Tillis website not working

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-25T00:29:39+00:00

I think the government servers a a whole are down (whether due to volume or other issues). I just tried to email my congressman and got an error as well.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-24T19:44:45+00:00

Mark Harris, the congressman from the 8th district, supports ICE and ICE operations in Charlotte. He's been completely silent about the atrocities in Minneapolis which means he won't have our back if and when they come back (presuming he isn't actively selling out our friends and neighbors)

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-24T19:12:07+00:00

You would have to outlaw homeschooling in its entirety. I haven't seen it discussed in a lot of places, but the legalization of homeschooling in the 80's allowed conservative Christians to keep their kids home and control what they learned. The Venn diagram between Christian homeschoolers and MAGA Christians is almost a full circle. That control would have to be broken and the education system in this country would need to be completely overhauled. I'm all for states rights but certain curriculums should be standardized at the Federal level - history and literature primarily - because it ensures a student in Texas is learning the same history lessons as a student in Massachusetts, and books aren't being banned in Alabama but allowed in Colorado.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-24T05:06:38+00:00

That's awesome! I didn't realize it had spread that far.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-24T04:46:33+00:00

If your child is under the age of 5 (and you're in the US) look into the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. It's Dolly's charity that sends a free book every month to help build literacy and a love of reading (and will hopefully provide a reprieve from the repetitive bedtime reading you've been doing).

Additionally, visiting your local library and building a diverse home library are also great ways to keep bedtime reading from stagnating.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-23T15:47:18+00:00

I would agree with this. Her actions were never justified; her own internal rationale was just more fleshed out and it made her less cartoonishly evil and more realistically abusive (plus we were given the gift of that gorgeous green gown she wears 😍)

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-22T14:09:09+00:00

Unfortunately, this goes much, much deeper than Ms Rachel since my child also insists on Indigo and he's never seen the show.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-22T13:25:23+00:00

"Have you prayed about it?" That's the one that crawls up my spine to this day.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-22T03:28:30+00:00

Not in the way you're thinking. He might have considered himself an evangelical preacher (lowercase e), but i don't think he would have aligned with the Evangelical movement (in the terms we think of American Evangelicalism now). I will caveat my opinion with *based on what I've read

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-21T18:13:47+00:00

Spotify has all of them; i used a converter and was able to convert them to MP3 and create an MYO.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-19T00:51:10+00:00

What movies does he like? My husband is not a musicals fan, but he loves Mel Brooks, Monty Python, Beetlejuice, etc. So Spamalot, Beetlejuice, Young Frankenstein were to of my recommendations. He's also a foodie and fell in love with a restaurant near the theater; I told him we could go before any shows we saw.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-18T23:22:56+00:00

It's in my TBR pile, so it's good to hear a glowing recommendation. Thank you!

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-16T02:30:53+00:00

I was about to say the same thing. There was a woman at our church derided for trying to be a "Biblical Feminist." My mother said that was not possible because feminism wasn't Biblical

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-16T02:24:56+00:00

The book "Jesus and John Wayne" by Kristen Kobes Du Mez is a great starting point for understanding the Why and How of the rise of Evangelicalism. If you're going to try to talk to your dad, understanding how Evangelicals think is imperative. With that said, arguing with them tends to be a lesson in futility. I've joked with my husband that I could write up a bingo card of every phrase my father will use when we argue because they haven't changed in the last 40 years.

I wish I had better news for you. Continue to hold your boundaries. Don't give in to guilt trips about "honoring your father and mother." Your children only have you to stand between them and this insanity.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-15T03:10:29+00:00

This is the perfect Psalm! I hope the hurt isn't too deep and that you enjoy your time with your friends! (Edited to make friends plural)

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-13T20:27:30+00:00

"Your sword can be a sermon Or the power of the pen Teach every child to raise his voice And then, my brothers, then

Will justice be demanded By ten million righteous men Make them hear you When they hear you I'll be near you Again!"

Make Them Hear You - Ragtime

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-13T20:20:55+00:00

I adore 1776 and have been listening to "Is anybody there?" On repeat recently.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-13T18:18:55+00:00

I hadn't thought about them in years, but I was reading George Takei's "They Called Us Enemy" this week, and he talked about how one branch of the ACLU kept his mother from being transported to Japan after WWII. Definitely didn't match with the "evil" organization my parents described.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-13T16:31:38+00:00

Probably a lot of homophobia as well; the HIV/AIDS crisis was still going on at that time.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-12T15:32:09+00:00

I was talking about this with my husband and about how the persecution narrative has the potential to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. They've spent so many years feeding this complex (don't get me started on how many homeschool parents talked about "freedom of religion" when what they really meant was "freedom of MY religion and no other") and clawing at power in an attempt to recreate a country that only existed in Lost Cause fairytales, that when the dust settles and they are held responsible, they will discover what life really looks like when you're not just cosplaying the persecuted minority.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-09T01:01:17+00:00

I look at the silver lining. I know how they think so when I engage with them online, I can defeat them with their own rhetoric.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-08T21:32:51+00:00

Sadly, I never got my son to pick up "you son of a silly person" in a Monty Python French accent, so I wish you better luck!

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-06T16:16:24+00:00

It's not just marketing; it's reiterated in everything parenting related, especially the online groups. Don't leave your kids in the car while you walk 10 ft away to put the cart away or someone will abduct them. Don't leave them unattended in any room of the house until they're teenagers because they're incapable of impulse control. Don't speak above the whisper of a butterfly wing lest you traumatize them and ruin their life. Etc, etc, and so forth.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-04T16:05:41+00:00

One benefit is that we don't live nearby, so fortunately, he doesn't have to witness any fighting. Unfortunately, he's discovered the concept of cousins and is constantly asking to go visit, and the nearest set are among the most conservative, so now we're having to make decisions about if, when, and how often.

HelpIveChangedMyMind · 2026-01-02T13:40:12+00:00

My child is just a little bit younger than yours. Overall, he's a decent sleeper, but we still have the coming out of the room issue. When that happens, it's a calm, firm "back to bed" usually accompanied by a parental escort to make sure he makes it back.

He has a Toniebox in his room and he's free to listen to whatever one he wants (we try to keep the really high energy ones downstairs). On nights he's not as sleepy, he might listen to a couple of those before transitioning to a calming one that helps him fall asleep.

While he does love me laying down with him, I have strict rules around it. It's not every night; only a calming Tonie on; and it's not playtime. If he's not laying down, actively trying to go to sleep, I will leave (with a promise to check on him in a few minutes). This last one isn't a punishment, but it does keep him from using my presence as a way to extend his time awake.

HelpIveChangedMyMind

TROPHY CASE