Kenneth Roberts is a great historical novelist. His “Oliver Wiswell,” a book about the American Revolution from a Loyalist’s point of view, is one I come back to with pleasure every few years. “Lydia Bailey,” about the Haitian Revolution and Barbary War, is also fascinating.

After spending three month unemployed, and getting hired in a tough economy, I feel as though I’ve entered a sort of “AA” for spendthrifts. I making headway on my balances, and have plans outlined for saving, investing, etc. I’ve also noticed that the stress of going from unemployed to new employment has left it’s effects on my waistline. This got me to thinking about how control of personal finances has a lot of parallels to healthy diet and excercise, such as impusle purchases/treats, planning ahead, etc. What are you’re thoughts on this?

Thanks,
R

Here is my question:

I just recently finished my first historical novel (The First Man In Rome). I have to admit, it blew away my expectations. Do you ever read historical novels and if so, do you have any recommendations? I can’t wait to get my hands on another one.

Andy

I do not wish to ever be the primary educator of my children because I know very well I would skew them with my own perspectives, no matter how hard I try not to do this.”

Trent, thanks for clarifying your opinion. It is interesting that this discussion comes up now, because I have recently struggled with something along these lines.

First some background information… I am staunchly libertarian, my husband is moderately conservative, and most of our friends are independents or liberals. We regularly attend church, but adhere to one of the more liberal, progressive denominations. I home school our children utilizing the Classical Method, and we are reading our way through “The Great Books.”

Now my dilemma… Recently one of my teenagers has been dipping into old copies of my husband’s “National Review”, and I have became aware of the need to counter this influence, which has alternated between being humorous and annoying. I do feel the need to point out that my son did this entirely on his own.

My approach has been two-pronged. First, I began purchasing “liberal” slanted media and keeping them around the house. My son reads everything, and I can already see results. (Whoever wrote “candle in the wind” was on target, so far as this child is concerned.) My second idea has been to organize a discussion group for the “Great Books”. Several friends and acquaintances have expressed strong interest in participating, and expect the final group will be quite diverse.

While it is true that I am the sole educator for my younger children (ages 8 and 10), I have long since ceased to be so for my teenagers (ages 14 and 16). The very nature of the teenage beast is such that they seek out what information they want, and the public library is their favorite source.

I feel that one of the most important contributions I am making to my children’s educations is that I am giving them the tools they need to formulate their own decisions. Will they be immune to my libertarian views? Probably not, but I do not feel this influence is any more so than it would be if they were schooled elsewhere. And besides, they love to argue with my opinions, and nothing makes them happier than when they shoot down one of my poorly reasoned arguments!

Also, Trent’s wife is a teacher, and if I were a gambler I’d bet she teaches in a public school. It is almost automatic that his experience of what is positive where she teaches will sway his opinion. I think the fact that he wants to send his kids to public school indicates the schools are pretty good. In our area, lots of public school teachers send their kids to private schools.

Since then, however, I have changed my mind. My niece has home schooled all three of her children. She is completely absorbed in the process, and they are more well-rounded than any other kids I know. Field trips are a regular part of their educations and they socialize with their peers on an almost daily basis. These field trips include all sorts of fun activities, from music and art related, to cheerleading and trips to museums, botanical gardens, historical sites, zoos, etc.

The parents each have special talents which add to the educational experience. The children’s natural interests are encouraged, as well.

One of my nieces has become an absolutely amazing designer and seamstress. Her plan is to go into fashion design as a career. Every opportunity is provided to get her there. Each child is given such encouragement and support.

As far as the academics, these children are way ahead of the average student in their age groups. They have built in tutors for individualized help at every step. Truly, no child is left behind. The kids exceed all state educational guidelines.

Of course, this is the best of the best home school situation. Any parent has the same opportunity for their child. With careful research and lots of commitment, it can be the best option for a child’s education. The only issue is whether at least one parent can commit enough time to make it work. That could be the missing factor for many families with both parents working outside the home.

I have so many ideas of different things to save for, but I’m not sure of the best way to approach it. In the retirement category, I’m maxing out my company match, so that seems right. I’m also putting $25/week into a Roth IRA with Vanguard. How useful is this if I’m hoping to become a stay-at-home-mom? Beyond retirement, I’ve got 2 months of bare-bones emergency fund in a Vanguard mutual fund (that I put $25/week into). With my credit union, I’ve got another 1.5 months of bare-bones E.F. in a money market. I recently read your post about doing a CD ladder for an EF, but do I transition to that & ditch the money market & mutual fund, or somehow do all of it?

After all that, there are liquid-but-not-definite plans for the future that will cost money. Saving for a wedding, saving to upgrade to a house from a condo (extra mortgage payments vs. saving??), saving for kids, saving for private schooling, saving for a boost toward college… Not so far in the future is the long wishlist of projects for around my condo for home improvement, which includes the junk heating/cooling system…

What’s the best way to save for all these ideas with different & undetermined lengths? Do you have a “bucket” for each one, just lump them all together, or only separate it as “emergency fund” & “other?”

Thanks for challenging me for thinking about money in different & smarter ways!!
Kate

I can teach my two kids better than 1 teacher can teach 25 kids. Yes, I am a college graduate, but I think this would be true even if mom/dad only had an eight grade education. Once the kids surpass mom and dad’s knowledge, local community colleges step in.

I like being around my kids. I love learning. My kids love learning.

I want my kids to be able to think in spheres and cones outside the box. School does not foster that.

I’m convinced the job market will be very different in 20 years, and I don’t think schools are preparing kids for that, unless they go into service or manufacturing.

I had some awesome teachers in PS, and I’m still in touch with one of them. The scene has changed though. While I had access to more AP classes than I could take, schools are lucky these days to have anything other than the 3Rs.

Every PS teacher I know thinks homeschooling is a good option. I know several PS teachers who quit so they could homeschool their kids.

The teacher your kid gets at PS is the luck of the draw. Last year, my best friend’s kid had a teacher who decided on Day 1 he was trouble. They had a horrible year. This year the kid has an awesome teacher that understands the kid and meshes with the family.

I like homeschooling co-ops. I purposely don’t teach any of my daughter’s classes, because she latches onto me. I do teach my son’s science class, and I teach science class for some older kids. The kids get exposed to different teaching styles and I get to do science experiments.

The only thing I don’t like about homeschooling co-ops is that I do have to be careful of what I say. There are many different reasons to homeschool, and some of the parents actually do homeschool for religious reasons.

We have time for 4H, singing lessons, piano lessons, Colorado Children’s Chorale, swim class, visits to the science museum, butterfly museum, art museum, and whatever other museum strikes our fancy.

When family emergencies arise, it’s no big deal to pack the kids into the car and go. School work can come with us. They miss their friends, but do not fall behind in class.

My kids surprise me sometimes. They can think on their own, and they don’t just take mommy and daddy’s opinion as their own. The classic example is that I’m agnostic. My husband is agnostic. While my 6 yo son is on the fence, my 8yo daughter totally believes in God and asks us to take her to church on Sunday.

I don’t think homeschooling is for everyone. My best friend could not possibly homeschool her son–he’s too argumentative and so is she. It’d be a bad scene. My sisters shouldn’t homeschool their kids. One sister’s kids need that daily interaction with other people. The other sister’s kids have control issues.

My son would probably survive public school. I think he’d be bored, but he’d survive. I suspect my daughter would be crushed like a bug.

If the kids ever come to me and say “I want to go to school” and it’s for a real reason and not “I want a lunch box,” I will let them go to school. It would be so much easier to send them to school, after all. (I could get an out-of-the-house job.) I doubt they will, but who knows what will happen once the hormones kick in.

In my experience, few homeschoolers do this to restrict the kids’ information. Even the super religious homeschoolers I know still want the kids exposed to other ideas, so the kids know what is out there.

My husband was not into the idea of homeschooling. After a few years, he is. We both had decent public school educations with teachers we liked, but we think in this day and age, homeschooling is the appropriate choice for our family.

We are by no means wealthy. But we sacrifice to send our kiddo to private school. We live in a “good” school district, but public schools in our state focus far too much on teaching the standardized test – and little else. They do NOT teach children how to solve problems or think for themselves. To succeed in the future, our children must learn to solve problems. Teaching to the standardized test does not accomplish that.

And talk about indoctrination. The left-wing, anti-capitalist indoctrination now pervading the public schools is far more dangerous than a religious private or home-schooling education.

We chose a moderately priced private school that focuses on problem-solving, critical thinking skills, entrepreneurship, etc. My favorite part is the business and entrepreneurship class – even for kids as young as 5. They learn about revenue, expenses, profits, marketing, etc. The older kids even have an elective to launch and run a business, with the help of a mentor in the community.

Preparation at our private school for standardized testing totals about 5 hours for the entire year – compared to hours upon hours each week in the public schools.

Also, disruptive behavior and social promotion are too pervasive in the public schools. In our private school, if you don’t perform (behaviorally or academically), you’re out. That way, the kids who want to learn are not dragged down by the dregs of society.

Studies show that private schools succeed not necessarily because the education is better (I don’t think it is) but because there is more parental involvment. If I’m going to pay out $5000 a year per child – I’m going to make sure they’re getting the most out of their education…and hold my child and the school accountable for it.

But it’s about personal choice – I think my point to Trent was that it’s not reserved for those with ample resources, many of make HUGE sacrifices for our children’s education…that’s a priority for us.