In the last few days, I’ve been reading over a few different homeschooling blogs. I’ve noticed that many people homeschooling list the books they use to teach their children. We aren’t homoschooling due to our religious beliefs. We’re homeschooling to provide a higher quality education for our son.

I’ve found that many parents who are doing secular homeschooling have limited resources, so I thought I’d share what we use to homeschool CT (Cool Teen - his online moniker). Here is a list of the classes he’s taking and the books he’s using this year.

For reference, CT turns 14 on November 5. He’s in 8th Grade.

History/Social Studies - American History
Book Used: The Americans - McDougal Littell
The Americans Workbook - Used Sporadically
The Presidential Elections Handbook
Online - The Americans Book Activities @ Classzone

Movies: The Adams Chronicles
Gods and Generals
Schoolhouse Rock: Election Edition
Gettysburg
Hilter: The Last Ten Days

Science - Life Science
Middle School Life Science - McDougal Littell
Problem Solving and Critical Thinking, Workbook Grade 8
Standard Test Practice Workbook Grade 8
Online - Life Science Book Activities @ Classzone

Movies: Evolution: Darwin’s Dangerous Idea
Wolves (Blu-Ray)
Bears (Blu-Ray)
Planet Earth
The Blue Planet

Math - Algebra
Algebra I - McDougal Littell
Algebra I Workbook
Benchmark Tests for Algebra I
Algebra Manipulative Kit
Online - Algebra I Book Activities @ Classzone

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I had a lively debate on Twitter about same sex marriage the other night. I can refute every argument against Same Sex Marriage with facts. It’s time America got past the silly nonsense of denying an entire group of Americans the right to marry.

I call it a right because there are over 1400 benefits (state and federal) that are afforded by the government to a married couple. While some couples make their wedding a church/religious affair, marriage is first and foremost a government granted right. If it wasn’t you wouldn’t need a state certified marriage license. The church would simply write down your marriage if only ordained by the church.

The Declaration of Independence promised all Americans the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These are three inalienable rights afforded to all Americans. Marriage is another of those inalienable rights. It is unconstitutional for any government (state, local, federal or otherwise) to deny anyone the right to marry, who is over the age of consent and unrelated. So, why are so many people against Same Sex Marriage?

1. Fear - People fear the unknown. They don’t understand same-sex relationships, so they’re quick to dismiss them as legit or logical. A same-sex relationship is actually quite similar to a heterosexual relationship. Same-sex couples eat meals together, spend time together, share bills and buy household necessities together, raise children together, buy/build/design a home together, participate in hobbies together, etc. It’s really not very different than any other relationship save for the intimacy involved and even then, it’s fairly similar.

I’ve found that educating others, especially those opposed to same-sex marriage, who don’t know a single gay person, has changed many views. Speaking from experience, being GLBT is not a choice. It’s who the person is, and nothing has ever been proven to change GLBT individuals, not even “reparative” therapies or “get rid of the gay” camps. Not even the church can make a GLBT person non-GLBT. They just make the person a liar.

2. The Bible says it’s bad. Which Bible have you been reading? I’ve read many a Bible and most of the English translations make a mockery of the original Bible. The original Bible was written in Ancient Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew. Before quoting the actual Bible, I recommend people learn Ancient Greek (Open Texture has an excellent program, which uses authentic Bible text - free of English-translated dogma). You can find various places online to learn Hebrew, and I’m sure Aramaic as well.

Then you can go to websites like Codex Sinaiticus to translate the various Ancient Bibles out there yourself.

I can tell you for a fact, there was no mention of homosexuality in the original Bible. There wasn’t even a word for homosexuality until the 1800s. What the Bible did refer to was, the “pagan” temple slaves/prostitutes. These men were condemned. They participated in orgies that celebrated the Gods and yes that included homosexual orgies. The term associated with this was to’ebah, which is often translated as an abomination or a detestable act.

It’s not hard to imagine early Christians condemning this. They believed polytheistic orgies were detestable. Christianity has always been a relatively prudish religion. However, the Christians were paranoid about the polytheists, in particular. The systematic elimination of polytheistic practices (including the subsequent rape of women and murder of men - in order to cleanse the world of polytheists and convert the non-believers) was due to polytheism’s threat to Christianity. For centuries, the Christians feared the resurrection of polytheism, and condemnation of polytheist acts, including temple prostitution and “divinity inspired orgies,” is to be expected.

In the Bible, these male temple prostitutes/slaves are referred to as qadesh. This has been mistranslated to mean homosexual. How would the Ancients have meant qadesh for homosexual when homosexual wasn’t even a word then? It’s clear that the Bible was condemning the temple prostitutes (qadesh) and their orgies as an abomination (to’ebah) and therefore, there is not a SINGLE mention of homosexuality or its condemnation in the Bible.

The Ancient world didn’t have this bias towards homosexuality that we have.

3. Marriage has always been traditionally heterosexual. We cannot change the institution of marriage from what it has always been.

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I don’t talk very often about my family, merely because there really isn’t a point. My dad died in 2001, and sometimes I feel like he’s the only one who ever truly accepted me. Sure, he was not without his faults, but he was a guy I could go out “babe watching” with and who enjoyed going to sports games with me even if we had to sit in the disability seating section. The majority of the rest of my family does not talk to me. I only really talk to my grandparents and the occasional cousin, and some of it is at my very own choosing. The reason for not talking to my family is a long, complex story that really doesn’t have much to do with why I’m posting this blog today. This blog is more about my grandmother.

I haven’t really spoken to my grandparents since last Christmas. After an interesting episode that occurred last year in which another family member interrupted a phone call with my grandfather, I’d been skittish about calling them anyway, but my reasoning for not calling them now is for their benefit. You see, my grandfather is 90. My grandmother is 86. They’re old fashioned and nothing I could say or do could ever get them to understand that I was born with a male brain in a female body. I accept the fact that they can and never will accept this, but I’m not the person they claim I am. I don’t want that vision of me deluded for them. They are way too old to handle living without the delusion that I’m not their little granddaughter and I haven’t the heart or the will to change their mind.

For starters, as I mentioned before, they are old. They don’t want to see me any other way. While my grandfather has said he’ll love me no matter what, and I truly believe he believes this and in his own mind he does love me, he is unable to see me as Dominick. He hasn’t seen me physically since 2002. I look like a totally different person. I don’t look like the person he remembers, but I know he’s living with that vision of the old me in his mind.

Secondly, my grandmother has some form of dementia and has for years. I don’t know about you but “coming out” to Grandma every few days is not fun. Every time I told her the truth about me, she would have a different reaction. One time, she was totally accepting. One time she was blasé (it’s my life right?), one time she ignored it. Another time, she started bawling her eyes out and yelling at me, “Why? This can’t be right!” It was physically draining and I’m imagining the emotional rollercoaster wasn’t good for her either, so I stopped trying to explain to her anything a few years ago.

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What constitutes abuse? Is it a smack on the face? How about an unpleasant word? Is abuse something deeper or is just something that has to be construed as abuse by the victim of said abuse?

I’ve been in therapy since I was five. That’s about the time I realized I was “different” due to my disability. That’s a pretty early age to realize such a difference (typically kids begin to realize between 8-10, sometimes later). My doctors took no precautions in recommending I go to therapy. I don’t really remember much of it, except I got to play with toys and I never told my therapist anything of substance.

As I got older, and I began to realize my family was a bit dysfunctional, I walked around with a chip on my shoulder. In therapy, I wouldn’t share anything of importance and often treated my therapists like scum. I didn’t want to be there, so why not make them suffer, too? I was deemed a ‘problem child’ with my therapists soaking up every little word my parents said. They believed every half-truth and didn’t even question why I had anger or was struggling more than any normal teenager should.

What became apparent is after “coming out”, the real abuse began. To me, it is abuse. It was unwanted. It was unwarranted. It was unnecessary. The funny thing is, I blamed myself for it, that is until I got into college and “chose” to go to therapy. I had been in therapy so long, by this point, that it was a no-brainer I’d seek out a therapist myself. Except, this time I didn’t ignore my therapist. I didn’t make up things just so they’d leave me alone. I actually spoke to my therapist. I actually explained to them what was going on in my life and for the first time, someone said…”did you ever think this isn’t your fault?”

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This last few weeks, we’ve had to deal with some excessive cruelty towards our son, CT. Some of the kids in the neighborhood think its fun to try to torture CT. They try to make him perform “tricks” like a circus animal. CT is the type of kid who will do almost anything to make someone happy, even if it might be detrimental to him.

CT’s social disability makes him act younger than he is. Usually his friends are anywhere from 3-7 years younger than him. He’s a lighthearted kid who just wants to play outside and have fun. The two boys who have been picking on him are in their teens. I believe one is older than him by a year or so. The other, is only a few days older than CT. Initially, the second boy (closest to his age) had a mother who claimed she worked with autistic children, so CT was always welcome to come over.

According to CT, when kid #2 is alone, he’s fun to be around. When kid #1 (the oldest boy) is around, kid #2 doesn’t necessarily do anything to CT, but he also doesn’t stop kid #1 from picking on him and trying to make CT do something he shouldn’t be doing. Part of CT’s disability is his inability to lie. When he was younger, he just couldn’t lie period. He didn’t know anything about fabrication.

As he gets older, he sometimes tries (sadly, it’s a pathetic attempt to conceal truth that even a kid could pick up as a lie) though he always ends up admitting the truth when told it’s clear he’s not telling it. It’s nice to see he’s trying to do something so normal socially (though lying really isn’t good), but he’s just unable to fully grasp the concept of lying. That’s how we’re 100% certain he’s telling the truth about everything he says.

Of course, another boy in our neighborhood who is nice to CT says these kids scream at CT, calling him crazy and retard. The boy doesn’t understand why CT still wants to be their friends. CT’s biggest fault is defending those who are mean to him. The kid who sliced his shoulder/neck because he didn’t want CT playing with something did it, according to CT, as an accident. The kid who sits on his chest on the trampoline and bounces, telling him to “take it like a man” is just “playing”, so no harm, no foul, right?

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I just happened to catch the tail end of the movie, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, on HBO this afternoon. That got me to thinking about what it would be like to have a dozen children. Not only would it be hard to raise so many kids, you’d have to come up with all those names to give to twelve kids! That being said, this brings me to the question of the day.

The question I have for all of you is, if you had 12 kids, what would you name all of them? To make things more interesting, lets say you have a set of twins (boys or girls - it doesn’t matter) as your two youngest children. If you already have children, feel free to include their names as the first few children on your list!

I consulted with Ashtyn (feel free to consult with your partner, as well) and this is the list of twelve that we came up with for the children we would have if we had a dozen.

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