Parent's Rights

So I received a brochure from the school yesterday called "Parent's Rights: A Brief Summary of Procedural Safeguards" Call me crazy, but am I not the one who pays taxes for them to educate my child - so shouldn't I be the one to tell them what their rights with my child are and what I want done to ensure their safety?

One statement stood out: "You must be given the opportunity to participate in all meetings during which  decisions will be made about your child's educational services." At first glance this seems rational but the real question is what makes you think you are the one who gets to control everything about my child? It basically said that they are going to have the meeting and make the decision whether we are there or not, and we only have to be informed about what is going on.

Please don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to the whole education system. I was trained in education for a reason - I have a passion to work with children and to help them learn and grow. But I think that we need to remember that all of our good intentions will never replace the rights and responsibilities parents have for their own children. Schools can not take the place of parents, even if the parents are really bad. We need to help parents learn to be parents and to train and discipline their children. Teachers and administrators should only need to be concerned with teaching our children, not raising them.

Thanksgiving

Last year was my first Thanksgiving married and I was privileged to host dinner for my parents in my tiny apartment. It was something that we had discussed making a new tradition and I was ecstatic. However, things were a little different my my family this year.

This year my Mom really wanted us to come down and celebrate Thanksgiving with her family as it's been a difficult year for some.

Another difference this year was that our foster child was able to go with us to celebrate the day.

My aunt hosted dinner at her house and almost everyone from my extended family on my Mom's side was there! It turned out to be a great day and it was nice to visit with everyone. I also think that despite being nervous, our foster child really enjoyed it too.

We spent several days at my parents house enjoying the farm and just visiting my parents. Warren and I had a blast riding the four-wheeler and taking a trip to Knoxville to visit friends (my parents watched the kid for us), while our foster child enjoyed riding horses and playing with the rabbits and dogs.....not to mention she was loving having cable AND being allowed to watch it!

All in all it was a great holiday!

Now, if I could just get excited about Christmas that would be better!

Warren's B-Day

On Oct. 2, 2011 my wonderful husband turned 30! We had originally wanted to have two celebrations, one for our friends and family living near us and one for those who live in NC. However; due to scheduling conflicts and the like the first did not happen :(  But, the good news is that we were still able to celebrate with some of his other friends. 

So, this past weekend, we drove down to Asheville, NC. We arrived Friday night and had the opportunity to visit one of his college friends over dinner. 

The next morning we meet up with some more friends for a fun day at Biltmore. Although the house was really cool, I did feel like we were being herded through like cattle. But the great company made it all worth it! After visiting the house we roamed through the gardens and eventually made our way down to their winery.

At the end of the day we enjoyed dinner at O'Charley's, which was delicious (you can rarely go wrong with their potato soup)

I would like to thank the Burchett's, Ben and Steven for  making making the trip down and being part of  this celebration for Warren!!!

Myers Family Update

Lots has happened over the last few days in the Myers home!
As some of you may know, Warren and I just completed training to become therapeutic foster parents about a month ago. Since then we have been praying that God would reveal His purpose in bringing us to this place and for the children that would be placed in our home. On Sept. 30 (last Friday), a child was placed in our home and we have been on this fast paced ride trying to catch up with what's going on. I went to bed on Thursday night and woke up, suddenly responsible for another person....as if that's not crazy enough she's 16! I vividly remember 16, not a great chapter in my life, and I came from a stable, loving, and Christian home so it's difficult at times to relate to her. But, just to be clear, she is amazing, fun, and very likable. So I guess to make a long story short, we all could really use some prayers and a BIG thank you in advance!!
Another event that occurred over the weekend was Warren's 30th birthday!!! Our foster child participates in a horseback riding program at the horse park on some weekends so Saturday was a perfect day to go out and celebrate the big event while she was away.
Lately, we have been reading the novelization of the new movie Courageous....so we went to see the noon matinee. I don't want to ruin it for anyone but it is a must see!!! Plus, I think that one of the main messages in the film could not have come at a better time...it gave us even more motivation to provide the best home environment and solid Christian parental figures for the time she is with us. And of course, like most special occasions, we celebrated with dinner at the Melting Pot. Earlier in the summer we found a great LivingSocial deal for the Melting Pot so our dinner was half off, cha ching!!  Yeah, I'd say couponing is still working our well for us :p
I'm sure that the next few days, weeks, and months are going to be a major adjustment and learning period in our lives...we'll try to keep you all updated as much as possible!

Why didn't anyone tell me??

Truly Sad

When I was in college I was unfortunate enough to visit one of these "churches". It made me really appreciate the solid teaching from my home church. I am more open to varying styles of worship and preaching than I use to be, but it MUST come from God! It you are doing it or saying it just to draw larger crowds without receiving specific instruction from Him, then your work will be in vain and you will have a negative impact on the people. Our God is radical and will make Himself known through magnificent means, he doesn't need our "help" to make the message exciting or popular!
Actually, He even told us it would be unpopular! So why are we trying so hard to conform His message into what the world wants, trying to make it entertaining?

Here's the video............

Amish

I have always been fascinated by the Amish. At one point (not long before marriage) I think that I could have/would have liked to live that sort of lifestyle. Please note that I did not mention their "religion" as that is a topic for a different post someday, just they way they live in general.
So, I have been reading a book called Amish Values for Your Family by Suzanne Woods Fisher. The author has had several family members raised in the Amish culture and remains close to a few communities. This book is some of the best values from the Amish that you could or even should incorporate into your family's today with out "going Amish"
Below is an excerpt from one of the sections called Great Expectations. I found it to be very interesting and thought it was worthwhile to share :)

   "An elementary public school teacher taught her class about magnets. The next day, she gave them a quiz that included this question: "My name has six letters. The first one is m. I pick up things. What am I?" The teacher was stunned to see that almost half of the class had filled in the answer to that question with the word mother. 

   Amusing, yes, but with a sting of truth. We moms (dads, too) do too much for our children! This generation of parents has been more involved in their children's lives than any other before it, experts say-but they also place few demands on their children. Whatever the reason - busyness (it's easier to do things ourselves) or over protectiveness (our child needs our advocacy) -- we just don't expect enough from our kids.

   Short term, it is easier to do more for our kids. But long term? We end up extending our children's adolescence. "My son handed me a thank-you note to mail the other day," said Nancy, a mother of two. "He hadn't addressed it or stamped  it. He doesn't know how! He had always just given me the written thank-you note, and I took care of mailing it. That was fine when he was ten...but he's twenty-one! Sometimes I think I've hobbled my kids with kindness."

   By not asking enough of our children, we aren't helping them to grow up. In fact, they aren't growing up.

   Among 2009 US college graduates, 80 percent moved back home with their parents after graduation. That's up from 77 percent in 2008, 73 percent in 2007, and 67 percent in 2006. Today's young adults are going to school longer, job-hopping, and delaying marriage and children. Sociologists debate what could be driving these changing attitudes. Some blame a dismal economy; others point out that many of these young adults are children of divorce and thus are in no hurry to marry. But one thing they all agree on: today's well-educated, media-savvy, and wordly kids just don't seem very mature -- if maturity is defined as accepting responsibility for oneself and fulfilling expectations -- compared with where their parents and grandparents were at the same point in their lives. In today's world, thirty is the new fifteen!

   By contrast, no one could deny that Amish youth are well prepared for adulthood. A lifelong work ethic is well developed at a young age with household and farm chores. The Amish know that much of the on-the-job training for the workplace takes place at home as children participate in simple chores and tasks. They stare children off with age-appropriate chores as young as three. As children grow, so do their responsibilities. Expectations are clearly set. Income earned by teens who work outside the home is handed over to a parent, most often for purchasing a future property or establishing a business. Most Amish young adults marry in their early twenties and start their families within a year or two. While Amish parents may help to initially finance a child's farm or business, the young couples quickly become independent and self-sufficient. And solvent. Marriage and parenthood, for Amish young adults, are values goals, not burdens to be postponed. Adulthood doesn't come as a shock -- they have been preparing for it all of their lives.

   Taking the time to consistently train, follow through on expectations, correct and encourage our children isn't always easy in the given moment, but such an investment of our times will return to bless our kids again and again. And the ultimate reward? Adulthood won't come as a shock."

Some of what the author says is a blanket statement and while based on facts may have some heavy personal opinions mixed in, I think that the overall point is made clear. It's been a great read so far and I think that no matter what your family values or traditions are, some of the simple but powerful truths in this book are worth looking into.