My MIL was so thrilled to give me a book the other day. It outlines a completely classical Catholic method of homeschool curriculum planning. Yes, I know she's Catholic, DH is Catholic, and we are raising the kids Catholic. But I am NOT Catholic (born and raised Methodist), and as I am not, I do not really feel qualified to teach my kids catechesim. We send them to regular classes at church for that! We also don't follow a classical method of education... I'm way too relaxed for that approach. Sad thing is, she spent a good $30 on the book. I'll never use it. And that $30 would have gone a long way towards other educational things we COULD use. Ah well. At least she means well. Right? Edie
yeah, and you may end up having to at least crack it sometime just to tell the kids enough about to let the grama know when she asks them! and she will they always do!
Look at it from her point of view. She is Catholic, your husband is Catholic, and the kids are being raised Catholic. She knows you are not, and figured this would be a help YOU, since the kids are being raised Catholic. It really would probably help you to read it. I know for me, there's so much about Catholicism I don't know, or I know only what I've "heard", and, even if I don't agree, it would help to understand WHAT and WHY they believe as they do. That way when the kids ask questions you won't have to respond with "Ask you Dad...." all the time.
Wow. That happens here...but usually I get the "what do you want for the kids" questions and if I give them a specific list, they'll buy it...or some of it as part of the gift. I do agree, if she's giving it to you, I'm sure it's more so you would have the ability to answer. Maybe it would be an interesting way for your husband to get involved in the homeschooling?
I don't know...I think maybe she might've been trying to be helpful? But I think a lot of that would depend on what your relationship with her has been like through the years. My parents are the worst about never asking what we want or need for any kind of gift. It drives me insane. Instead my mom goes for quantity over quality. She will buy $20 worth of cheap trinkets from the dollar store, individually wrap everything, and it's so hard to try to keep a smile on your face while you unwrap all this junk that you'd NEVER buy for yourself! I'd rather just have the $20 for each of us to go toward something we really need. I suppose the upside has been that every birthday and holiday provides a good lesson in teaching the boys how to be gracious receivers of even things they don't want. (Like her giving my 11 year old a "Diego and Dora" notepad last Christmas. Kudos to him for finding something positive to say about it!) It would be different, I guess, if they were on a limited income. But my parents are loaded...they just don't want to share it with anyone else. :roll:
I was born and raised Methodist and just converted over Easter. The kids were brought into the Church at Easter also. I never THOUGHT of doing a classical curriculum UNTIL I'm starting to think of High School..... so you MIGHT want to hang onto that book.
OO great advice Jackie! She is right they probably just figured since you did not grow up catholic that you may need the help, it was sweet and you could incorperate it in somehow as a study on catholisthism .. considering it is a part of world history I would insert a unit here and there. Just so they have a clue where daddy and grama are coming from if nothing else. I don't think it should be a problem but a blessing really. My step mom gave us a book on Genesis from the JWs, it sits on the shelf now but it really had some great pictures and is pretty acurately done. So one of my ds' got to read some of it with us and we loved the pictures ! I think we stuck it on the shelf so its there and grama knew we had it, but we don't agree with thier philosophys of the Word of God and as kids are older now we explained that. That is why I would introduce it little bits here and there and discuss things with them about the two different churches, why you liked yorus or whatever so they have a better view when they get older and choose for themselves whom to belive...
I feel for you on the in-laws who buy it and say deal with it. Not that I'm catholic, but if someone gave me a how-to book, you'd be hard pressed to pry it from my hands. ON the other hand...there was this one time I wanted to look over science books before buying them. I found out they had them at Sam's club. We didn't have a membership at the time so I asked my fil could we stop there on a Sunday so I could look at them? He went and bought them and I ended up hating the books. My dh told me to make it work. I gave him a very un-wifely finger sign and went my own route. I can't bring myself to use something I don't like with my kids because I know my attitude will carry over and, for lack of a better term, taint their attitude towards it and then trouble really starts.
Why do inlaws never ask what we need - instead by stuff I won't use? Uh-- Its part of the job description. Okay, I will stir the pot... Look at is as a thirty dollar hint of some sort, and intended for you to read yourself. All that is required is that you smile and say thankyou.
