The Happy Homeschool

Harnessing music for family relationships

You can avoid the stereotypical musical clash between generations. This is important because music is an important mode of expression and an integral part of …

If you think it is normal for children to disregard parental concerns about friendships, I have some good news for you. A whole lot depends on the groundwork of trust you have built, combined with so…

When I first wrote this post, my two youngest daughters (who are 33 and 36 years younger than me) were in college and they would borrow my clothes - frequently. They don't borrow them so much any mor…

Where do you get your ideas of education from? Have you given much thought to the government dictates and cultural expectations? You need to consider just how much these ideas and approaches impact n…

This title is kind of tongue-in-cheek, but kind of not. We can make choices that affect our children’s sleeping habits. We can also, after a certain age, expect them to begin to respect limits. But i…

Can you explain why your body is yours?

Almost everyone agrees we all own our own bodies. At least everyone thinks they own their own body, whether or not they want to argue about someone else’s bodil…

[Week 12 of 52 Weeks to a Better Relationship With Your Child]

Do we need to teach children about death?

At what point should we teach our children about death? And how should we go about it? These are…

Let’s begin by asking “how important is the idea of categories or subjects for any learning?” Your answer to this question will partly be affected by how you see the concept of subjects. Is it a spri…

Your children are subconsciously observing your attitude toward money from a young age. They see:

1. how you talk about it
2. how you spend it on the household
3. how you spend it on fun
4. how you spend it on them
5. h…

Maturity is often claimed as a measure for independence, or when a person can be recognized as an adult. Yet everyone knows adults they would describe as immature. Maybe the concept of maturity is no…

Why is morality a “dirty” word?

I think I know why “morality” is a dirty word to some people. Two main reasons:

1. It is confused with cultural preference
2. It is applied conveniently

Cultural preference can …

Faith versus superstition

What do you have faith in? Before you can answer that, you have to have an idea of what is meant by faith. True, words can mean different things to different people. However,…

Any religion is a system of behaviors that are considered necessary to both prove and act out a person’s real or supposed convictions about the meaning of life. At best, religion is evidence of inter…

People love to laugh. The proverb “a merry heart is good like a medicine” has been understood for thousands of years. Laughter makes people feel better. Yet, human nature too often has a way of twist…

Would you be curious if I suggested to you that scientific studies on child development do more harm than good? I do suggest this, and for two main reasons: ...

To read more, go to Secrets to Understa…

Respect is something that has to be earned. It cannot be demanded. The deepest levels of respect are based on spending time observing a person’s choices and attitudes. The potential for respect is gr…