One of the arguments against homeschooling is, “You’re experimenting on your children.” Every now and again, it’s helpful to remember that if you send your child to school, you are doing the same: “What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades”. H/T to Brandon @Siris for the link. *** Funny story: If you’ve ever received a bit of handwritten text from me, you know that I have horrendous handwriting. In my un-scientific survey, I identified exactly one blood relative across five generations who... Read more
Fresh reports of horror out of Ireland, these far grimmer than what I had seen previously (which were grim enough). Is there something special about the Irish that makes them so cruel? No, there is not. It’s not an Irish thing, it’s not a Catholic thing, it’s not a nun thing. It’s an evil thing. On the question of religion, my advice is simple: If your religion commands you to commit evil acts, it’s time to get a new religion.... Read more
(I had to wait to post this until I got my kid registered, lest y’all fill up the classes he needed.) Those who followed me over here know I have this thing for Kolbe Academy. I wrote my own curricula the first few years of homeschooling, but by the time the eldest were in 4th & 6th grade, I needed to outsource a bit of the work. Of the major Catholic curriculum providers, all of which are excellent, this was... Read more
My friend Margaret Rose Realy writes: This summer I’m offering… A Gardener’s Retreat Saturday, July 12, 9 to 3, St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt, MI $65 includes lunch and a book! Come and join me for a day in the gardens on this lovely 95 acre site. Sign up at http://www.stfrancis.ws/retreats.html, under Special Offerings. Hope to see you there! If you are planning to attend, go ahead and register now (yes, today!), because she needs to get a minimum of retreatants... Read more
Saw a headline this morning about a young woman daring to bare skin for health and safety. I didn’t click through, but the photo suggested this was not some horrid case of misogynist cult oppression in a tropical dictatorship. More along the lines of: My very typical American school dress code impinges. I will not claim that you can dress modestly and still be fashionable. When the fashion is to maximize sex-appeal, you can’t demure on sex-appeal and still accomplish... Read more
Over at CatholicMom.com, I explain why you need to kick out of your brain that imaginary mother living in your head. Mythical Mom is what happens when you take a few general impressions and fill in the blanks with heroic detail: Mythical Mom is the warped product of charitable thinking (it doesn’t do to assume your new acquaintance is a lousy housekeeper until you have hard evidence it’s so) combined with broad experience. You know this mother who runs her... Read more
Over at Sherry Weddell’s Forming Intentional Disciples Forum, someone asked: Anyone have any thoughts on how to approach teaching sacraments to high school students in an evangelizing way? The other responses were excellent, and helped me form my thoughts. Building on the ideas of several others, here’s my answer: Everything you teach, you put in the context of the Good News. The sacraments are all about your relationship with God. When describing what happens in the sacraments, use active voice... Read more
Remember way long ago at the first of the month, when I wrote on eugenics and discrimination against people with disabilities? To help you put the “forced sterilization” portion of that picture together, combined with a summary of the legal situation that made such atrocities possible (and the legal situations that still exist today), Frank Weathers has compiled some mighty thorough, but entirely readable, normal-person-compatible reporting: The Tragic Tale of State-Sponsored Eugenics in America. Read. Read. You need to know... Read more
Quick note from a friend of mine, John McNichol, author of my favorite Catholic steampunk Chesterton-themed YA action-adventure novels: Howdy, folks! I’m putting together a few speaking engagements this summer to help fund the kids’ Steubenville conferences. If you’d like me to come out, spot me a plane ticket, a couch to sleep on, and contact me for a reasonable & affordable fee. Topics? You pick, I deliver! Here’s a link to a few local talks I did for the... Read more
We’ve got a new round of Catholic internet drama going, and it hardly matters what the excitement is this time. I’m keeping my nose out of it, because otherwise my post will lose its perennial freshness. Ever ancient, ever new — that’s Catholic craziness for you. Meanwhile, for those who haven’t sworn off iGossip and taken up gardening or macrame, here’s my three top tips for keeping your head on straight and your friendships in order, even when someone’s wrong... Read more
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