shop his hours have changed he works all nights and is home during the day.

Don't get me wrong, I love him home during the day...just not on the days I am trying to work lessons in. No matter how quite he is being, there is just something about him being around that is distracting.

Somehow we finally managed to get school done. I think it put fire under Summer's ass when the neighbor kids were knocking at the door. She knows she can't go out until all of her work is done..even if that takes all night.

Due to the high temps, the next door neighbors kids ended up coming inside to play. The kids aren't bad at all, just a little "untamed". They at least listen and keep their feet off of the walls when they are over here. They are usually let to run wild at their house while their mother "sleeps".

Sometimes if I let my emotions out of control, I get to feeling sorry for them and their situation. I'm sure their mother feels sorry for Summmer too....the poor pitiful little unsocialized, friendless homeschooled girl. I swear she asks me every couple of months when I am going to send Summer to school so that she can be "socialized".

I should tell her to trust me in the fact that she is getting very "socialized" by being around her kids. You wouldn't believe the things I hear these 8-9 year old kids talking about while I'm awake eavesdropping on them while they play.

Any parent that believes they can protect their child from the outside world just by homeschooling them is in for a big surprise. Homeschooling or no homeschooling they find a way to "find their way"in this big world.

I am a perfect product of overprotection. My mother did everything in her power to protect me from the evil forces of the world. For instance....

She sent me to private school where I had to endure boys pull their penises out and show them to me, where teenage couples sit in the back of the classroom so the boy could stick his hand up her uniform dress and do God only knows what, where high school students retreat to the elementary school section to have sex in the bathroom, or where they sneak off at lunchtime in the car mommy and daddy bought them to smoke pot.

She also sent me to church which was probably the worse place to send me. After all, who suspects church youth to be doing anything they're not supposed to? Don't be fooled. I learned that visitation night was the night everyone could go out and have unsuspected sex after they visited. Also because I was going off with "church people" there was no reason to worry. I could go off with the church youth freely because it was unlikely that church kids were doing things like drinking, having sex or smoking pot. Anyone that believes that one is truly FOOLED!

She also kept me confined to my house and yard where I still managed to have sex with my first boyfriend in inconspicuous ways.

So see, I can only do so much to protect my daughter. My protection lies in having an honest and open enough relationship with her so that when she in confronted with a situation that she is unsure of she will not have any qualms about coming to her mother and discussing it.

I had this same kind of relationship with my now grown son. No, I was not shocked when at the age of 15 he came to me and asked me to purchase him his first condoms. He was never shy about asking me any sexual or otherwise related questions either. No, I was not shocked at all. I felt very proud and flattered that it was me that he came to.

All you can ever do is let your kids know you love them and are there for them without judgement when they make decisions.

I can only hope that my daughter and I will have the same teenage relationship that my son and I did...we will see.