My Favorite Luddite

Dec18

Eldest Daughter is fast becoming a (nonviolent) Luddite. She says I make fun of her, but I actually think she has some good ideas. However, she might want to keep in mind who the original Luddites were:

The original Luddites claimed to be led by one Ned Ludd, also known as “King Ludd” or “General Ludd”, who is believed to have destroyed two large stocking-frames that produced inexpensive stockings undercutting those produced by skilled knitters of the time. The movement spread rapidly throughout England in 1811 with many wool and cotton mills being destroyed, until the British government harshly suppressed them. The Luddites met at night on the moors surrounding the industrial towns, often practising drilling and manoeuvres. The main areas of the disturbances were Nottinghamshire in November 1811, followed by West Riding of Yorkshire in early 1812 and Lancashire in March 1812. Pitched battles between Luddites and the military occurred at Burtons’ Mill in Middleton, and at Westhoughton Mill, both in Lancashire. It was rumoured at the time that spies employed by the magistrates were involved in stirring up the attacks. Magistrates and food merchants were also objects of death threats and attacks by the anonymous General Ludd and his supporters. “Machine breaking” was made a capital crime, and seventeen men were executed in 1813. Many others were transported to Australia. From The Free Dictionary

Tolkien, Caedfael, and Lewis make much better role models. And Middle Earth is a place worth being homesick for.

What we’re reading . . .

Dec14

Dancer Daughter, Organizer Daughter, and I: Ann Rinaldi She writes great historical fiction, and each book has this warning on the back cover: “WARNING: This is a historical novel. Read at your own risk. The writer feels it necessary to alert you to the fact that you might enjoy it.” So far, I’ve read two of her books, and I’m impressed. The girls have read more, and they’re hooked.
Brown Bear Daughter: Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. I read both when I was her age, and I can’t say it ruined my taste in literature. I really liked Trixie better than Nancy.
Karate Kid: Hardy Boys. He saw BB Daughter reading Nancy Drew and wanted something like it for boys.
Bee and Z-Baby: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. They checked out about three or four Madeline books from the library. We like Madeline. “She was not afraid of mice–she loved winter, snow, and ice. To the tiger in the zoo, Madeline just said, “Pooh-pooh.” She’s definitely a positive role model–brave, bold, and adventurous.
I don’t know what Eldest Daughter and Computer Guru Son are reading. Eldest Daughter just finished her finals, so maybe she’ll have time for some reading. And Computer Guru Son is supposed to have read Huckleberry Finn by January, so he’d probably better be reading that.

Harmless Custom?

Dec11

While searching for more information about Solzhenitsyn, I came across an article at Bruderhof Communities about dating and courtship. I was trying to say this very thing to one of my children a couple of days ago, but I didn’t say it well.

We teach our young people that Christ must be the center of every relationship. For this reason, any relationship leading toward marriage naturally comes under the spiritual guidance of parents and pastors. Without this it is extremely difficult for two people seeking to build such a relationship to keep their priorities straight. Emotional and physical desire, which have their rightful place, can too easily take the upper hand and skew one’s judgment.

A healthy, growing relationship cannot be rushed. It takes time to see whether it will blossom or not and what kind of fruit it will bear. Because parents know their children best, they especially can help two young people discern if they are really meant for each other. Therefore, before spending much time alone, a couple is urged to spend time with each other’s families. They are also encouraged to write to each other and in this way begin to share their hearts openly and honestly. Only when the couple—and those they have confided in—feel that God has drawn them together for marriage are they ready to become engaged.

Young people should form friendships and spend time together in groups and as families. Then “courtship” can best be done within communities of like-minded believers, and it takes time and seeking of wisdom from others who are praying for God’s will to be done. Community and family are meant, not to be restrictive, but rather to support and protect young people as they grow into marriage and families of their own. There is no exact pattern for courtship, but some general rules are:

1. Young people should not “pair off” until and unless parents and families are aware of the special friendship that is developing and approve.
2. Families should get to know each other as families before two young people spend significant time alone together.
3. Everyone concerned should take enough time to be sure the relationship is honoring to God and enriching to the couple involved.
4. The couple and their families should share similar values and ideas.

Natalists?

Dec7

David Brooks calls us “natalists,” people who are having three, four and even more children.

All across the industrialized world, birthrates are falling – in Western Europe, in Canada and in many regions of the United States. People are marrying later and having fewer kids. But spread around this country, and concentrated in certain areas, the natalists defy these trends.

They are having three, four or more kids. Their personal identity is defined by parenthood. They are more spiritually, emotionally and physically invested in their homes than in any other sphere of life, having concluded that parenthood is the most enriching and elevating thing they can do. Very often they have sacrificed pleasures like sophisticated movies, restaurant dining and foreign travel, let alone competitive careers and disposable income, for the sake of their parental calling

And he says, “People who have enough kids for a basketball team are too busy to fight a culture war.” Not quite. I believe I am fighting a culture war every day as I raise my children. I am doing my dead level best to teach them to be “spiritually, emotionally and physically invested in their homes” and to “sacrifice pleasures” for the greater good of the kingdom of God. I pray for them, nurture them, teach them, and love them every single day, and this is how I “fight a culture war.” Culture is made up of people, and a Godly, Christlike culture is made up of people who are committed to living out the life of Christ in all areas of culture. Together we “natalists” can change the culture–peacefully, non-violently–but it’s a struggle nevertheless.

A Paean to the Pecan

Nov6

We went on our annual pecan purchasing journey today. We always take a Saturday in early November to go to Richmond, Texas to R. B. Bagley and Sons Pecan Warehouse. There we purchase an inordinate amount of fresh pecans in the shells, cracked, which we bring home and shell and put in the freezer to make all kinds of delightful goodies for Thanksgiving and Christmas and many other special days. My motto is: “Anything good is even better with pecans.” Fudge is better with pecans in it. Brownies are better with pecans. Most cookies are better with pecans. Some cakes are great with pecans added. Salads are even better with a few chopped pecans to give them some crunch. We put pecans on top of our sweet potato casserole, and I like to add a few pecan halves to the top of a pumpkin pie to improve the looks and the taste.
Did you know?
1. The word “pecan” comes from the Algonquian Indian word “pakan” meaning “a hard-shelled nut.”
2. Pecans are native to the Americas and were a major source of food for several Indian tribes during the autumn.
3. Shelled pecans should be stored in the freezer in an airtight container. They’ll keep for about a year.
4. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both planted pecan trees in their gardens.
5. Pecans are nutritious, rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, magnesium, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin.
6. Pecans taste a lot better than walnuts. (IMHO)
7. The word “pecan” is pronounced “puCAHN,” not “PEEcan.” (Again, IMHO)
You can go to this website for more about the pecan.

The Strong-Willed Child

Oct26

The strong willed child was alive and well in Puritan New England:

Her mother, while Pearl was yet an infant, grew acquainted with a certain peculiar look, that warned her when it would be labor thrown away to insist, persuade, or plead. It was a look so intelligent, yet inexplicable, so perverse, sometimes so malicious, but generally accompanied by a wild flow of spirits, that Hester could not help questioning, at such moments, whether Pearl was a human child. She seemed rather an airy sprite, which, after playing its fantastic sports for a little while upon the cottage-floor, would flit away with a mocking smile. Whenever that look appeared in her wild, bright, deeply black eyes, it invested her with a strange remoteness and intangibility; it was as if she were hovering in the air and might vanish, like a glimmering light that comes we know not whence, and goes we know not whither. Beholding it, Hester was constrained to rush towards the child,–to pursue the little elf in the flight which she invariably began,–to snatch her to her bosom, with a close pressure and earnest kisses,–not so much from overflowing love, as to assure herself that Pearl was flesh and blood, and not utterly delusive. But Pearl’s laugh, when she was caught, though full of merriment and music, made her mother more doubtful than before. The Scarlet Letter, Chapter 6

I have seen this exact look in my child’s eyes. I daresay all parents have seen it. My mom used to call it a “look of mischief” or say I was acting like a “pill.” I really think all children have a stroke of mischief in them, a strong will that shows itself in different children in different ways. Even the most compliant children sometimes get that “certain peculiar look.”

Way Behind

Oct3

Engineer Husband suddenly decided that we needed to make a trip to Fort Worth yesterday to attend a very important event. We spent the night and came back today. Spontaneity with seven children at home is not my best thing, but I survived. However, now I’m w—a—y behind in all the things I need to do, including laundry, school planning, posting on my class websites, grading papers, planning meals, grocery shopping and sleep. Then, there are all the things I want to do: read blogs, read books, write on this blog, do some research, and sleep. Prioritizing is not one of my best things either. Ergo, I’m writing instead of doing all the other things on the list.

One More–On Moravian Marriages

Sep27

I enquir’d concerning the Moravian Marriages, whether the Report was true that were by Lot? I was told that Lots were us’d only in particular Cases. That generally when a young Man found himself dispos’d to marry, he inform’d the Elders of his Class, who consulted the Elder Ladies that govern’d the Young Women. As these Elders of the different Sexes were well acquainted with the Tempers & Dispositions of their respective Pupils, they could best judge what Matches were suitable and their Judgments were generally acquiesc’d in. But if for example it should happen that two or three young Women were found to be equally proper for the young Man, the Lot was then recurr’d to. I objected, If the Matches are not made by the mutual Choice of the Parties, some of them may chance to be very unhappy. And so they may, answer’d my Informer, if you let the Parties chuse for themselves .–Which indeed I could not deny.

I find the idea of courtship marriages in our society attractive but confusing. How does one work out the details? This Moravian approach would work well in a closed community in which everyone was in agreement about the process. However, I can’t see how to implement any kind of courtship model in our society where even Christians are not in agreement about how it should work. I do see many problems with the dating marriage model that I grew up taking for granted. I’ve read several books about idea of courtship and about the problems with serial romance (dating); however, I still don’t know how to work out the courtship ideal in practice. I don’t want to go as far as an arranged Moravian marriage partly because I don’t live in a Moravian-style community where many Elders would pool their wisdom to decide these things under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Anybody got a good courtship story to share?

One More Timeless Observation from Ben Franklin

Sep27

This gave me occasion to observe, that when Men are employ’d they are best contented. For on the Days they work’d they were good-natured and cheerful; and with the consciousness of having done a good Days work they spent the Evenings jollily; but on the idle Days they were mutinous and quarrelsome, finding fault with their Pork, the Bread, &c. and in continual ill-humour; which put me in mind of a Sea-Captain, whose Rule it was to keep his Men constantly at Work; and his Mate once told him that they had done every thing, and there was nothing farther to employ them about; O, says he, make them scour the Anchor.

One of the problems with having children in Major Suburbia is that there is not enough “good Days work” to keep them all contented and in good humor. Young adults (ages 12-20) especially need good hard physical labor to keep them healthy and cheerful, but there’s not enough of it to go around. So we invented “exercise.” However, exercise doesn’t accomplish anything except self-improvement. I think Eldest Son, in particular, needs to build a log cabin or plant some corn and tend it. I could probably use the work myself.

Boredom

Sep20

One afternoon when I was seven I complained to him (my grandfather) of boredom, and he batted me hard on the head. He told me that I was never to use that term in his presence again, that if I was bored it was my fault and no one else’s. The obligation to amuse and instruct myself was entirely my own, and people who didn’t know that were childish people, to be avoided if possible. Certainly not to be trusted. That episode cured me of boredom forever –John Taylor Gatto

Wow! This is just what I am tempted to do when my children complain of being bored. On Saturday we had a”no-TV, no-computer” day, and my younger children, who have been watching too much TV lately, were almost beside themselves. They eventually settled into a rhythm of play and work, but it took a while. I must have more of these days and train my children “to amuse and instruct themselves.”
From the same excellent essay by Gatto:

Well-schooled kids have a low threshold for boredom; help your own to develop an inner life so that they’ll never be bored. Urge them to take on the serious material, the grown-up material, in history, literature, philosophy, music, art, economics, theology – all the stuff schoolteachers know well enough to avoid. Challenge your kids with plenty of solitude so that they can learn to enjoy their own company, to conduct inner dialogues. Well-schooled people are conditioned to dread being alone, and they seek constant companionship through the TV, the computer, the cell phone, and through shallow friendships quickly acquired and quickly abandoned. Your children should have a more meaningful life, and they can.

Semicolon

Books we must have though we lack bread.

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