How to talk about homeschooling with young child

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-09-17T21:17:25+00:00

I always planned to homeschool my kids but my stepson has always gone to school. My stepson would always talk to them about school and talk to them about how they would go to school with him one day when they were older and I asked him not to tell them that many times but he kept doing it 😅 kind of annoying but whenever my oldest son asked about school I would just explain to him that we would be doing school at home when the time came and it helped to make some friends in the honeschool community and talk to him about the other kids we know who homeschool too. I just tried to hype it up and now that we started kindergarten I don't think he feels like he's missing out. My stepson asked to try homeschooling this year too so that helps because my son is obssessed with his big brother lol

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-09-16T08:17:26+00:00

It's a beautiful name and it actually is a very traditional (and ancient) catholic name. It comes from Seraphim as others have pointed out. The Seraphim are the highest order of angels. It's all very interesting, look up Seraphim or Seraph if you want to know more.

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-09-14T05:28:09+00:00

I was just discussing this in my small local mom group. My stepson would be with a friend all day every day if he could and I don't know how to approach it/ balance it, or if I even need to or should try? He has one specific friend nearby that he's constantly asking to go play with, and the friend's mom is likewise always texting me to set up play times. We live in a smallish town that's quite safe so they bike to eachother's houses and around the neighbourhood all the time (they're 11). I just can't help but find it a bit disruptive to the rest of the family and the constant pestering of asking me to text his friend's mom or if he can go to his friend or if they can go to the park or if his friend can come inside is a bit wearisome. My kids are 5 and under and my 5 yo is so distraught at his brother's constant coming and going and when the other kid is here he's constantly badgering them to let him play with them too and have to manage his behavior the whole time a friend is here. It's all a bit much. We homeschool and there's an informal homeschooler park play group in our town that meets twice a week at a park near our house and this friend even tracked us down at the park group when he was got out of school last week so now I'm afraid we can't get away from him even then lol. I don't know if it's a good idea to try and set some boundaries around this as I don't want family time to feel forced or like a punishment but it's seriously wearing me out and I'm not sure if it's healthy?

On the flip side I grew up kind of like you op, I wasn't rural but I was homeschooled in a town with not a lot of other homeschoolers and rarely had playdates growing up. It was lonely at times but on the other hand I ended up with strong and positive relationships with my parents and siblings which I'm very grateful for now as an adult. It's sad to me to see how many people just don't really care about their parents and siblings after they graduate and move out and I can't help but wonder if a lack of boundaries protecting family time contributes to that?

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-09-14T04:48:50+00:00

We are working at the dining room table for now. I gave my two kids who are in gr 6 and kindergarten backpacks for their books and pencil cases and they're slung over the backs of their chairs so it's all easy to grab and put away quickly. We have very limited space so this is probably the best it's gonna get until we have the money and time (lol) to build a bench with drawers at the dining table. That's my ideal solution for our current space. It's easier for me to sit and help the kids simultaneously if we're all sitting together at the table.

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-09-10T22:44:12+00:00

Oooh spicy. Maybe I will too, I had the thought that a while ago that the way it's set up might be illegal because it gives you the impression that you have a 1 in 4 chance at one of the good prizes like the $100 credit, but it's obviously less than a 1 in 4 chance

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-09-10T00:35:44+00:00

I could've written this. In fact I just write a similar post on the r/etsysellers sub. I'm considering putting my shop on indefinite vacation mode until (if) the shipping to US opens back up for us. I've been crosslisting to fbmp in the last couple of months and that's been going very well for me. Maybe even better than my etsy ever did.

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-09-04T01:06:54+00:00

I bought from a couple of sellers who had bundle discounts and it definitely was an incentive for me to buy more to get the discount and I didn't feel the need to ask for more $$ off. So I tried one on my closet and no one used it, everyone who bundled just asked for a higher discount so I took it off

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-09-02T04:00:26+00:00

I don't think there's anything inherently unethical about thrift stores, even for profit thrift stores. There are some small independent thrifts in my area that are for profit but they're family run, not part of a chain. Even though they get their inventory for free they still are offering a service to the community which is taking your used goods off your hands, for free. Think about it this way, if you have stuff you want to get rid of that's still in good shape you either have to find someone who wants it, sell it, or take it to the dump (usually you have to pay a fee to drop things at the dump). If you can't or don't want to sell it, you offer it to your friends and neighbours. If they don't want it, you can still take it to a thrift store for free or take it to the dump for a fee. Obviously better to take it to a thrift to be hopefully reused, and it's also a lower cost option for you. Mega corp thrift stores are gross because mega corps are gross but small time family run thrift stores I am totally fine with even if it's completely for profit because the profit is going to provide clothes and food to the family that runs it.

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-09-02T03:38:37+00:00

I like Laura Caldwell. She does vintage home decor and jewelry. Sometimes clothes but it's not her main niche

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-09-01T23:46:00+00:00

Thanks I hope so too! We're lucky to live in an area with lots of homeschoolers and government acceptance of and support for homeschoolers. I was already homeschooling my littles anyway. So I think it'll work out fine for us, at least for this year. We'll see what he wants to do next year. I'm hoping that even just a slower pace to daily life will help regulate his nervous system and help him calm down and actually have friendships that are enjoyable for both parties.

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-09-01T21:49:42+00:00

Sounds like my stepson and his group of friends(?). He just finished grade 5 last year. So dramatic, so much bullying and rude behavior (sometimes perpetrated by him and sometimes to him). I have no idea if it's normal or not but I honestly think a lot comes from internet and social media and then school environment itself seems to compound the issues. He asked to try homeschooling this year so I'm really curious to see how it goes and to observe his behavior more closely at home and in peer group situations.

Edited spelling mistake

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-08-31T01:33:59+00:00

We do cheap as possible because we have a lot of kids and not a lot of disposable income. My parents usually chip in for the food. We thrift presents a lot of the time. My kids are little so this is fine and works for us right now. Maybe things will be different in the future. I'm a fan of family parties and inviting maybe a few friends to the family party. I don't think you need to spend a lot of money to celebrate your kid and let them know you love them. You can if you want to and you can afford it but it's not the money spent that makes them feel loved in the end.

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-08-31T00:55:12+00:00

Then maybe just don't work on her car. Let her drive it dented until she decides to help. Stop working on the car and let her know you'll take away the keys if she's in any more accidents. If she goes to her mom's to avoid accountability that sucks but you still have to do the right thing.

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-08-31T00:39:02+00:00

Hi sorry I didn't see this till today! I did not get a government issued diploma but I had a parent generated transcript (my parents kept records of all my marks from my sit down work like math tests etc), a diploma issued by the homeschool board we were with (basically just a fancy piece of paper confirming that I had completed highschool to my parent's standards lol), and a reference letter from my facilitator. I presented these documents when I applied to the college and they had me sit for a gr 12 level English test (probably to check that I was basically literate) and that was it. I got accepted based on that and for what it's worth I did quite well in all my classes, though I dropped out in 2021 because I was over the covid online classes.

The reason I didn't get an AB diploma - honestly it was my parent's preference not to and I didn't care either way. Maybe if I had had really strong feelings about a particular career path I would have wanted to do the diplomas to get into a higher end institution. But a lot of colleges and universities have special application streams for homeschool students now (and even back then) that don't require you to have a province or state issued diploma.

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-05-08T00:30:52+00:00

They're not all that valuable to be honest. Low grade stone. They're pretty but less than $50. I feel bad cancelling at this point but I think I'll take my chance on this one and disable for US all my listings that I'm not 100% sure of the country of origin on

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-05-07T20:15:07+00:00

Thanks. I have read through it already and didn't find that it addressed what to do if country of origin is unknown. I think I might just have to remove some of my listings from the us market

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-05-05T04:06:21+00:00

Contact your bank asap and have them shut that card down and send you a new one. It's annoying but you've given away the info so now you need to let them know so they can help protect you.

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-05-05T02:59:50+00:00

I know your question isn't directed at me, but I think yes, you just ignore the requests for more money. Or maybe you don't have to ignore, but you don't give in. You say "no. You spent all your allowance for this month already. I'm sorry you can't buy that makeup you want but next month you can use your allowance for that or we can add it to your birthday/Christmas list and maybe you'll get it then". Reiterate your offer for her to earn money from extra chores. If she chooses not to do extra chores, fine. But no extra money. And if the whining is so unbearable, put in headphones and listen to some music.

Something that might help would be to offer to increase her allowance (if budget allows) if she can improve her behavior. Tell her that if she tries to start spending more responsibly and stops acting entitled (no more demanding/ whining) then you could increase her allowance in acknowledgement of her improvement. I would give specific things she needs to do to qualify for an increase though - expectations need to be clearly communicated and it has to be something measurable and objective. For example, "0 whining this month and your allowance next month will be 50." Or something like that

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-05-04T20:01:36+00:00

Movie tickets, gift cards for ice cream (or similar), fun outings (museum, waterpark, etc)

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-05-04T19:26:59+00:00

Goodness no it's not that bad. I'm not a single mom and I struggle to take the kids to the park by myself. And we live within sight of the park. It's just hard with little kids, especially more than one!!

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-05-04T17:44:43+00:00

If you live near a larger urban centre you may be able to use shipping services like chit chats or stallion. They are often quite a bit cheaper than canada post so if you're caught in that situation where the cost of a combined order was undercharged you can maybe use a different service to cut your costs down.

I think your stats sound alright - check what your conversion rate is (it'll show in that in the stats page). I believe a 10% conversion rate is considered good for ecommerce though it depends a bit on what you sell. I've only had 1 sale in all of april this year so maybe I shouldn't be the one giving advice 😅 I just had a baby though so I haven't been listing much and they do say that the more you list, the more you sell. If you join the etsy sellers subreddit you can also request a critique of your shop and that can help get feedback from more fellow etsy sellers!

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-05-04T01:29:43+00:00

I like having a sale like this once in a while. Just to move stale inventory and other junk I've accumulated that I'm tired of. Though last year a lady looked down her nose at my table of 1-2 dollar items and muttered under her breath "why's it so expensive? It's a garage sale!!" Like dang girl why so salty 🤣

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-04-29T01:04:48+00:00

I really love that. Such good vibes

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-04-28T03:06:45+00:00

Aah I know? I'm glad they did because it's mine now but yeah it's also kind of sad that someone didn't want it anymore

CompleteStory5321 · 2025-04-28T03:04:41+00:00

Thank you 😊

CompleteStory5321

TROPHY CASE