A couple thoughts on children.

I have been hearing things for years that just sort of... set my teeth on edge. I usually keep quiet because I do not wish to hurt the feelings of who ever is speaking at the time. 

1) I need to have ___ tested because they are 2 and not talking. No you don't. Now I will fully admit that some children have delays. No doubt. However just because a child is laid back, doesn't speak or act as you think they should when you think they should does not mean they are behind or autistic or anything other than a normal child moving to the beat of their own drum. 

Now if a child is 4 and says only 3 words, then yes get tested. At 2, spend more time with them working on words. Teach them, and learn yourself, sign language. Sign teaches more than finger speech, it is great for motor skills and toddlers taught sign show advancement in multiple areas, such as reading and comprehension. I have seen it work.

The sudden surge in "autism" diagnoses bugs me too. Autism has become the new add or adhd, which were the "popular" labels when my boys were young. Both were diagnosed, only 1 actually had the "disorder" and now as a 6'4" adult he has completely mastered the art of self control. Autism is an easy label because it is not well understood from what I can see. Anyone who is different can be labeled "high functioning autistic". No one will really ever know if the child is or is just a bit odd for their parents taste. it will be assumed for life, not just childhood that there is something "wrong" with them. It bugs me. I have no clue what to do about it but it bugs me.

2) The other buzz word that annoys me is "socialization". It seems that now days folks think kids need more than the family unit. Now I do not entirely disagree here. However I think if the church were to live as is shown in Scripture, that would take care of the issue. Preschool is just another way for others to begin influencing children. 

Now I do understand working moms needing a safe place to put their children. I do really. My first choice would be grandma if available. If not, then a church based place where you know your family values will be upheld. It just irks me when folks act like they need to get away from their kids or their kids need more than the family. 

Pioneer children did not get much more than their family.They seemed to do well. They were able to leave home and work hard and make this country great. True some had school, but most of their time was spent on the farm, their mothers taught them their first lessons and when school was unavailable on the really new frontiers, it was mothers who taught them then too. The Bible was what they were taught to read, the KJV even. Today many who graduate high school can not read and comprehend well enough to read a KJB. Now there are laws governing how and what our children are taught. Yet honestly, I am not seeing good results of modern education. Where are the Ben Franklins, the George Washingtons, The Thomas Jeffersons for today? Where are the truly honest and God like men like the men of old who first learned from the Bible at their mother's knee? None of the men of old were perfect, but they seemed to have something that the men and women of today are lacking. The biggest difference is how and where education now comes from.

This just seems to me another swing of the axe at the root of the family. First it was pull mom from the home and make her think she can do it all on her own. Then it was dumb down the role of dad and make him look stupid and unneeded. Now it is socialize the kids so they no longer need to first look at their parents, and start as young as you possibly can to do it. Place teachers above parents and take away the parent as final authority on what the child does with their day.

My theory is keep the children at home as long and as much as possible. Bring back the home and the church family as the nucleus of our society. Stop listening to so called experts whose first words are socialize, social interaction and so on. From where I am, looking out on the world, these experts are more a problem than the cure.

Now do not get me wrong, the pendulum can swing too far the other way as well. There are folks who take the separate yourselves part of God's word too far also. They forget that we are to be Christ to others and they keep out of the world entirely. I do not advocate that. What I am saying is, a toddler or preschool aged child is not yet well enough equipped to deal with the world at large. Care must be taken not to let the world in too soon to shape our children. As keepers of the home, and whether you are a working mom or a SAHM,m you are still charged with keeping the home, we must be constantly on guard for attacks, either overt (sex tolerance training in kindergarten) or slow and hidden (My mom says I can't, but in school teacher is always right). Job or no job our God given command does not end!

Now on to other news.

I did not get to my food challenge this week. With my job ending in just 2 weeks I am busy working out things so that I can run a smooth home and not a lazy daisy one.

So the foodie challenge will begin for real in February when I have time to do it properly!

hugs y'all