Well that was a mistake. I browsed around yaaps. I had left there last fall after the Halloween candy and trick or treating thread was my final straw, but would still visit occasionally to read and keep up with certain people's lives. Somebody stop me! I just wasted far too much time reading the current thread there about the cost of eating healthy and about unschooling. I find the grad school condescendion of certain posters to be irritating and frustrating beyond belief, and the complete thickheadedness of others to make me want to bash my head into a wall. The unschooling thing gets rehashed about what, once a year? It's always the same thing, Robin (along with a few others) saying what she believes and most everyone else acting like she's passing some sort of judgement upon their life choices and invalidating their children's learning experiences. Puhleeze, how about just archiving the thread and bumping it up for everyone to read once a year? As for the healthy food thread, people make the choices they think are right. Everyone has different beliefs they hold to different degrees. Someone who thinks that non organic foods or those grown in evironmentally irresponsible ways are lesser foods are entitled to their opinions.

For me, things like this illustrate the limitations of internet societies. They are why I've been withdrawing from the online world and taking a more acive role in the real world. People have things they feel passionate about; everyone has their BIG issues. If I feel passionate about healthy eating, it doesn't mean I am passing judgement on those who do not. If I feel passionate about homebirth, I'm not passing judgement on those who have chosen to birth in a hospital. Conversely, I have a responsibility to realize that people who are passionate about things I'm not are not judging me or invalidating my experiences. They have simply made different choices, and I have a responsibility not to get defensive and read into their words. If people are able to discuss these issues calmly, without defensive "But my kids do that too" or similar comments, they can really learn the other point of view and come to a true understanding. I think this is something that plays out better in the real world. We have friends who are passionate about conserving the earth's resources. Sure, we reuse and recycle, but nowhere to the extent of these friends. Yet we can all go to a fair and not feel judged for using the disposable plates provided when our friends pull out their picnicware.

Is this making any sense? I've lost my point in this ramble.

Geez, not only have I wasted my time reading these long conversations, now I've just wasted it by writing about and wasted your time reading this. Time to turn off the computer and go weed the garden. We are having an impromptu picnic this afternoon with the HS'ing group that I've been working to organize. Should be a fun time!