I might or might not start another poetry series. I'm thinking about the name.

"This is what I can't tell you"

"This is what I remember"

"One evening this happened"

"I don't want to write this, but"

"Silence"

"This is why I didn't come to London for that family party"

"What the (different) hell?!"

"What fresh hell is this?!"

"When I said I was fine, what I could have said was.."

"If you'd listened and waited, then listened some more, I might, just might have told you that.."

"Even now I don't want to look back and write about this"

"I worry I might forget what happened, even though I have spent 5 years not talking about it to anyone, apart from short glimpses, more to silence and stun the other person, shut them up"

"When I have talked about this to professionals in the past the other person would give me 'the look', the one that says 'I am out of my depth. I am scared. I can't hear what this mother is starting to tell me.'"

A different set of Umm Kulthum songs, more delicate, more beautiful. The first set are no longer available on YouTube. http://umkolthoum.blogspot.co.uk/

Culling

I have been culling blogs so that the list of the ones I follow isn't quite so long.

It is a sign of confidence in the climate for home education. If the climate turns nasty again I will re-follow as many blogs as possible, in particular ones with links to the law and helpful campaigns.

So I am appreciating the current situation as I perceive it. I am aware that this is not the case for other countries.

New words

I only know when my sons have picked up new words when they pronounce them wrongly. That means they have never heard someone say them. If they have picked up the pronounciation correctly then the only way I know is if I 'know' I have never heard them use the word before.

The other problem comes when they use a new word when I am not right there to hear it!! Then I won't ever know. It will never be documented on my weekly HE book of pride (only good things go in there) and worse, the LA will never know.

But the new words are picked up, learnt and used whether I observe the process or not. What is a home ed mum to do????? What is an LA inspector to do???????

Chuckle happily to ourselves about the mysterious and wonderful ways of growing up.

French Home Ed Blogs

I have finally found some French HE blogs. Hooray. I can feel my brain stretch each time I read French.