rw brother bitchin my ten yr old is TOO intellectual

[seabeyond]

and i need to stop him from reading adult books. i told him how absurd any parent saying put the book down. no reading for you. told him it is who my son is. he told me i am the mom, and i could make him not want to read.

is that the most stupid thing. i am mad mad mad i tell you

this was after telling him about a handful of things happening today politically, oh like bush breaking the law. and bush saying he doesnt have to follow the law. the 10 yr old strip search ok by alito. he was telling me i am naive, dont know what i am talking about and what am i doing reading the internet and believing it. all the while telling me he doesnt watch news or know what is going on because there is NOTHING we can do. he concluded we needed to support our commander in chief whether the man is right or wrong.

all the while telling me my son was too adult and he needed to be a kid and i needed to make him be a kid. my child has never been a kid. i cant make him be something he isnt

but you are the mama my brother says, you can make him.

ended the conversation with him saying this house was too intellectual. like it was a bad thing.

i dont get it. just do not understand this thinking or lack of thinking

[Lars39]

1. You have an idiot for a brother.

I've got one, too. :(
I would wonder what he is saying to your son out of your earshot.

[seabeyond]

6. that was another part of the call, the few times he has had son alone

he put him in his place a couple years ago. brother brought it up. i just let it go when my son had told me, and never left him with brother, without me around. nope, brothers cant appreciate sons oddity. brother said he wants it to be just normal, wants his sons to be able to grow up with my son in normal ways. edmund has never been normal. told him, you are telling me i need to change son. not worth it

just sad.

[Lars39]

12. It sorta sounds like he resents your son

making his sons look "dumb", so then he feels he has to drag your son down.
That's a sad situation. So needlessly divisive in a family. :(

Everybody needs the opportunity to live up to their full potential.
It's so easy to discourage boys from learning at that age.
Do what you need to protect your son.

:hug:

[seabeyond]

16. thanks lars

i just am so supporting of him and his boys. with my other brother and his daughter, who is living here again. and time and time again this son gets attacked by cousins, and uncles. just enough.

i apprecaite it

[trixie]

53. you need to break ties

and protect your child from this nonesense. Don't keep him in this turmoil. Don't let anyone, not even your family, pick on your child.

[seabeyond]

57. i dont

i told brother the one time he had my son, without me, he just had to put him in his place. that was two years ago. take note, he hasnt had son since. same with older brother. he did the same. but then most adults have this need to do this to this boy. it is sons lesson. my son doesnt sit in turmoil. i told brother that is what is an advantage to this kind of boy. he may be hurt at first, but he will go over it and assign responsibility to the appropriate person. stressing owning his part, and understanding why and being ok with it. but,....... also recognizing adults may not be perfect either.

i say to brother, i just dont know why you cant see all the good in who he is too.

but your right, they dont get alone time with him. i dont put up with it much. son intuitive enoough, he knows they feel this, and we have talked it out often

[trixie]

65. my dad and sister are assholes

and we haven't seen nor talked to them in years. The best thing we ever did was to completely break ties. Usually assholes want to run the show and be the center of attention. When we first broke with them we went it alone. Now everyone (the normal ones) have come around and have broken ties with them too. Holidays are joyous now and not an all out batte. Please note, this has nothing to do with politics but more about living your life how you want.

[kevinbgoode]

132. Who told your brother that he alone defines what is "normal?"

Does he think people are cloned....is he so insecure in himself that he can't handle anything that is different than his own narcissistic image in the mirror?

[PretzelWarrior]

2. WTF? My 10 year old daughter is such a reader and so articulate

can really express herself and has a sense of humor BECAUSE WE TRAINED HER TO. Read to her since before she was born. Read to her constantly as a baby and young child. Taught her to read. She reads voraciously and knows WTF is going on in the world.

Your brother is a sad case if he really says stuff like that.

My brother and sister get a kick out of how smart and precocious my daughter is. Quite conversational and confident.

My Mom and Dad are slightly intimidated by it. Like they were of my brains. Weirdest thing.

[seabeyond]

9. when he was a baby and beyond i would tell family and grandparents

get him books for presents. he spent more time with books even before he could read. he would sit with books figuring out the pictures. it is sad. i have taken care of both brothers kids because neither of the mothers are part of their lives. have been for years. yet neither brother can accept son. they feel they have to put him in his place. i just had to rant after this call. i couldnt say anything to anyone about this. would start a family fight. just geez.

[PA Democrat]

21. seabeyond, you have given your child wonderful gifts-

the love of reading and education. Take comfort in that because it will last his entire life. It sounds as though your brother feels that he has failed his own children.

[seabeyond]

27. well hey, he doesnt need to. he has his gifts in his own way

i would never make him less or his love of his kids or what he is able to give them. i just dont need him to do it to mine.

thank you

i feel much better now. appreciate you all

[tlsmith1963]

106. My Grandmother...

...recognized that I wanted to read. She started teaching me when I was 3.
We went to the library all the time. No one ever discouraged me from reading, & I come from a Republican family! Maybe the times have changed, because Republicans seem a lot more ignorant & stupid than they were when I was younger. And they are *proud* of this? Sad, very sad.

Tammy

[seabeyond]

109. it is much more ok for a girl to read than a boy. it is the "girlie boy"

girlie man to do. my three, males....brothers and father sittin at christmas table a year ago, and a comment was made. my son make a crack about girlie men. i laugh, ...... and look at hubby and say how much i love my three girlie boys. my father and brothers were so upset, their heads spun around as if i ad slapped my husband. no i say, ..... they totally embrace the girlie man they are, and i love them so

my males, did not appreciate this. we gigle about it.

anyway, that is one of the issues in this area, boys dont sit around reading. girls do.

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. I agree with the previous poster: your brother is a dimbulb

and probably a douchebag to boot. Tell him your kid can help tutor him with current events anytime he sees fit to start acting like a citizen instead of a child himself.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. He's just jealous of his nephew's intellectual prowess, I guess

[leesa]

5. He's putting you down because he's jealous. It's the Republican way.

It makes him feel better. Tell him not to stop by anymore and he won't be contaminated with intelligence.

[seabeyond]

11. i did tell him doesnt matter to me if they like my son or not

if they cant see the good, regardless of what might be irritating, tough. they dont have to come by. doesnt bother me. not gonna try to make son "normal" for him.

[kineneb]

7. Tell your brother

if he gets any stupider, you will have to water him twice a day. That ought to shut him up.

[AspenRose]

8. "Sissy book learnin' is fer libruls."

Yikes!!! Behold the era of "Blue Collar TV!"

Oh, and since he feels so strongly about supporting the C in C, ask him if he supported Clinton during the 90s.

(yeah, that's what I thought)

[seabeyond]

13. i swear it is embracing the stupid we are. thanks bush n/t

[tsuki]

24. My son was four years on the academic team in HS.

Every Friday, the school had a "pep rally" for the football team. They would work out all kinds of strange schedules so that they would not miss the same classes each Friday.

Four years on the academic team, and not a mention of the team at a "pep rally" or assembly. What does that tell you about Repuke priorities? (And yes, I live in a red, red area.)

[seabeyond]

28. very red here too

lots of the confrontation. son will challenge. my son is smart, but i dont know if he will ever do what your child did. grades arent important to him. he is so obtuse in life. forgets everything. would love to sit under a tree and do all self learning. that is his idea of heaven. pat your son on the back. so you understand. i finally got kids into a school that is tough with academics, grades adn academic acheivements actually mean something to this school and dumb isnt what is embraced, smart is expected and demanded and allowed in this school.

[tsuki]

31. I think son was a member because of the social factor. He loved

the meetings and the challenge. Was an officer the last two years.

It is amazing that schools put so much emphasis on sports when there are only about 300 professional sports jobs that open each year.

[seabeyond]

32. ya and i was thinking

reading about your son. mine is just 5th grade. who knows by the time he is in high school. might be settled and focused and mature enough by then. certainly wouldnt want to limit him. but yes. that is why we were so excited about this school. there would be more like minded people. i on the other hand was the athlete in highschool, wink. got away with everything. got a scholarship before i graduated and grades werent great. i know that road

[CornField]

10. Deepest condolences. I also have such a brother. *sigh*

I'm to the point of holding the phone away from my ear and doing the "uh-huh... uh-huh... oh... ahhhh... uh-huh"

Some children tend toward athletics, some toward art, some toward literature, some toward music... it isn't our place as parents to mold the children into who we want them to be, but to allow them to discover who it is they wish to become.

[seabeyond]

15. that is what i was telling him. he wouldnt get it

he was saying edmund is like this because of me and being so political. but it doesnt matter if it is politics, spiritual, male/female behavior, adolescence, wwII, pacific assault, biographies.... this kid has read the book real boys. he loves to learn. bad boy bad.

and my brothers boys are athletes. i was too when i grew up. my son could be good in any sport, he is talented enough. just doesnt hold his interest and doesnt want to spend all his time doing it. likes to read. can scultpture clay like you woouldnt believe, then he gets to think. and loves to talk, to adults.... who are accepting.

he is just different

[in_cog_ni_to]

14. He just found out his nephew is more intelligent than he is

and it threatens him. It's part of the repuke modus operandi...keep 'em stupid and they won't know what we're doing.

Just tell him it's none of his damn business what your child reads and thank heaven he cares enough to know what's happening in his world. MORE than your brother does, right?

You're a good mom! I can tell. :hug:

[seabeyond]

19. ah thank you. i think it is a good thing for

kids today to take the time and care enough to be aware. i am thinking we may need them.

[immoderate]

17. Keep up your good work.

Your brother will have him joining gangs and knocking over gas stations.

--IMM

[seabeyond]

22. his call was about his just turned 13 yr old smoking

and what to do about it. well..... get him a book on smoking, lol lol. actually i told him to take him out 2 miles everytime the kid smoked and let him run home. a little unhealthy, tons of healthy.

[area51]

18. anti-intellectualism

There certainly is an anti-intellectual streak in some people in this country. It's more than sad; why else are we falling behind in science?

What about telling your brother that for all you know, you son may find a cure for cancer; would he like to stunt an intellect that could benefit humankind?

[seabeyond]

23. there you go, hadnt thought about that. he was talking about son high

iq. i said, dont know dont care. really he does brother says. or i say, he has average iq and reads a lot who knows, who cares. to me it isnt even about iq. it is just who he is.

ssshhhhh..... my youngest started talking to me about mlk tonight and washington dc and franklin monument, lol lol. wait until they realize my second one is a closest intellectual too, he just fools people. ba hahahah

[madokie]

20. Thank you for giving to us, Your son

HE is our future leader. tell him madokie says stand up for what you believe and take no prisoners our country demands honesty

[seabeyond]

26. i love people like you all that embrace smart

so kind, so good. i asked all at the dinner table, what is wrong with a house of intellectuals? why is that a bad thing? but yawl make me feel better.

[HeeBGBz]

131. You are doing the right thing

It appalls me at how the RWingers have turned intelligence and intellectual into a dirty word.

You have a fine smart son and maybe he'll change the world for the better someday. Tell him we all believe in him.

[Rainscents]

25. Sounds like, you're raising your son right...

You and your son is intellectual and your brother hate the fact that, he is NOT! He is very jealous of you both! When people feel insecure about them self, this is what they do.

[seabeyond]

29. it isnt wrong for our children to be politically aware, surely?

i mean really. this should be a new post. it isnt wrong, and i am not taking being a kid away from my child. they do plenty of kid stuff. but it IS a good thing for kids to learn at a young age to know what is happening in their world. TOO many people dont know, dont care or are hopeless. that is our problem in the u.s.

[Rainscents]

30. You're right!

My parents thought us politics at very young age... always at dinner table as, this is only time when the family is together. This is reason why, my whole family is involve in politics even today!

[seabeyond]

33. i think so too, thanks

and it is fun too. so much to see and learn all different sides. we spend a lot of time at the dinner table too. best time of the day. good, appreciate

[wicket]

34. I'm not a violent person but...

...this guy really needs a kick in the head! It is a WONDERFUL thing that your son is already such an avid reader and should be encouraged not made to stop. Ignore him, and kudos to you and your son! :thumbsup:

[seabeyond]

37. appreciateit wicket

ignore it, it will be

[wicket]

49. Your son sounds like he has a bright future

:)

[daleo]

35. He's just jealous

An intellectual ten year old can be quite intimidating to a right winger. It's really not a fair match up.

[seabeyond]

36. bah hahaha i think

this was the funniest. yes, i see your point. thanks for the laugh

[LWolf]

38. What a picture perfect illustration

of the way the RW has managed to take control of the nation.

By demonizing intellect, putting forward a probably dyslexic, learning disabled president, and encouraging people to avoid thinking, they have managed to dumb the nation down to a non-thinking bunch of sheep who repeat what they're told, don't question, and fiercely defend their right not to think. At the same time accusing the public ed system of doing the "dumbing down," so that they have a handy scape goat.

It's ironic that the same anti-intellectualists blast their schools, local and nationally, for "dumbing down."

It's really a brilliant strategy. The more intellectual you are, the more you think and question, the more blatant their hypocrisy, greed, and agenda of mass distruction becomes. Those that think and question are more likely to pursue higher education. Therefore, colleges and universities are filled with "liberal" professors who can't be trusted to teach "truth." The "regular guys" will tell it like it is. And they don't have to bother their feeble brain cells with any questioning, analysis, or synthesis.

The more educated people get, the more likely they are to be "liberal," because the RW "platform" can't be supported unless you are deaf and blind, or unless you will openly embrace greed, racism, classism, nationalism, and all manner of "hate" positions. That's why "liberals" have been demonized, and that's why the RW have been programmed to be anti-intellectual.

[annabanana]

43. 100% correct analysis..

You have nailed it precisely. This has been a tactic for a long time. Back in the 50's they vilified "eggheads" and people in "ivory towers"....("highbrows")

The names have changed, not the tactics...

(on edit: deserves it's own thread)

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

46. Even goes back to the 1920s.

You read "Babbitt" by Sinclair Lewis and the dialogue sounds exactly like today's suburban Republicans that we all know, except the slang is a little old fashioned. But it's the same narrow-minded mentality.

[Cats Against Frist]

80. You left out part:

Meanwhile, they have political operatives over at the Heritage and AEI think tanks with a string of letters behind their names, who study the "philosopher king" tomes of German Intellectuals, Ancient Greeks and the "egghead" classicists pretending like they don't exist. Who do you think "thunk up" the propaganda? NASCAR Tony? No way -- Harvard, U of Chicago, Notre Dame professors, comfortable in their right-wing ivory tower "thunk up," the grand propaganda plan, including the part where they pretend like they don't exist.

The most ironic thing is that the left-wing ivory tower trusts the freepers enough to try to give them all the information that they have. Their own right-wing masters feel they need to tell them the "noble lie," because they're too stupid to handle the truth. People like the OP's brother, lend credence to their case, I guess. Too bad the left-wing ivory tower respects him more than the intellectuals of the right.

[rucky]

39. Get your brother a copy of "My Pet Goat" next X-mas.

My Uber-Right Wing aunt was complaining that her daughter was "too independent" and "too confident"

She said this to me (masters in teaching) and a friend who is a special ed teacher. We jusl took at each other, then I say, "Well, there are worse problems to have."

[insane_cratic_gal]

40. Did you ask him if he supported Clinton?

"he concluded we needed to support our commander in chief whether the man is right or wrong."


Hypocrisy. I love it when they use that line.. it's the slap me line.

[seabeyond]

41. he is a single poor hardworking low pay father

he was griping how not just single mothers need help but single fathers too. i told him i was right there with him. he should have voted kerry

he says

i am repug

he doesnt even know what he is talking about. was in an alcoholic fuzz during 90's would probably say clinton who?

[Guaranteed]

42. My BOSS tells me I'm too intellectual.

Tells me he hasn't read a book in 30 years.

[annabanana]

44. there is little as infuriating to me

as proud, pigheaded ignorance........

[deutsey]

48. Ignorance is strength.

[seabeyond]

51. we kinda see ignorance as weakness and slavery

go figure

one of my many bumperstickers.

you think education is expensive, try ignorance

[deutsey]

56. Reality is what they say it is. 2+2=5, Winston.

If I say I'm floating off the floor right now and you simultaneously believe that I am floating off the floor, then I'm floating.

:sarcasm:

[seabeyond]

59. this i have reallly learned from bush's. i now use the argument

not all things are opinion. there are facts out there. if i give you a fact,...... you cant say just an opinion. cause you say it doesnt make it so. but saying bush broke the law. planet more than 6009 yr old. they say, that is just your opinion.

no fact. a difference

[seabeyond]

50. my brother has said that, and his older daughter. they

say it with pride. just amazes me. i have been thinking about it now, and next day, i think i am even more bothered. this brother tested at an outrageously high iq, yet takes so much pride in not thinking. it has made me aware, just since our conversation, how the kids and i have tlaked about so many "intellectual" things in such a small period of time. we enjoy thinking. it is fun for us. it is our conversation and interaction. just getting ready and dropping kids off to school, authoritarian system, kkk, superstitions.... those are just a few subjects we touched on getting ready and off to school

what do people od with their time, if they dont think. my oldest son and i just dont believe anyone when asked, what are you thinking, and they say nothing. we dont know how to think, nothing

[glitch]

94. Sounds like thinking was too painful for him. Thus the alcohol, now the

refusal to think. He may be actually trying to help your son, since he found thought so painful he may be hoping to safe your son from it. Perhaps he was abused for being smart and dumbed himself down to avoid that pain.

He may be well-intentioned, but lacks the courage to try and see reality as it is, because reality is painful. It's also extraordinarily beautiful, which your brother is missing and will continue to miss.

Congratulations on the path you've chosen, you are a very caring and thoughtful Mother. Wise, even. It sounds like you are preparing your sons to face ignorance with the strength they'll need. Maybe your brother didn't have that kind of preparation, so he retreated into the safety of the herd.

:grouphug:

[seabeyond]

98. you are good

that is WHY i am so bothered. i love this man. we are a close, tight, uncondition love family that they cant embrace my son. yes. you are right. i know it is him trying to save him. thank you. really from the heart i appreciate this insight. very nice. gonna read the rest of your post, but this truly was a gift

on edit: after reading your whole post. another thank you. ultimately it is about love. resolving. that is what makes us so good, i know it can be done. it always is done in our family, 44 years of his crisis crisis crisis, that he needs for his own stimulation. i am just sure this guy is bi polar, cant get him to consider that. he talks his extreme highs. just last week he was challenging this with some dared to say i wasnt a christian. one of his bornagains.... i was proud thinking he was getting out of box, but last night, clearly he jumped back in. all about the drinking and facing reality. he is so scared of it. doesnt hurt me at all. hurts him lots.

anyway way more deep than what we generally talk about on this board. but sure is a huge help. i do thank you

[glitch]

113. I bet you are right about the bi-polar. Keep being proud of his attempts

to break out of the box, and try not to be disappointed when he retreats.
I think that is the process. It's very encouraging that he sometimes tries, and each time he tries and doesn't die he gets a little stronger.

Wouldn't it be so great if he learned how to not fear his intelligence from watching your sons?
That's how it works I think, when we are lucky we learn from the next generations.

The best to you and your family!

[seabeyond]

118. ah thnak you

and i learned this so many years ago, i tell nieces nephews, my kds, all kids that will listen. the gift they have given me in knowledge just by watching and learning from them. it is not a one way street here, and a big thank you

yes

[dogfacedboy]

45. Fundie sister in law says I'm an elitist.

My stats: Tradesman occupation(machinist). Bachelor Degree from a community college. I like music, READING, films, art(certainly no connoisseur;I just know what I like), sports and family/friends. To her, I'm an elitist "'cause I don't get into 'normal' guy stuff like NASCAR and snowmobiling." She saw a Studs Terkel book on my kitchen table and asked me why I read "this high brow, elitist propaganda." I asked her what the last book she read was, and she said she hasn't read a book that didn't involve child rearing since she left college--
TEN YEARS AGO !!! Oh, yeah, her Bible, too.

I just can't see how I could be mistaken for an 'elitist'. Just another code word. I'm sure she learned that from FOXnewsfordummies.

[seabeyond]

54. exactly

doesnt it just leave you with mouth hanging open. and it isnt like we were raised by parents who didnt think. my mom explored all kinds of different paths and thought. she gave us the thirst for knowledge.

[deutsey]

47. A rightwinger asked a friend of mine (very contemptuously):

"So, I guess you're going to send your daughter to college, huh?"

This same rightwinger has accused me of being brainwashed because I went to college.

:shrug:

[seabeyond]

60. wow

i am really liking these stories. i knew this. but i dont think i really knew that people were really behaving like this. it makes no sense to me what so ever. what we want for our children and future, what we want for ourselves, that we would look at knowledge as a bad thing. finding it hard to wrap brain around

[rpgamerd00d]

52. This is what you say next time: (READ, its GOOD)

"Are you sure you aren't adopted?"


Trust me, it works wonders.

[seabeyond]

61. really, i always thought i was the one adopted, lol lol n/t

[mattclearing]

55. The wonders we could do if people just let their kids be smart.

Kids are so much smarter than we give them credit for. There is no such thing as being "too intellectual." Especially in this country, right now.

We need something to balance out the multitudes of fucking numbskulls.

[elehhhhna]

58. LOL. It is called "Willful Ignorance" and your brother is a Master!

I find it interesting he'd attack your son in retaliation for your attacking Bush. Perhaps he loves his Prezzydent like family? Like a big stupid daddy or something?

Be proud, seabey. Your son is an intellectual threat to his elders and he's only ten years old. Now ya know what Mary went through raising little Jesus.

[seabeyond]

63. bah hahaha

i like. i like

Your son is an intellectual threat to his elders and he's only ten years old.

gosh and just ten. think the threat by the thinking adults. yup. why they hide so. you are just right.

you analogy of the jesus thing isnt so far off, in that, to take a child that is so different, and really allow him to bond and love self in his difference, not be beat up too much in a world of normalacy is a lesson that will ultimately build strong character, or .......

i prefer seeing it is making him stronger

he has already had so many challenges facing him to where he will go with group to get along, or stand as individual. he cannot let himself down. so he has learned to accept the repercussions, even if they hurt a tad

[foreverdem]

62. It's fear

He knows that anyone who is educated will not walk in lockstep with lunatics like those in this administration.

Keep encouraging your son to read, and to question what he reads if he feels it does not make sense to him. You are doing him a great service.

[Loonman]

64. Stupidity is a well known RW trait

Crucial to support of the party.

[MadHound]

66. Tell your brother to shove it, God knows this country needs more

Intelligent people in it. I was much like your son when I was growing up, tall and fit for my age(grew up to 6'5"), but not really interested in athletics. Read vorciferously growing up(still do), and active in politics(started protesting the Vietnam war at 9, worked for McGovern at 11). Was considered a very odd duck, and have had to deal with an anti-intellectual enviroment all my life. I was fortunate in that I had parents who encouraged me in my pursuits, and my father also passed on a love of working with my hands. I wound up a pretty well rounded person, intellectual by day who works at a research reactor where we're devoloping new cancer treatments, and love to work the land, and old cars and with my hands on the weekends. You're doing a great job with your son, and pay no attention to what your brother says, for apparently even he admits he's an idiot.

[seabeyond]

67. admits he's an idiot

isnt that the truth, as he says i dont know anything and this si the way it is. ya

hey, appreciate you post on your experience. i see it as a good thing for son too. i dont, DO NOT, see him being deprived anywhere in life. i look at who he is and his interests. books, discussion on everything, politics, everyones religion and non religion, scultpture, target shooting. everything but focusing comes easy to him. his life isnt hard for him, it is what others do that make it a challenge. gosh, i like hearing your experience. thank you

[MadHound]

69. You're welcome, and don't worry about his focusing

At least not until he's a couple years into college with no declared major. I was(and still am) like a sponge, taking in everything I possibly can. Go through kicks of comparative theology, politics, chemistry, literature, etc. etc. just drinking it all in. A high IQ combined with some serious curiosity is going to result in wide ranging interests. Give him eight years or so and he'll figure out what he wants to do, or perhaps not. He might be one of those people who has multiple interests, and thus will have multiple professions. I had multiple majors and degrees in college, and have used all of them, except for history which was just for fun. It's all good, and he'll wind up on his feet. And if you're brother keeps bothering you about lack of athletics, tell him that target shooting is a sport, hell, it's in both the summer and winter Olympics.

Now just wait, in a few years he'll get interested in something really fun, like pyrotechnics:evilgrin: Oh yeah, chemistry can really be your friend!

[seabeyond]

74. bah hahaa i love how you always leave your posts witha evil little

grin. funny funny

the focusing isnt about narrowing or limiting him in what he wants. it is not being in total confusion in what is happening in his day, what direction to turn, lol lol lol. he is so often in brain that when he stops and looks around, he doesnt know what is up.

but, we give him tools. he is young. he is trying.

he was one when about 8 i say stop, hol hand out and he took eight steps to me before the word stop, and the hand stop went into his head

hence the challenge. but does make me giggle.

[bumblebee1]

127. Seabeyond's brother will have to learn to cross country ski first.

n/t

[Roland99]

68. You should run some covert ops and remove all the Kool-Aid from his house!

[seabeyond]

75. funny you

his almost 18 yr old daughter who is totally missed up has been emailing me. i have been telling her to get out of self and involved in the world around her. not sad, it empowers. at least she would be aware why things are happening. now thinking i will probably get in trouble for encouraging her to think, lol ol. also sent barnes and noble coupons to his boys. hm.... wonder if they have used those

[Roland99]

90. ooo...subversive...me like!

;)

[seabeyond]

95. i know, graceland, bruce, neil young, tracy chapman

greenday,..... all the songs i have on my computer that i hand picked, 100 songs, all rebellion in it or old time mellow. i sit at the table and teach my kids to speak up, challenge, question authority and then i sit back and laugh..... what kind of parents teach an 8 and 10 yr old boy, and 13 yr old neice to stand up, look in hte eye and speak out by gosh. your responsibility and obligation ot mankind. kick ass. lo loll lol

but you had better damn well be respectful to me, i am going ot give it, i demand it. or go away

it is fun

so much more fun, than not playing the game. we like it. makes us laugh,

[Roland99]

100. .

:thumbsup:

[MadJohnShaft]

70. I have my 7 year old trained to say 'George Bush lied about the war'

I sometimes wonder how often he drops that bomb on people through the course of his day ;)

[seabeyond]

78. i truly tell my boys, do NOT repeat after me. if you have something

to say, you had better have done the research and know what you are talking about. no parroting. that is important to me. i do not want a child that just repeats, i want a child that is able to think through and decide on his own. that will serve him well. it is their obligation and responsibility in communication to have the facts, and have them well thought out. anything else, isnt good enough. wink

[seabeyond]

81. btw it was the word

trained. but...... i do hear what you are saying and am sure that is not..... exactly what you gave to your son. just the word, wink. and it is factual. my 8 year old came to me yesterday all excited that there is another democrat in his school, lol lol wink

[Cats Against Frist]

71. I tell this story, all the time, when these threads come up

I have an uncle who once asked me what I was studying in school. I said "literary theory," and he asked, "what's that?" and I attempted to explain a few elements to him. He waved me off, and said "I don't want to know anything about that, I like things just the way they are -- I don't need to analyze it." Then he told me that I knew all that stuff, "but he bets I can't drive a backhoe." He then went on to denigrate college professors, saying that they "don't even know how to change a light bulb." And this guy is a Democrat (albeit a conservative one).

In some ways, he has a point -- obviously trade and skill are important -- he runs an excavating company, and we'd all be shitting in outhouses, if it wasn't because of him -- on the other hand, the people who invent many of the systems that he digs holes for are engineers -- and have advanced degrees, and are college professors.

And, on the other hand, the only reason he's attacking me -- and the only reason your brother attacked you -- is from jealousy and fear. They think we look down on them, like they're worth nothing, or something. I can tell you that this is not true for me -- I value skilled labor and I'm very pro-blue collar. Some days I wish I could get up and go dig some holes or string some wires together, instead of waking up every morning with Gilles Deleuze's rhizomatic headache, with Walter Benjamin's hashish-wrought satanism on one shoulder, and Derrida's binary-oppositional constructs on the other. It would be a hell of a lot easier -- and a much more pleasant existence. If I'm not mistaken, two of those motherfuckers killed themselves.

Oh, my contextual epistemologies for a monster truck...

[seabeyond]

93. during the campaign i told people, you dont do the research

you dont have the information. firstly you arent interested, you odnt have the time, i do.......my point is, i am willing ot do the work and you do not do the work and admit it. so why...... do you dismiss what i say as if you know shit. why not just say thank you, cause you are doing you stuff.

my son and i have actually had conversation about thinking. we have chatted, when asking a person, what are yu thinking, and htey say nothing. we do not get that. we do not see how you can not think, at any point. we never stop thinking. i say to these people (husband being one) well you are thinking, you just dont want to share, and that is cool, but think you must.

nope

bah hahaha. edmund and i dont know how to do that.

it is just, diversity. different people. i bet it is so easy at times, to not have to think, as opposed to thinking all the time. it is tiring. and it causes challenges, like these, with family members, friends, my kids teachers

[smoogatz]

72. That's why "right-wing intellectual" is an oxymoron.

Wingers don't believe in book learnin'.

[YOY]

73. Yes! He is right!

Your son needs a steady diet of Disney and Pokemon!

What are you doing? Raising an intellectual!?!?!?

You know those kind of people get in trouble with the law all the time in Bush's America! Teach him not to think! That's what smart people do! :wtf:

[seabeyond]

101. ex: when oldest was 2 pokey came along. i always said no to pokey

i told him, was manipulation of adult from company to make money. i wont be suckered. so no pokey for you. but..... little bear, oh i love little bear, and pooh is for you.

you know

lol lol lol

oh

here they are 8 and 10 and they say, why does this commercial do this, it is just wrong. or why are they conditioning kids to believe ....... that is just wrong.

go figure.

[mopinko]

76. got the brother, got the kid

about to cut ties to the brother, although i do not see him often. favorite sister was turned into a ditto head by her second husband. had enough of that pain, too.
but, your bro is a repug, don't they believe in self reliance? but he leans on you to help with his kid? hmm....

but the kid, now. you do WHATEVER you have to do to protect that kid, and don't flinch. i have one like that. we homeschooled for 8 years because i knew that was who he was. a true auto-didact, but also a sensitive soul who cannot stand unfairness AT ALL. i knew that being in a big bureaucracy would eat him up. he is 20, still a hermit of sorts, but happy. sane. in one piece. that is all i care about.

[seabeyond]

104. wow..... to you

interesting interesting. i have gone all over with this kids enviroment. i started in a private christian. i hadnt experience fundamentalist, so i thought christian, was hey, .... me. not. lots of rules. but, there was love so we were able to do it. spiritually, by spring 2004, 3rd grade,...... repug hate, disdain, religious leaders telling their flock jesus said you would go to hell if you did not vote for repug in year of 2004. people were saying, democrats are not christian. i am a democrat (i grabbed onto label cause democrats need me now, i am independent). he looked his teacher in the eye and said, is my mom a good christian. ....... not cause he was confused, but because he wanted to hear his teacher say it. clearly i did not follow the good christian rules, clearly i walked christ path and couldnt be challenged. this was the lady that held a bible up and said, but it says we are to be exclusive. i say inclusive, if we are all one.

with 9/11, and what the children see in the growing hate, if they dont have an understanding, i jsut see so much more confusion for them. i was concerned about him, the same as you. he is learning how to be different in htis world, and it will be ok. these children are hard, but interesting. i am so happy for you. i alway keep option open of homeschooling. am even open to boarding school on the east coast with true intellectual elitists, living on cape cod.... inlaws. a doctor and lawyer, lol

[mopinko]

107. if you can get him into a gifted school

he will be with his "own kind", maybe. but you just have to do whatever you can to keep them protected. they are so easy to crush. i did send my son to school when homeschool got too hard for me. he had an awful time. most of that had to do with a whacked out body clock. but when he dropped out, i had to support him.
good luck. your son is WAY, WAY more important than your brother. WAY, WAY. don't even look back.

[coffeenap]

77. Same dynamic in my extended family. And we have the only BOY in

a family of 8 grandchildren. What a surprise when the "boy" wanted to read and to learn and to know how the world works instead of learning how to box and make fun of girls! My kid is now 16--he is wonderful! Stick to your guns-the stupid relatives are just that, stupid. And, unfortunately, they are EVERYWHERE!!! Go intellect! Go brains! Go books! Go knowledge! (Btw, our younger daughter is just as aware, and just as cool!):hi:

[seabeyond]

105. my youngest hides it more but he is at least there

and is much more clever in his manipulation of challenging. much more the diplomat. the oldest, bullhorns. my KIDS intellectually stimulate ME.... that is fun. i have so few people in my life that are able to do that. why i am on this board so much. but my kids can do it. i think that is grand personally

on edit:

high five

[KansDem]

79. The hearkens back to the 1994 election when GOP took congress.

It was the "I'm ignorant and proud of it" election. I remember the Newt Gingriches bashing "east-coast liberal intellectualism" and how being stupid was more akin to American patriotism than being smart.
:crazy:

[Hello_Kitty]

83. Been the theme of every election since, too.

Intelligence and critical thinking put you "out of the mainstream". Oh the horror! :eyes:

I'm becoming increasingly convinced that the much vaunted Mainstream is something I want no part of.

[seabeyond]

108. further we promote it with sound bites,.. no more than three or four

if any huge ass subject has more than three or four words, then it is boring. not worht listening to.

then, our fellow dems get mad at our dem representitive, if they actually think things out. they stop listening because they are bored. they jump on the right wing rhetoric. totally insisting on the dumb down, right along with repugs. hence, anger at kerry and long winded. god forbid a person actually sat down and listened to what the man said for 20 minutes. toooooo long. regardless that he discussed, iraq, health insurance, education and small business in that twenty minutes. giving his vision of how it could work

twenty whole minutes.......

and he is dissed. ignored. or said, see no plan,..... as he just laid it out for 4 huge issues, in a mere 20 minutes

[Hello_Kitty]

82. It is terribly disturbing to read this

Unfortunately there are many, many people who think like your brother. How could it possibly be a good thing to discourage reading and thinking? It's as if they WANT this country to go back to the Middle Ages while the rest of the world moves on. Tell your brother that education made this country no. 1 in technology and scientific development. Does he think we would have gone to the moon and have a space shuttle program if the NASA scientists had been told to put their books down when they were kids? How about medicine? Aargh! :banghead: I really feel for you seabeyond. As terribly flawed as my family is in its own way, they at least value education and learning.

[JHB]

84. Your son was "too adult" and "needed to be a kid"?

Well, since your brother assumes that HE is an adult, what's on HIS reading list? Any "adult" books?

[EVDebs]

85. Remind him of NoChildLeftBehind not being fully funded

...you're doing YOUR part by home-schooling him !

[seabeyond]

112. in the last handful of years, i keep telling brother, one has to step into

adulthood. get beyond the 18 year old mentality. he keeps taling abut play play play, and acting like a kid. i tell him, adult is fun too. personally my kids and i find kid a bt challenging and restrictive. we like the adult world. he proudly reads nothing.

[stellanoir]

86. oh dear

Sounds as though you are doing great work raising a thoughtful and wise young man. Congrats.

Somewhat similarly, my elder brother was the biggest liberal alternative energy dude who was really funny long ago.

Ever since he got hooked on the hamm radio and acquired property, he like many, became a wingnut, espoused faux news talking points exclusively. It's a tough thing to bare witness to.

Thank goodness our kids are inherently smarter than we. We could consider listening more than telling with this brood I swear.

Just remember. . .the old adage. . ."the only thing worse than family is not having them."

Chin up and though it isn't a universal truth, often moms are the only ones who know what is best for our young.

Trust yourself.

[Helga Scow Stern]

87. Have you read Animal Farm lately?

I listened to it on tape while we drove back from Idaho for Christmas, and it explains that Republican mentality better than anything I have seen.

Blind allegiance to the leader, no matter how much of a bully they are, no matter how unfair and dishonest.

It helped me to understand our Republican fellow citizens.

[seabeyond]

116. i.... bought 1984 this week. let son cut class

to go to barnes and noble. he had 50 in xmas gifts. and here we sit..... in puffy chairs...... reading. and i finally bought 1984. i am going to read this weekend then put on his shelf. if he wants to read. animal farm is my next one, wink

[Festivito]

88. He's right in a way, but dumb in why, and especially in how.

There are some things we will never know. A kid should know that. That life has many mysteries. That for as many answers we may find, more and bigger questions arise. It's romance. It's imagination. But, such grows on knowledge, not by denying knowledge.

This is where your brother is wrong. He falls short of ability to understand and projects that lack upon his children. Sad. Even maddening.

BUT, the next mistake he makes is stopping his kid from reading. Te-he-he. His kid will read even more: more widely, more fervently.

PLEASE, instill mystery, imagination, romance, and tell that boy about things we do not know. It only takes a minute or two. But, it's truth and it will last a lifetime.

[ananda]

89. are u shure

u 2 r from the same fambly?

I have relatives like that, but not quite that bad.

Some are fundie and rightwing, some are rich and rightwing.

But they're pretty nice and funny overall.

Still... I haven't talked to them in a long time... because I'm so
fucking depressed and angry over the state of the country.

Sue

[AnneD]

91. This anti intellectual virus

is not a good sign. It is usually intellectuals that are seen as a threat to the order (New World Order). People are frightened of free thinkers. They are usually the first to be 're-educated'.
edited to add....My daughter became politically active this year. We protested at Crawford Texas. Once she saw for herself that all of my 'crazy protestin friends' were normal (just like her), she was hooked. Best of all, she thinks and reads between the lines now.

[Raster]

92. your brother has swallowed the koolaide. The sheeple are conditioned

not to think, not to question, not to examine. They are told at every turn they can't make a difference. Don't try to change. YOU ARE POWERLESS! Your brother is a mindless idiot. Sounds like your brother is being enough of a child for himself and your child. I think I would tell your brother that until he grows some cognitive reasoning ability, he can have no contact with your child.

[Dunvegan]

96. Knowledge is Power

From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_burning

Caption to above photograph:
"Burning books is often associated with the Nazi regime. On May 10, 1933, Nazis in Berlin burned works of Jewish authors, and the library of the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, and other works considered 'un-German'.

Book burning is the destruction of written works whether the medium of destruction used is fire or deletion."


Book burning is the practice of ceremoniously destroying by fire one or more copies of a book or other written material. In modern times other forms of media, such as gramophone records, CDs and video tapes, have also been ceremoniously burned or shredded. The practice, often carried out publicly, is usually motivated by moral, political or religious objections to the material.

"Burning books and killing scholars" in 212 BC is counted as the greatest crime of Qin Shi Huang of China. The writer Heinrich Heine famously wrote in 1821 "Where they burn books, they will end in burning human beings."— Dort, wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen (in his play Almansor). Just over a century later the Nazis did exactly as Heine had predicted.

The Ray Bradbury novel Fahrenheit 451 is about a fictional future society that has institutionalized book burning. Burning books is often associated with the Nazi regime. On May 10, 1933, Nazis in Berlin burned works of Jewish authors, and the library of the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, and other works considered "un-German".

Many people find book burning to be offensive for a variety of reasons. Some feel it is a form of censorship that religious or political leaders practice against those ideas that they oppose. This is especially true of Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler. Those who oppose book burning on those grounds often equate those who burn books with Nazis.


"Freedom of Thought" From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_thought

Freedom of thought (also called freedom of conscience) is the freedom of an individual to hold a viewpoint, or thought, regardless of anyone else's view. The suppression of freedom of thought is a prominent characteristic of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, while freedom of thought is one of the fundamental principles of most democracies. Freedom of thought can be limited in several ways — through censorship, arrests, book burning, or, more subtly, through propaganda.

Examples of effective campaigns against freedom of thought are the Soviet suppression of genetics research known as Lysenkoism, the book burning campaigns of Nazi Germany, and the radical anti-intellectualism enforced in Cambodia under Pol Pot.

[seabeyond]

121. our experience in book burning. son 7 niece 10

she read harry potter. only book she read brother allowed because it was reading. (my oldest brother). my son went to a christian school and i was dealing with censorship and fear of potter, and telling son to not take them at their word. he wouldnt like harry potter at 7, becasue scary, not because of religion.

he didnt have to read

didnt hurt niece reading it either. and dont judge, if you dont know what youa re talking about

was big issue in our house, for a while

we were sittin on couch watching news to see if would be a snow day, and the news goes out of town where we have huge ass crosses. there was a bookburning, dark morning, the flames and lite and reflection off the crosses. it was more eeeerry, than potter book ever could be. all htree of us sat there with our mouth hanging open.

lol lol lol.

that is when my son started looking closer at the religion he was being fed. and husband and i could let out our breath that he might not become a minister, preaching to all.

this..... is exactly WHAT i want our children to see. and if it is done in love, and security and knowledge and empowerment that we the people can stop THIS...... i just think it is important. and doesnt hurt the child. i didnt give it to the kids that morning. it was the fundies that gave it to my kids, to have to think and resolve and not become fearful about.

[bikebloke]

97. My incubator unit was like that

(also known as a "mother") I used to get yelled at for using what she considered were "big words". I'd become a threat to a tiny ego. So I stopped living with that one at age 15. Though my father was the lesser of two evils, he griped about college education until the day he died. Luckily, I had a grandmother who instilled the maxim, "You can never learn enough." And so I've been feeding my head, if not formally, then auto-didactically all my life.

[warrens]

99. Your kid probably beat him in an argument

They just start losing IQ points the second they start listening to Pigboy.

[Arugula Latte]

102. Anti-Intellectualism in American life is always going strong, isn't it?

Sad, sad, sad. But so prevalent, as it has been for decades.

[tlsmith1963]

103. I Started Learning to Read When I Was 3

Does your child have above average intelligence? If so, then it is perfectly okay for them to read more "adult" books. They would probably be bored with books made for 10 year olds. It seems like your child wants to read the more advanced books, so let them.

Tammy

[Caoimhe]

115. I read yesterday that Bill Clinton

was reading newspapers by the time he was 4. Earlier, his mother and grandparents had pinned flash cards to the curtains for him and quizzed him.. he LOVED it! That speaks volumes, doesn't it?

And here Bush still can't read!

[sakabatou]

110. People like him hate smart people

Becuase he will feel inferior.

[Caoimhe]

111. I also was a "small adult" as a child

and it did bother some of my family, and family friends. I would make coffee for the adults, get them all cups and drink my own while drawing and listening to every word they said. I didn't want to go play with dolls or watch movies, I wanted to be with the adults, learning and listening and once in a while injecting my own opinions.

I think my mom regrets letting me do that now, since my opinions have changed and no longer reflect hers. I grew up, experienced the world and now have realized that things aren't so black and white. I had no idea when I was little that my parents could ever be wrong. Now I think back to things that were said and I realize that even if their views were right wing, at least they let me sit in and listen and even contribute. I wasn't treated like a "dumb child" but as a valuable small person with my own intellect and curiosity.

Keep up the good work, your son sounds like an interesting little man!

[LynneSin]

114. I was a 10 year old reading grown-up books

nothing wrong with that!

[Occulus]

117. I got that my entire childhood

and even today my mom tells me I "read too much".

The very first adult novel I read was the unabridged, original first translation from the French Hugo novel Les Miserables, when I was 13.

I got made fun of for that, too. And more than once.

:wtf: :wtf: :wtf:

I think what we have here is the ascendancy of a generation of "movers and shakers" who decided long ago that one does not need to be smart or thoughtful if one has power.

The bully mentality, grown adult, fed, nourished... and in full bloom.

[northerdar]

119. the day my son died my mom told me I was weird because

I would go to my room as a child and read books. She was angry at me because I refused to leave the palliative care where my son was dying from a brain tumor. She thought it was my duty to be with them at my home instead of being with my son. They refused to stay at the palliative care where my older son, husband and me were sleeping. When they did visit, they were loud and would laugh and talk loudly.

I raised my children on books right from birth. They were in the library from days old. THere was very little money but we bought books for the boys. I told them reading was knowledge and opened many doors in the world. My older son is a very avid reader. The younger one liked to read the sports page but he was aware of the events of the day, the injustices in the world. He was my Ferdinand the Bull, see Walt Disney's cartoon character. He played sports and was very good in them. He painted and chose to put his words in his photography, paintings and music. He played guitar, wrote the music he sung. He read Chomsky. He read the Art of War. He cried when his pets died. He was a warrior with a soft heart. My parents made fun of my husband and boys. They thought we read too much and traveled too much and were crazy to be concerned for the poor. My husband hated them so much that he did not want them at our son's funeral. My three brothers were dunces in school. I wanted to go to college but that was for men not girls. I hate my family so much. My mom has actually said she Chooses Ignorance..She does not want to know what W is doing. My brother has threatened to shoot me when I talked about W. I hate my family.

[seabeyond]

123. that

is so sad, in so many ways. i am sorry that you have experienced so many things you talk about in your post. i am in love with your son. and his beauty you honor for him in your description and memory of you son. i am so sad for your loss. how long has it been since you lost your son. if you want to say. i hope your husband doesnt have to be around you in laws. i understand how he feels about the funeral.

[Caoimhe]

139. I'm so sorry for your loss

I cannot imagine the pain you experienced seeing your baby suffer. Your family sounds nutso!

[Catherine Vincent]

120. They're just pissed that your son knows more then they do.

They've been drinking the kool aid for so long, they expect everyone else to. Including kids. :eyes:

Congrats to your son for being so politically astute! :thumbsup:

[baby_mouse]

122. Sever contact.

Intelligence is part of the human condition. It's like any other advantage, big brain is like big muscle or big heart. Unusually high intelligence must be devloped and taught self-discipline. Unused it atrophies and falls into bad habits, but not like other bad habits, it learns to spread poison.

Your brother has essentially said that he dislikes your child.

[seabeyond]

124. Your brother has essentially said that he dislikes your child.

and his sons. i know. that is what i told him last night. i mean i had my suspicions. my niece said that about edmund once, too. and it is jealousy for different reasons to. my kids have had the normal, tradition, financially secure, stay at home mom, father and mother that NEVER fight. we love each other. we make each other happy. we laugh. so there are lots of jealousies, i recognize. and we have been so sensitive to family because of it. my kids have had to suck up a lot because they have problems. but niece said once, i hate edmund. i told brother last night

what i said with jade, i am tired of trying to get yawl to see the nifty in edmund. dont want to like him, dont......i dont care. but you dont get to give this to him in HIS home. i like him. just the way he is.

[baby_mouse]

125. At LEAST filter it out, seabeyond

Limit contact if you don't sever.

I have some disgusting relations. The good guys in the family have banded together and rejected the poison.

I think the fact the your brother os RW is incidental, actually, a symptom. He sounds like an utter bastard.

We only have one family, true, so severance is not to be taken lightly.

But here is what it comes to, does *HE* regard HIS NEPHEW as family? Doesn't much sound like he does to me. Sounds to me likes he thinks of his nephew as a peripheral annoyance.

At least *limit* his contact with your son. Truly. Your brother sounds poisonous.

[DIKB]

126. I used to plop down

in front of the bookcase and read the encyclopedia for fun. I loved reading up on history, or mythology, and then following the recommended parts (see also:xxxxxx) to learn more.

Reading is great, it helps a child develop mentally, and equips them with a larger vocabulary.

[Gelliebeans]

128. I feel your frustration.

For me (and I'm not advocating for everyone) was to completely ignore those in my family that insist that * is the best thing since sliced bread. I got tired of my blood boiling and having to defend why I won't march lock step with the idiots. Something my father told me years ago was to always question everything you read and hear and investigate for yourself. Which is why I came to DU about a year and a half ago.

The members of my family that refuse to question this administration aren't worth fighting with. If after five years of a corrupt government and complete shredding of our constitution doesn't cause a light bulb to go off with them then no amount of rational talking on my part is going to facilitate that. For my own health I have just wrote these people off.

I know that many people don't have the luxury of writing off idiot relatives especially when holidays or birthdays come up. It is truly a shame especially when you have children but it is more important to me that in raising my son, I show him that his mother will continue to fight the bastards that have laid residence in our government. By the way, they used to say the same things about my kid being too informed and I basically said MYOB (actually with more expletives) ;)

Hang in there and know that many are in the same situation :)

[ronnykmarshall]

129. Guess your mom didn't read to HIM!

[seabeyond]

134. she had 3 kids, 19, 20 and 21 all in oct

i am the one that read....

not really blaming her for much here. she was damn good and to have three so young and all together. a newborn, 1 year old and 2 year old. sounds like hell to me

[FreedomAngel82]

130. I don't get it either

If your little one likes reading and educational things better than playing around than let him read. Whatever makes the kid happy. Oh and Germans said the same thing about Hitler too....

[SmokingJacket]

133. Don't let the turkeys get you down!

I know, though, it's hard when they attack your KIDS! :grr:

[greiner3]

135. 10 years ago I was living outside richmond va;

Working in a factory. I decided that I would go back to school. I thought I would get at least tactic approval from my peers. How wrong I was. About the kindest words I received were 'Why in the hell are you doing a thing like that for?' You can throw in all the twang you like to that and you'd be about right. I keep coming across fundies that say less learning is what bajeesus would want for you. Ignorance rules and in the land of the ignorant, someone with a xtian education rules!

:mad:

[KansDem]

136. It's wonderful your son wants to read!

Congratulations to you for stimulating and supporting your son's desire to read! My son will turn 8 next week and he is already reading chapter books. So far, he's read five of the Beverly Clearly Otis Spofford/Henry Huggins books, as well as others. In fact, sometimes his mom and I will find him in bed at night reading by flashlight!

Your son has developed a life-long, "good" habit. Revel in it!

[seabeyond]

137. Revel in it!

back at you. i found out a year or two later my son was waking in middle of night and reading for hours. not one that needs much sleep either, lol. high five to you and yours

[ChiciB1]

138. EEEIIIDDIIOOT WIND!!

Boy, that about says it all! See many "red staters" ARE Morans!!!

Amazing that ANYONE would try to limit ANYONE'S education!!

[mcscajun]

140. You sure your brother wasn't adopted?

Wow...such a disconnect between your brother and you.

"...make him not want to read." ??? :wtf:

Make him...Not Want. Even that phrase Alone purely Boggles the mind.

You have my sympathy; your brother, my pity. I cannot even Begin to imagine a life without books. I say again...Wow.

[Ksec]

141. Yea. God forbid you educate the youth

The country needs more ignorance to dance for the reicht wing.

Your brother sounds like one of mine.

I have a fundie whackjob brother. He really disappointed me. He drank the kool aid and there is nothing I can do but hope he wakes up(which I really doubt)

He retired from the air force and now lives down south with his wife and three younguns whom are home schooled. He told me he doesnt want his kids to go to public school and get messed up by heathens and such. I really feel for my three neices and nephews.

[greblc]

142. My 10yr old son received the "O'rRely Factor for kids"as an xmas gift

from my mother and stepfather. He has been reading since he was 2 and was a little puzzled at our concern.
We explained what he does, what kind of a person Bill O'Riley is, and why he is not a nice person. It's hard to imagine the guy speaking to children. Thought I can easily picture him at a clan rally.

I had thoughts of saying something to my mother but somethings are better left unsaid. I've fought similar battles and gained little ground. It's been my experience that reason has little influence over conservatism.

Teach you children to empathize and imagine solutions. "What can we do to help"