The Offensive Post

I have had so many thoughts going through my brain recently that I want to post, but most are offensive to someone or other, so I figure I'll get through them all in one post, then you can decide if this little blog is still worth reading.
Most of these topics have to do with parenting, as that is the majority of my life right now.

1.  Breastfeeding in Public.
Oh my goodness.  WHY is this an issue?  Yes I understand that it makes people uncomfortable to think about what body parts are involved in this process, but seriously, this has been done since God created women and designed their bodies to do such.
Here's where my two-cents comes in.  I absolutely will not nurse without a cover (in public.  Don't walk in my house unannounced or you may be a little embarrassed).  I've always been of a more modest persuasion- I have only owned one skimpy bikini, that I wore twice on my honeymoon, I rarely wear shorts in public, tops are not low-cut and don't show midriff, etc.  I wasn't always this way, but since meeting my husband I understand that there are certain things I save for him.  Not so say I dress in muumuus or anything like that.  But I certainly don't flaunt my womanly attributes for just anyone.
Since nursing my child uses these "attributes", I prefer to cover up and keep them to myself.  No matter what nursing top I use, I cannot find a way to get D latched on modestly where there isn't any skin showing.  All three of my children didn't want any fabric touching their face, which leaves a lot of skin exposed.  And that's just not for public viewing.
There's a photo going around the internet showing two girls in skimpy bikinis and a woman breastfeeding (sans cover) saying that if the bikinis don't bother you, but the nursing mother does, that you're a hypocrite.  Well the bikinis do bother me and the exposed breast of the nursing mother bothers me too.  I have no problems whatsoever when what the mother is doing, in fact, I'll gladly encourage her as I know it's a tough road sometimes. But there is a difference between nursing discreetly and being exposed.  I really don't care what the reason for showing that much of your chest, in my opinion, it's improper.  Call me old fashioned or whatever, but that's my two cents.

2.  Controversial Parenting Choices
I've ranted on vaccines before on this little blog.  You can go back and read it if you choose.  Short version - I vaccinate my kids for the dangerous diseases out there.  We don't do flu vaccines, and we never got the H1N1 vaccine as I felt that it was untested and totally sensationalized.  And the doctor agreed with my concerns and actually recommended that we not get the vaccine.  She doesn't recommend the flu vaccine for my kids either.  She's extremely practical and understanding and I'm so thankful for such a great pediatrician.  But I have many friends that are against vaccines and many other choices that I choose for my children.  Mr. P and I go against the cultural grain in many areas, so we seemingly invite criticism at every turn.  Vaccines, circumcision, clothing, homeschooling, breastfeeding, etc.
Here's my opinion.  If a person has healthy, fairly well-adjusted children that are loved and nurtured, keep your nose out of it.  Trust them to make the best decisions for their families.  I do my research and come to my conclusions, you do your own and get your own conclusions.  I know I'm not right 100% of the time, but I'm trying and that's worth something.  No use berating someone else for their choices when parenting is hard enough as it is.  Good parents walk a fine line between graciously accepting good advice (as there is some to be had out there), and being confident enough in their own abilities to not second-guess themselves at every turn.  I don't judge you and push you off that tightrope, you do the same for me.

3.  Homeschooling/ Government interference
This kind of goes along with #2, but slightly more focused.  I rarely discuss politics with anyone outside my immediate circle of family and close friends.  The short answer on my political stance: I don't care what party you affiliate with, I just want the government to stay out of my business.  I homeschool, have a couple of small businesses, run a farm.  Every single one of those, I have to deal with the government nosing in my business.  We raise dairy goats (among other things).  We do our very best to use the safest, most natural methods of keeping our goats to keep them healthy and keep us healthy.  But goats are expensive.  It costs about $400 a year to feed a goat.  We don't want our goats to be a hobby.  We want them to be self-sustaining and pay for themselves.  We have invested in better stock to have more valuable kids.  But that's once a year.  We milk about 8 months of the year and have TONS of milk. What can we do with this milk?  Almost nothing.  We can sell it from our farm (and that is generous compared to other states).  But since we live out in the middle of nowhere, it's difficult to entice people to drive out for an $8 gallon of milk.  We can't deliver when we go to church.  We can't even sell milk products - cheese, yogurt, ice cream.  Why?  USDA rules.  I mean, I could sell cheese, but every batch of cheese (which is no more than 2 gallons of milk at a time) has to be tested by sending a sample of the milk to a lab, etc.  Plus I'd have to build a separate kitchen with a separate driveway to even make the cheese.  If I, like a smart business person, passed those costs onto my customers, you would be paying $20 for a pound of mozzarella.  Government regulations, people.  You can see why I don't want them in my business.  I want to sell my delicious, healthy, safe, fresh milk and milk products to my friends, but there's really almost no way to do that cost-effectively.  I could rant and rave on the plight of the small farmer all day.  Suffice to say that it's all just ugly at best.  And it's only going to get worse as the general population starts seeing the effects on your grocery bill.
Homeschooling is always under the threat of government interference.  Every year in Oklahoma, there are 3 bills passed by the same legislator trying to regulate homeschooling families.  Don't tell me about the parents that are just too lazy to send their kids to school and claim to be homeschooling, I've heard it.  Those are the exceptions.  I would venture to say that 98% of the homeschooling families are doing their very best to give their kids what they actually need, rather than settle for what some government entity has decided that kids should learn and when they should learn it.  Again, another topic I could go on for days.  But even the most critical in our family have seen how much R flourishes in homeschool and know that it was the right choice for our family.
But you'll notice, "right for my family."  I know homeschooling isn't right for everyone.  Did I say that?  Why do most people assume that I judge them for putting their kids in public school?  My thoughts have always been that if you have the desire to homeschool, you can.  Not that everyone should homeschool.  Refer to #2.  Don't judge me because I'm not judging you.   

So now you know.