PARENTING FREEDOM

carol | March 8, 2010

I recently received this very encouraging email.

“WOW! You have no idea how stumbling across your website in search of one particular homeschool book has changed our children’s and our family’s life forever!”

“The Lord has been dealing with me on a handful of issues for a while now. Spanking, Vaccinating and as you put it “baby dumping”… With each baby the way we were “supposed” to do things seemed more and more wrong. After reading your sections on spanking and vaccinating and talking with my husband we have committed to gentle parenting w/no spankings or time outs or other “punishments” and to not vaccinate our baby any more… I do wear my baby as much as possible…”

“I just wanted to say thank you for this site and the obvious time, effort, and energy put into it. It’s been a turning point in my life and my children’s life.”

“I especially appreciate that you don’t act like you’ve got it all together. Saying you want your kids to ‘go play’ and things of that nature make me feel like I can do better, too.”

“I’m a stay at home mom… I breastfeed and practice natural family planning and find myself aligning (to my surprise) to attachment parenting.”

“God bless you and your work here and your new baby. Please pray for me and my husband that we can overcome our past and look toward our gentle parenting future!”

What stuck out the most as I read, was when she said, “I especially appreciate that you don’t act like you’ve got it all together.”

I could write a book on things I do wrong! I certainly don’t have it all together. Not even a little bit. Thankfully, that is where grace comes in big time.

I actually try to avoid writing about things I’ve done wrong, particularly because I don’t want to embarrass my children in this age of the internet. I do worry about the future consequences of my writing.

So far, I am fully convinced in my own mind that what I write is true. “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” Romans 14:5

I might be wrong about my beliefs, but on the other hand, you might be wrong.

I appreciated this recent sermon, shared by TulipGirl.

http://www.gohope.net/resources/multimedia/details/?id=58903

Among other things, I liked where the pastor mentioned that he is getting better at his parenting responses as he has grown as a Christian, by God’s grace. I have had similiar experiences. Even though I continue to do things I wish I did not do, and I fail to do things I want to do, I notice that God is getting rid of some of my old bad habits (sins). For example, when I came to my conclusions about child discipline, (after Child #2), it took a while before I lost the urge to hit with my hand. One time, when my third child was two years old, I shocked myself (and her) when I instinctively swatted her leg to get her to stop flipping over during a diaper change. Thankfully, I have never felt the urge to swat or hit her before or after and have never felt that instinct with my fourth child. Still, occasionally, I disappoint myself when I notice I am yelling at one of the children. I thought I had that under control, but it seeps out. But I am not the one in control. God is. 

Remember… Grace… Forgiveness… Freedom…

These are surely the theme verses for my life:

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!“ Romans 7:21-25

TulipGirl also gave me a lovely gift for Christmas. A book! *grin* Not just any book, but a book about freedom. One that I found easy to apply to parenting freedom.

I enjoyed A Scandalous Freedom by Steve Brown very much. I hope this is an acceptable amount of quotes that one has the freedom to post from a book, but there were many more that I would love to share. You will have to order the book for yourself.

Here are a couple of interesting quotes from A Scandalous Freedom on the topic I was just discussing.

“The very fact that you want to be better – even perfect – is a sign that you belong to Christ. One of the best ways to find assurance of your salvation is not so much to examine what you do, but to look carefully at what you want to do.” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 61

“You greatly diminish your freedom when you pretend to others that you are accomplishing perfection.” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 64

I found the following to be the most interesting part of the book, A Scandalous Freedom, especially in regard to parenting:

“Sometimes God will gives us the gift of obedience, and sometimes he won’t. When God doesn’t, he gives us love and forgiveness. But more important than that, God gives us himself – freely, joyously, and without reservation.”

“And when he does gives us the gift of obedience, God also gives us an acute awareness that it wasn’t us; it was him. We had very little to do with obedience except, of course, that we went to him. And even that came by his bidding and through his grace…”

“If you’ve been a Christian very long, you may be wondering why I left out the guilt, the condemnation, and the promises to get better and better in every way, every day. I left them out because they simply aren’t in the Bible. I am drawn to that stuff too, but it simply isn’t there.”

“If you use the law of God to condemn yourself, go ahead, but don’t say it’s from God. If you allow others to use the law to make you guilty and afraid, go ahead, but don’t call them God’s servants…” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 233

“Something about religion will, if you let it, make you into an insecure, self-doubting, failure-producing worm. It happens with the misuse of the law…” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 234

“If something we think about God violates what we know of Jesus, what he taught, and how he acted, then that thought lies.” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 40

“This is a book about freedom, but it is really more a book about God – not a god we have created from our guilt and our neurotic need for punishment, but about the real God who would have us laugh, sing, and dance.” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 48

Here are some more quotes from A Scandalous Freedom. I also included some Scripture verses and a quote from another book.

“This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Romans 4:22-24

“Because of the imputed righteousness of Christ, he won’t be angry with you nor will he ever condemn you.” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 14

“God loves you and will bless you without condition, without reservation, and without equivocation. You are free!” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 15

“The more I experience his love and grace, the more I want to please him.” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 16

I mentioned this type of relationship in my essay on child discipline and attachment parenting. I wrote, “ The closer our walk with the Lord, the easier it is to do His will. The parallelism in parenting is similar. The better our relationship with our children, the more they want to obey. It is all about relationship.”

“Freedom threatens religious people because it takes away their leverage and makes it more difficult for them to maintain control.” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 19

People are so afraid that if they take away the punishment factor in their parent/child relationship that they won’t be able to maintain control.

“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:33-39

“Someone has described the church services of American Christianity as a nice man standing in front of nice people, telling them that God calls them to be nicer. But if the Christian faith is about being nicer, it becomes moralism; and in that case, Buddhism will probably be of more help than biblical Christianity.” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 83

“Through grace, with our assent, our desire begins to be transformed. Energies that once were dedicated simply to relieving ourselves from pain now become dedicated to a larger goodness, more aligned with the true treasure of our hearts. Where we were once interested only in conquering a specific addiction, we are now claiming a deeper longing, and we are concerned with becoming more free from attachments in general, for the sake of love. What had begun as an expedient attempt to reform our behavior has now become a process of transforming a life.” Gerald May, Addiction and Grace

“The biggest battle you will fight will be with yourself, not with the people you perceive as enemies. They really don’t need fixing. And even if they do, you’re not their mother. We are the ones who need fixing… When I have enemies, I must control, change, or defeat them. That takes a lot of time; but even more important, I find that I have given my enemy the ability to control me and take away my freedom… I don’t have to fix anything or anyone. That is God’s business. When I let him be God, I’m incredibly free to be…well, his servant.” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 148, 149

What? We don’t have to constantly fix our children?

On an aside, I enjoyed what author Steve Brown said about setting himself free from the fear of the West Nile virus (p. 150). Just like I felt free of the Swine Flu!

“All of the things the world feels are desperately important aren’t really so important after all.” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 153

“What if I could admit to you that I’m a sinner and that the statue of limitations hasn’t run out because I committed my sin this morning. What if I no longer had to pretend to be good?” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 156

“If God loves me, you can’t manipulate me by threatening to take away your love.” Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, p. 165

This threatening of taking away of love, comfort, and attachment is a very common discipline style in parenting. It is the worst kind of punishment, but often the easiest to employ. How many times have you been in a store and heard a parent say, “If you don’t come now, I will leave you here.” How many times have you said a similiar thing yourself? Some popular (anti-spanking) parenting programs are based on this philosophy.

I could quote so many more intersting things from the book, but for now, just read A Scandalous Freedom.

“Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:10

“Let freedom ring!!” Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Christianity, Freedom, Health, Parenting Attachment, Parenting Discipline, Quotes | No Comments »
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carol | March 5, 2010

NEVER!!!
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0310/ginsberg_hitting.php3

“I have yet to meet a child who claimed that he would have been better off if he had been hit more. And I have never met a parent who regretted not hitting his children more…”

“By now you are probably asking how I can say NEVER when we have all been raised with the understanding that even those who don’t approve of hitting children agree that if the child runs into the street or does something else dangerous, then hitting should be the appropriate response. If you can explain the rationale for that senseless exception for hitting, please contact me immediately because for the life of me, I don’t get it. I suspect that it is one of those things that we just pass along from one person to the next, assuming that it is sound, while it really has no sensible explanation…”

I have always found this confusing. How can a responsible parent trust in the past spankings of their child (after running in the street) to prevent the child from running into the street again? I can’t imagine how a parent can stop being just as cautious even after spanking the child.

For more on this topic, choose from the following:
Essay ~ Bible Verses ~ Quotes ~ Blog Posts ~ Books

Category: Parenting Discipline | No Comments »
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carol | March 2, 2010

I haven’t had the strength to deal with this topic since my chronic fatigue has gone into high gear during this pregnancy. The Pearl parenting method of beating children into submission with a rod is a trend in the Christian homeschooling movement that is very disturbing. I started to post some of the links I’ve read recently, but Tulipgirl has provided a very comprehensive list that includes all the articles I have read. I’ve also included a letter written by Karen Campbell (thatmom). She encourages you to pass it on to other parents and homeschoolers.

Who Is Speaking Out Against Abuse?
http://www.tulipgirl.com/index.php/2010/02/who-is-speaking-out-against-abuse/

an open letter to my brothers and sisters in Christ who serve in leadership to homeschooling families:
http://www.thatmom.com/?p=3927

March 1st, 2010

An open letter to my brothers and sisters in Christ who serve in leadership to homeschooling families:

“On February 6, 2010, Lydia Schatz, the seven year old homeschooled daughter of Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz, died after having been brutally beaten for mispronouncing a word while reading out loud to her mother. Butte County, California District Attorney, Mike Ramsey, reported that evidence shows the child was severely and repeatedly whipped, most likely for several hours, with a 15” piece of ¼” plumbing supply line, the same instrument that also left her older sister with severe kidney damage and in critical condition. The other seven Schatz children are now in foster homes, their parents having been charged with torture and murder.”

“While it might be comforting to believe that this is one horrific, isolated case of abusive behavior, the fact is that Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz were Bible-believing Christians who welcomed not only their own children into their home but three adopted ones as well. Their friends reported how shocked they were to hear this story about parents whom they called ‘loving’ and ‘warm’ and children who were ‘polite and well-behaved,’ words that could describe most homeschooling families.”

“But Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz were also devotees of the book To Train Up A Child and its authors, Michael and Debi Pearl, and they patterned their “discipline” methods after the Pearls’ instructions, down to the very instrument they used to beat their children.”

“This is not the first time a child has died at the hands of parents who embraced the teachings from TTUAC. In 2004, four year old Sean Paddock suffocated after his mother also beat him with ¼” plumbing supply line and then wrapped him tightly in a blanket to keep him from getting out of bed. She is now serving time in jail for first degree murder.”

“The killing of precious children in the name of ‘discipline’ must stop and those of us who desire to come alongside and encourage homeschooling families must do all that we can to see that this sort of tragedy never happens again. I believe that the Pearls’ teachings on chastisement unto repentance, found in their books and magazines and on their website, is not just one among many approaches to disciplining children, but rather, is a form of child abuse and even one that is considered to be assault and battery of a child and punishable by law in many states.”

“As Christians, it is even more important to understand that the Pearls’ philosophy is based on the aberrant theology of ’sinless perfection,’ a perspective that leads to the notion that parents are able to change a child’s sinful heart and save a child’s soul. Here are some excerpts from TTUAC:”

- – - “‘The parent holds in his hand (in the form of a little switch) the power to absolve the child of guilt, cleanse his soul, instruct his spirit, strengthen his resolve, and give him a fresh start through a confidence that all indebtedness is paid.’” – - -

- – - “‘The guilt burdened soul cries out for the lashes and nails of justice. Your child cannot yet understand that the Creator has been lashed and nailed in his place. Only the rod of correction can preserve his soul until the day of moral dawning.’” – - -

- – - “‘Let the guilt come, and then, while they are yet too young to understand, absolve it by means of the rod. When their time comes, the principles of the cross will be easy to grasp.’” - - -

“The Holy Word of God tells us that only by faith in the finished, atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross, an act of His mercy and grace, is a person saved. (‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.’~Titus 3:5) Physical chastisement by a parent cannot truly absolve a child of guilt nor can it cleanse his soul. To teach this and to lead any parent to think otherwise is promoting false doctrine and false hope in the works of man.”

“To that end, I would like to ask those who serve as homeschooling support group leaders and others who seek to serve within the homeschooling community to join the growing number of voices who are expressing their outrage and horror at the death of little Lydia Schatz and I would ask you to remove any recommendation of Michael and Debi Pearl’s teachings you have on your blogs or websites. Please stand with me and publicly say ‘This is wrong and it must stop.’”

“‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.’” ~ Proverbs 31:8-9

By His grace,
Karen Campbell,
homeschooling mother and grandmother
http://www.thatmom.com

For more on this topic, choose from the following:
Essay ~ Bible Verses ~ Quotes ~ Blog Posts ~ Books

Category: Christianity, Parenting Discipline | 3 Comments »
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carol | February 15, 2010

Heartbroken. Angry. Again.
http://www.tulipgirl.com/index.php/2010/02/heartbroken-angry-ngj-pearl-deat/

“Four years ago this month, Sean Paddock died at the hands of his adoptive family. Well intentioned or not, their abusive parenting influenced by Michael and Debi Pearl led to his death.”

“And now. Again.”

“Lydia Schatz, seven years old, died February 6, 2010. Her sister, Zariah Schatz is eleven and in critical condition with kidney failure and other injuries. Again, adopted. Again, parents abused them influenced by Michael and Debi Pearl.”

Ridge parents arraigned on murder
http://www.paradisepost.com/news/ci_14378467

DA links fundamentalist ‘training’ to Paradise girl’s death
http://www.paradisepost.com/ci_14395727?source=rss_viewed

DA: Deadly Child Abuse Case Linked To “Biblical Chastisement”
http://www.khsltv.com/content/localnews/story/DA-Deadly-Child-Abuse-Case-Linked-To-Biblical/v9e-rmj-dk6t5b2Dx8U_gA.cspx

“Authorities now believe that murder suspects Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz were followers of a extremist Christian group that advocates hitting children.”

“‘It’s the old spare the rod, spoil the child type of proverb or whatever you want to call it, that would justify corporal punishment…’”

“After speaking with the Schatz’ other children investigators were led to No Greater Joy Ministries, a Tennessee based faith group that espouses spanking as a necessary part of “training” one’s child.”

“The Ministries’ web site details how hard and on which part of the body a child should be hit. It also describes a 1/4 inch plumber’s supply line as an ideal “spanking instrument”.”

The Schatz are accused of using that exact type of supply line to beat their two adopted children so severely that one died and the other remains in intensive care.”

“‘They did espouses the philosophy that they were to use this particular 1/4 inch plumbing supply line for their discipline or as they call it biblical chastisement…’”

For more on this topic, choose from the following:
Essay ~ Bible Verses ~ Quotes ~ Blog Posts ~ Books
http://parentingfreedom.com/samuelmartinbook.pdf
http://www.equip.org/PDF/DF230.pdf

Category: Parenting Discipline | 4 Comments »
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carol | January 19, 2010

I appreciate and respect Elizabeth Foss, author and homeschooling mother of nine children.

Spanking
http://ebeth.typepad.com/reallearning/2010/01/spanking.html

“I have spanked one child, one time, while under the *very temporary* influence of the Ezzos and I still rue the day.”

You gotta love Sally Clarkson!
http://ebeth.typepad.com/reallearning/2008/05/you-gotta-love.html

Summertime Lessons
http://ebeth.typepad.com/reallearning/2008/05/summertime-less.html

Please Pick up Your Socks!
http://ebeth.typepad.com/reallearning/2008/03/please-pick-up.html

Quotes from Elizabeth Foss:

“Connected parenting is evangelistic in the truest sense of the word. If we treat our children with the respect they deserve because they are created in the image and likeness of God and if we meet them with the gentle love of the Blessed Mother, we reach them for Christ.”
Elizabeth Foss

“We have so very many ready opportunities to offer a cup of water to the least of these! How many opportunities we have daily to let the little children come to Him!”
Elizabeth Foss

“Done prayerfully and with grace, connected parenting is truly a living spirituality!”
Elizabeth Foss

“This style of parenting drives us to our knees and so brings us closer to heaven. It forces us to die to self again and again to meet the needs of God’s little creatures. It’s immediately easier to shout and/or hit and abuse our authority to put out the fires of our day. We can stop the behavior through fear and punishment. But that doesn’t really require any heroic, saintly effort on our part, does it? Ultimately, it destroys the relationship with the child and it becomes for us the occasion of sin.”
Elizabeth Foss

“In order to parent effectively, we have to grow. We have to change and mature. We have to meet children where they are and lead them somewhere better. We can’t do that without relying heavily on God’s grace…”
Elizabeth Foss

Elizabeth’s book:

Here is a helpful parenting book from the Roman Catholic perspective:

For more on this topic, choose from the following:
Essay ~ Bible Verses ~ Quotes ~ Blog Posts ~ Books

Category: Christianity, Parenting Attachment, Parenting Discipline | 1 Comment »
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carol | January 18, 2010

“If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

http://parentingfreedom.com/2009/02/20/rev-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-against-spanking/

Category: Freedom, Inspiration, Parenting Discipline, Quotes | 1 Comment »
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carol | December 24, 2009

Are you struggling with trying to do better as a parent, yet still failing on a continual basis? You are not alone. We continue to sin and fail, yet we continue to be forgiven.

Read this passage from Romans with your own self in mind, and then again from the perspective of your child. Paul shared our struggles.

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”

“So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

“So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.”
Romans 7:14-25

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:1

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
Ephesians 1:7

Repent and you are forgiven!!!! Do you realize the significance of this good news??!! Since we regularly forget this truth in our own lives, it is understandable when we forget to treat our children with grace. Rest and find joy in the freedom of HIS GRACE!!!!!!! Take some pressure off yourself as a parent as you begin the new year. Take some pressure off your children.

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carol | December 23, 2009

GOD REST YE MERRY, GENTLEMEN
http://nethymnal.org/htm/g/o/godrest.htm
God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day;
To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.

O HOLY NIGHT
http://nethymnal.org/htm/o/h/oholynit.htm
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.

ANGELS FROM THE REALMS OF GLORY
http://nethymnal.org/htm/a/f/afrglory.htm
Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.

O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL
http://nethymnal.org/htm/o/c/ocomocom.htm
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

COME THOU LONG EXPECTED JESUS
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free:
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in Thee.

SILENT NIGHT
Silent night, Holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace.

STAR OF THE EAST
We may read, we may learn, from His birth to His grave,
The teachings of peace and of love;
For this is the King Who is mighty to save;
His grace and His love we may prove.

Category: Christianity, Depression, Freedom, Holidays, Homeschooling Academics, Music, Parenting Discipline, Quotes | No Comments »
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carol | December 23, 2009

“Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.”
Leo Buscaglia, 1924-1998

“Grace must find expression in life, otherwise it is not grace.”
Karl Barth

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carol | December 21, 2009

Cop Tases 10-Year-Old Girl
Arkansas mother suggested stun gun treatment for unruly daughter
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/1118091taser1.html

“An Arkansas cop tasered an unruly 10-year-old girl after her mother called police to report that the child was crying, screaming, and refusing to go to bed…”

“Officer Dustin Bradshaw arrived at the residence last Thursday, he found the girl ’screaming, kicking, and resisting every time her mother tried to touch her.’ Bradshaw added that, ‘Her mother told me to tase her if I needed to.’ After Kiara continued to refuse her mother’s instructions, the cop concluded that ‘there was not going to be a peaceful resolution of the issue.’ Bradshaw warned the girl that she was ‘going to jail,’ but the child continued kicking and crying and resisted his attempt to handcuff her. During the tussle, Kiara ’struck me with her legs and feet in the groin, reported Bradshaw, who countered with a brief ’stun to her back’ with his Taser. The child, not surprisingly, ‘immediately stopped resisting and was placed into handcuffs. She would not walk on her own and I had to carry her to my police car.’ Kiara was then transported to a youth shelter.”

Foreigner-I Want to Know What Love Is

I Want to Know What Love Is ~ Foreigner
I gotta take a little time
A little time to think things over
I better read between the lines
In case I need it when I’m older
Aaaah woah-ah-aah

Now this mountain I must climb
Feels like a world upon my shoulders
And through the clouds I see love shine
It keeps me warm as life grows colder

In my life there’s been heartache and pain
I don’t know if I can face it again
Can’t stop now, I’ve traveled so far
To change this lonely life

I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me
Aaaah woah-oh-ooh

I’m gonna take a little time
A little time to look around me, oooh ooh-ooh ooh-ooh oooh
I’ve got nowhere left to hide
It looks like love has finally found me

In my life there’s been heartache and pain
I don’t know if I can face it again
I can’t stop now, I’ve traveled so far
To change this lonely life

I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me
I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
And I wanna feel, I want to feel what love is
And I know, I know you can show me

Let’s talk about love
(I wanna know what love is) the love that you feel inside
(I want you to show me) I’m feeling so much love
(I wanna feel what love is) no, you just cannot hide
(I know you can show me) yeah, woah-oh-ooh
I wanna know what love is, let’s talk about love
(I want you to show me) I wanna feel it too
(I wanna feel what love is) I wanna feel it too
And I know, and I know, I know you can show me
Show me what is real, woah (woah), yeah I know
(I wanna know what love is) hey I wanna know what love
(I want you to show me), I wanna know, I wanna know, want know
(I wanna feel what love is), hey I wanna feel, love
I know you can show me, yeah

Category: Music, Parenting Discipline, Quotes | No Comments »
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carol | December 7, 2009

William and Rush Pt 1 of 3

“I hated school because it’s what everybody else had to do. I hated being locked up from the second grade on in a room…”

“Eight years old is when I knew I wanted to go into radio because I’m sitting there getting ready to go to school I don’t want to go to. My mother’s fixing breakfast. She’s got the radio on. The guy on the radio’s having fun. And I know, nine or ten o’clock, he’s finished and he’s not going to some room, having to learn to paste.”

“My childhood was spent in duress and in silent protest.”

“Every year I wanted to be older. When I was ten, I wanted to be 20, when I was 20, I wanted to be 25… ‘Cause I knew it was going to get better. I was going to have more freedom. I was going to have more opportunity. I was going to be treated different because I was an adult. And it’s been true. Every year of my life has been better.”
Rush Limbaugh

William and Rush Pt 2 of 3

William and Rush Pt 3 of 3

“I no longer keep everything inside… Having the freedom to trust them [people] without fear that they’re going to not like you.”

“I even quit the Boy’s Scouts and the Cub Scouts. I was a quitter. I quit everything conformist.” Rush Limbaugh

Category: Freedom, Inspiration, Media Bias Exposed, Parenting Discipline, Politics, Public School | 2 Comments »
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carol | December 7, 2009

“Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear.”
Albert Camus, 1913-1960, French Author and Philosopher

Category: Parenting Discipline, Quotes | No Comments »
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carol | December 3, 2009

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
1 John 2:1

“I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him.”
C.S. Lewis

Consider this Lewis quote with my little adaptation: “I think that if God forgives us we must forgive..” our children “…Otherwise it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him.”

“God pardons like a mother, who kisses the offense into everlasting forgiveness.”
Henry Ward Beecher

“The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.”
Honoré de Balzac

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
Ephesians 1:7

“You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin.”
Psalm 85:2

“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.”
Psalm 86:5

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:1

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:8-12

“I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
Matthew 18:22

“Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’”
Luke 23:34

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
Colossians 3:12-13

“We find that the work of forgiveness has to be done over and over again. We, forgive, we mortify our resentment; a week later some chain of thought carries us back to the original offense and we discover the old resentment blazing away if nothing had been done about it at all. We need to forgive our brother seventy times seven not only for 490 offenses but for one offense.”
C.S. Lewis

“We must forgive all our enemies or be damned.”
C.S. Lewis

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
Mark Twain

“He who is devoid of the power to forgive, is devoid of the power to love.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again.”
Saint Augustine

“I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive. Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note–torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.”
Henry Ward Beecher

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.”
Unknown

“The glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness.”
William Blake

“You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well.”
Lewis B. Smedes

Category: Christianity, Holidays, Inspiration, Parenting Discipline, Quotes | No Comments »
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carol | November 6, 2009

Babies Cry With an Accent, Study Finds
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/newborns-cry-accent-study-finds/story?id=9006266

“Babies cry with an accent within the first week of life…”

“Newborns may have the ability to use what they heard in the womb to then control their cries…”

“‘As newborns they do recognize their mother’s voices, and they ignore the dog barking because they’ve been hearing the dog barking three months before they were born…’”

“‘Be aware of the environment you’re placing that infant in, whether it’s about stress or yelling…’”

Hat Tip: http://www.jillstanek.com

Category: Abortion, Parenting Cry it Out, Parenting Discipline, Parenting Pregnancy | No Comments »
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carol | October 29, 2009

Parent backlash at school that keeps unruly pupils in isolation room to calm down
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223585/Parent-backlash-school-locks-unruly-pupils-isolation-room-calm-down.html#ixzz0VKG5qc3D

“Disruptive children are sent to the 8ft by 4ft room, which has no handles on the inside and only a window in the door, until they calm down.”

Category: Parenting Discipline, Public School | 1 Comment »
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