Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Honey Bees and Liberty League!

Some of you guys know that Jessica and I homeschool our two sons.

As part of biology class, Jessica had scheduled some time at the local agricultural extension office for the beekeepers to show the boys about honeybees and pollination. Word got around among some other homeschooling families and it wound up being a pretty big event. There were probably about 30 kids there.

And the agricultural office went "all-out". They set up different "stations" so that one group of kids could learn about, say, pollination and the bee life cycle....while another group of kids were extracting honey from the combs and tasting it.It was too cool.

But, the REALLY cool part was the quiet realization that I was the only dad there. We were sitting on some bleachers watching a guy sting himself for the kids' entertainment (!) and it occurred to me that -- of all the kids there -- Will and Pate were the only ones whose dad was able to come.

And that's the way it always is on these things. When we took our oldest son to the one-day baseball camp.....all moms. When we visited the natural science museum to show the boys the planetarium....same thing.

And my kids notice, too. Every now and then, they'll ask, "Dad, why don't you go to a job like Austin's dad?" Or "Dad, it's cool that you always get to stay home all the time."

And here's my point. Hidden in those phrases is the REAL reason I work from home: Jessica and I CHOSE to be the primary influence in our children's lives.

Not the school.
Not their friends.
Not their teacher.
Not a daycare center.
Not a babysitter.

The impact on their lives has already been remarkable. The kids love it. They're learning, growing and maturing in a wonderful, exciting way. It's easily the best decision we could have ever made for our family.

And, of course, there is a HUGE financial issue here, too. If I were working a job, I probably wouldn't be making 10% of the money I make. I'm psychologically unemployable! There's no way I could take a cut in pay to go take a job making $40,000.

And all that "runs off" on my kids. If I were strapped down to a job, what's the odds that my kids would get to travel to the Caribbean 2-3 times a year? Or fly first-class to a water park in Arizona for four days? Or spend a week in Whistler, British Columbia for some fun in the snow? It wouldn't happen.

Hey, my kids deserve it. Heck, I deserve it! And you do, too! And all it takes to start is making a simple decision. Find out more about Liberty League International today!

-- TR

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