Posts by Jacob Lopez2

Matthew Young35 said:Is that really all there is to it?
People protect their children. They don't want to create unnecessary hurdles for them.
Why is that so hard to understand?

It’s exactly this kind of mindset that keeps us stuck where we are. Protect them? From what? Some obnoxious, malicious kids? It doesn't matter if the catalyst is religious education or anything else—bullies will always find a way to target someone. I honestly don't get what you think you're shielding them from. You're just teaching children how to conform at the expense of their own values and principles. Sure, life requires compromise, but when it comes to core beliefs, this is precisely when you need to stand up for who you are.
I hear it from adults every single day: "I only took religion class because my parents forced me to; I couldn't wait for it to be over."
You should really take a moment to consider the message you're actually sending to your own children.

At the end of the day, the blame lies squarely with the parents because half of them enroll their kids in religious education classes just so their children won't be labeled as "different" or "outcasts" standing out in the hallway, even though they wouldn't bother if it weren't for that social pressure. Parents need to stop signing their kids up just to make their own lives easier; if you stopped doing that, fewer kids would be stuck in those classes and more would actually be spending their time in the library or wherever else they belong.

silentsurfer76, regarding used gear like cribs and whatnot, you're doing the right thing by taking everything offered; you can always put that extra cash toward other necessities.
My younger child has five times more stuff than my oldest simply because everything was passed down, plus we received extra hand-me-downs, so he has more than enough, yet some people still insist on buying things he already owns just because they think it's "cute." That "cuteness" easily costs $100, and I tell them straight up that if they have surplus money, they should save it (since they won't exactly hand me the cash directly to save it myself :-) , and I don't want to save for the child for entirely different reasons), so when the kid hits maybe seven years old, they can shell out the cash for a decent bicycle. It truly makes zero sense to buy overpriced items that will only be used for a few months...
So, just hang in there—it works for me, even if it's a constant battle. :-)