Friday Night School

 

Our trusty science book comes in handy for everything.

I know I tend to post a lot about how great homeschooling is because you can do it any time and place. Of course, that comes back to bite me in the butt too. Take for example Friday night. It's Friday night and I'm 36 years old. I like to end the week quietly, usually by relaxing, a hot shower, some time to myself, and a drink or two. 

You know what my kids did to me on this Friday night? The middle one pulled a, "Mom, in fifth grade we have to watch a puberty video and we haven't watched one yet." Guess what happened next? I had to watch 40 minutes of YouTube puberty videos. One for boys and one for girls because god forbid we have them learn what happens to BOTH boys and girls. For the record, my kids watched both as it's required to learning in our house.

40 minutes of learning the very basics of puberty, me spending another 30 minutes answering questions that weren't even touched on in the videos, all while my husband noped out of that conversation. And that's how my Friday night went, "doing school," as my three day. Friday night school.

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For those curious as to what I had them watched, I went with these videos. I realized in posting these videos, there is also a co-ed one, but I have not viewed that:

I feel strongly that kids need better sex education so they are able to better understand themselves and know their bodies. I am VERY liberal when it comes to sex education and do not shy away from those conversations at all. My youngest was four when she first learned about sex because her eight year old brother had heard a few things. I would rather my children hear about things from me, rather than playground misinformation. 

There is soooo much more to sex education than just the basics of sex. It's important to teach about STD's, protection, birth control, how to take care of yourself, orgasims, what to do if you feel there's a problem, etc. We haven't gotten into every area of sex education yet, but I am prepared for that day and the questions that may come with it. I have to approach the subject differently with each of my kids because I have kids who range from embarrassed to wanting to know every little detail to talking freely and loudly about it. 

Hey, I Remember What It's Like To Be In Public

 

Came home from socializing and had a drink. I'm ready for patio season in Iowa again!

I had an eye appointment yesterday afternoon after daycare kids left. Let's recap my life the last (almost) year: homeschool my kids, spend my days with kids, see my husband, have quick exchanges with daycare parents, and then see basically no one else. Our groceries and toiletries are delivered or picked up curb side, take out from restaurants rather than dining in, and basically seeing the walls of our house or hiking trails. It's a rare occurance that I have a conversation with people other than those in my bubble. There's been things that I've missed, but overall it hasn't been terrible. We made it through the holidays okay-ish, but with a new love and appreciation for what we have, but can't enjoy right now.

So, back to my eye appointment. I've been putting it off, along with having my hair done and numerous other appointments. But, I masked up, armed myself with hand sanitizer, and went. I arrived at 5:10 p.m. I left the office at 6:45 p.m. My eye appointment was exactly 20 minutes from start to finish. Did I drive around in my car by myself after my appointment? Did I stop for a coffee and sip it? Did I go shopping? I did exactly none of that.

Instead, I sat around my eye doctor's office and talked, and talked, and talked to the office staff (and the doctor herself) until my throat was dry. I laughed, I joked around, I had to stop myself from hugging a complete stranger who I spoke with for 15 minutes about leaving a window open while sleeping. I could have hugged every single person in that office by the time I left. Not only can I still crack a joke and carry on a conversation with complete strangers, but I remembered how fulfilled I can be by people. 

Most of my interactions have been through social media or a computer screen via Zoom, email, messenger, etc. This was truly one of only (maybe) a dozen socializations I've had since last March. I pulled away from the office, on my way home for family dinner, remembering how much I love being around people. Honestly, I haven't been thinking very highly of people after some of the events and comments one sees on the news and social media. I needed the reminder of how decent, fun, and overall good strangers can be. The socialization felt pretty good too.