17 yo Mary Maxwell is just starting her Junior year.

[Jana814]

Oh, I would loooooove to hear Steve's view on marriage counselors.......

Same here!! I beg he dosen't believe in one. I don't think his sons went through marriage counseling. If anything he probably did it himself.

[treemom]

Well and a psychologist at that!

[VodouDoll]

I think the upshot is that it's totally normal for kids to start their eleventh grade year anywhere from 15-17 and finish high school anywhere between 16-19.

The thing is that the Maxwells had previously posted that Mary was doing accelerated coursework to finish school early, and there is no way beginning junior year at 17 is early by any American metric. It's normal-to-late-ish. Either they have a funny idea of what accelerated means, Mary's plans changed for some reason (which is to say, Steve changed Mary's plans because you KNOW she's not allowed to make her own educational decisions), or Mary struggled with the material and Steve held her back.

[YPestis]

I think the upshot is that it's totally normal for kids to start their eleventh grade year anywhere from 15-17 and finish high school anywhere between 16-19.

The thing is that the Maxwells had previously posted that Mary was doing accelerated coursework to finish school early, and there is no way beginning junior year at 17 is early by any American metric. It's normal-to-late-ish. Either they have a funny idea of what accelerated means, Mary's plans changed for some reason (which is to say, Steve changed Mary's plans because you KNOW she's not allowed to make her own educational decisions), or Mary struggled with the material and Steve held her back.

Agreed. It's not so much she started her junior year at 17 (no biggie), but the Maxwells had said Mary was trying to graduate "early". Perhaps Mary struggled with some material, or perhaps all that traveling interfered with her school work. Whatever it is, it's just an odd fact that she's actually "on track" to graduate like a normal teen rather than as an accelerated student.

I actually like the speculation that Mary is not graduating early because the family want to be able to say they are still a "homeschooling" family. At some point, it's just going to be hard to attract more customers when all you have to show for your efforts are eight adult children, of which only two are married with families. Perhaps being able to say they are a "homeschooling family" makes their marketing a little bit easier.

[emesbe]

I'd be willing to bet cold cash that Steve thinks the bible is all the marriage counselor you need.

[uber frau]

What is this counselling rubbish? In the bible it says "women, obey your husbands", what else is needed? He might phrase it a little less bluntly but considering they regard a woman asking her husband to get pizza as being disrespectful and acting above her station I'm willing to wager his sentiments wouldn't be far off.

About the church thing: I'm pretty sure they are technically hosted by an individual (or a family) and finding a venue has always hereby the responsibility of the host. It's just that the most logical venue has always been a church building. Considering that people are quite good at attaching to an idea or two they like and filtering the bits they don't want to head (think of all the Pearl readers who are messed up and overly punitive but genuinely don't remember the most disgusting bits), I wonder how common it is for hosts to not fully realise the full extent of the Maxwell crazy until they're sitting and listening to the 'conference'.

[tenth muse]

In Australia often students start kindergarten the year they turn 6. So a lot of kids in year 12 (final year, which I guess would correlate to senior year) turn 18 during that year.

[twin2]

What is this counselling rubbish? In the bible it says "women, obey your husbands", what else is needed? He might phrase it a little less bluntly but considering they regard a woman asking her husband to get pizza as being disrespectful and acting above her station I'm willing to wager his sentiments wouldn't be far off.

Actually that is pretty much how I envision his response. Just with more bible verses and something about death.

[uber frau]

"Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips"

How's that for a proof-text? I'm so grateful for my fundie up-bringing :roll:

[salex]

Actually that is pretty much how I envision his response. Just with more bible verses and something about death.

I met a man online in a Christian group who said that he believed that any Christian man and any Christian woman could have a "good" Christian marriage if they just did what the bible told them. He was growing ever more pro arranged marriage and anti love match/letting "children" (his daughter was 30) pick their own spouses. (I gather his daughter was divorced or had kids with no husband)

He also said that a Christian marriage was like his career in the military-- the wife was to obey like a private obeyed a commanding officer.

I can't imagine the horror of lives where the men think they are so higher in station than their wives.

[Jana814]

I met a man online in a Christian group who said that he believed that any Christian man and any Christian woman could have a "good" Christian marriage if they just did what the bible told them. He was growing ever more pro arranged marriage and anti love match/letting "children" (his daughter was 30) pick their own spouses. (I gather his daughter was divorced or had kids with no husband)

He also said that a Christian marriage was like his career in the military-- the wife was to obey like a private obeyed a commanding officer.

I can't imagine the horror of lives where the men think they are so higher in station than their wives.

That guy sounds unstable. I think that is totally Steve he wants to be in the army still so he treats his family like they r.

[precious_one]

My son will turn 18 this Sunday, September 29 and he is a Senior this year and I even held in back one year. But 18 or 19 year old Seniors are not uncommon here because the cut off for Kindergarten is 5 by August 1.

[sparkles]

So I went back and re-read the back-to-school post. Is it just me or is this passage very confusing?

By 2012, I had almost forgotten about the first day of school. We had one homeschooled student who was in tenth grade and by choice started her new school year as soon as she finished her last one.

Okay, so if I'm reading this correctly, Mary finished 10th grade in 2012 and then started 11th immediately after (which is kind of what I remember about the post from about a year or so ago where they talked about her decision to accelerate her studies and graduate early). So why then is she just starting her junior year, 11th grade? Or did she START 10th grade in 2012, finish in 2013 and then start 11th grade immediately after? If that's the case, then why the big hoopla over the first day of school? The whole thing is as clear as mud.

[Shoes Grace]

I just happened to read this post. I think there actually is some genuine regret behind those words. Teri is no wordsmith, you can see that her children copy her style, but she's invested in her words. She probably realises that she doesn't need a picture to remember sending her oldest off on the school bus, but the lack of pictures of these last few years is a telling reminder she does not remember them.

Or maybe that's just me projecting. I happened to forget today that my dog turns four in March, not three, and I spent a few minutes trying to remember where my life's gone the past few years. And I don't have three grandchildren to watch growing up to mark the time, so if Teri's feeling that her past few years are sort of a meaningless blur...

[kpmom]

I just happened to read this post. I think there actually is some genuine regret behind those words. Teri is no wordsmith, you can see that her children copy her style, but she's invested in her words. She probably realises that she doesn't need a picture to remember sending her oldest off on the school bus, but the lack of pictures of these last few years is a telling reminder she does not remember them.

Or maybe that's just me projecting. I happened to forget today that my dog turns four in March, not three, and I spent a few minutes trying to remember where my life's gone the past few years. And I don't have three grandchildren to watch growing up to mark the time, so if Teri's feeling that her past few years are sort of a meaningless blur...

Maybe, I hadn't thought of that. I was taking it to mean Teri regrets possibly making her youngest child feel she's not as important.

I also found it interesting that she admitted forgetting to take Mary's picture. Not a good sales pitch for that MOTH schedule.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Oh no, she will have to spend the next three weeks in the prayer closet, begging Steve for forgiveness for going off schedule by that much.

[Black Aliss]

From the photos it looks as if she had her "first day of school" photo, then donned an apron and went to work in the kitchen preparing meals for the next roadshow. Or maybe that's her Home Ec class?

[Jana814]

Oh no, she will have to spend the next three weeks in the prayer closet, begging Steve for forgiveness for going off schedule by that much.

Do u mean Teri or Mary?

[anjulibai]

From the photos it looks as if she had her "first day of school" photo, then donned an apron and went to work in the kitchen preparing meals for the next roadshow. Or maybe that's her Home Ec class?

That's Anna cooking. They have identical clothes.

Actually, Anna and Mary are often dressed alike, even for just day to day activities, and even when Sarah is dressed in something else.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Do u mean Teri or Mary?

Teri, because she forgot to take Mary's picture on her first day of the school year. Everything should be the same in Maxhell, no space for forgetting something they have done previously and should be doing every year over and over again in the same boring way.

[Letgo]

I wonder if Mary took time off from school (or if she slowed her progress) to take over more chores because Teri was working on a book. Sarah frequently mentions a family member working on an upcoming book, online class, or project that is so worthwhile, so needed, so encouraging, etc. These take time to complete and she posts that others take over their duties to free up time for the book or project. The last couple of Teri's books required the "girls" taking on added responsibilities to allow Teri more time to write. Mary's schooling may have taken a backseat to others' work.

[Coconut Flan]

It isn't like she has anything to look forward to at the end of schooling or a reason to rush to finish.

[ThatSnark]

I wonder if Mary took time off from school (or if she slowed her progress) to take over more chores because Teri was working on a book. Sarah frequently mentions a family member working on an upcoming book, online class, or project that is so worthwhile, so needed, so encouraging, etc. These take time to complete and she posts that others take over their duties to free up time for the book or project. The last couple of Teri's books required the "girls" taking on added responsibilities to allow Teri more time to write. Mary's schooling may have taken a backseat to others' work.

Totally. Those ceiling fan blades and cabinet fronts aren't going to clean themselves.

[dairyfreelife]

considering they regard a woman asking her husband to get pizza as being disrespectful and acting above her station I'm willing to wager his sentiments wouldn't be far off.

Hold the presses! He actually said that?! :pink-shock:

[Miggy]

Maybe the desire to finish school early comes from Teri not Mary, although I'm sure she would never admit it. I have watched all of my Sisters-in-law burn out with home schooling but they could never admit it because it is what God has called then to do. Teri has been home schooling for a long time now. I am sure she is ready to just sit back and relax in the Grandma rather than the more intense parent role. (Not that she can ever relax with Steve around but you the idea.)