Common Room son tries to blow himself up

[stonefruit]

I am sure that her PTSD is self-diagnosed. It's unsurprising that she does not want to explain it on her blog because the event that caused it (I'm assuming) could reveal her identity, and perhaps she's legally restricted from discussing in public. If you know her real identity, it's not that hard to uncover.

It's probably played up for drama, though. While the event was likely traumatic, it has nothing to do with explosions of any sort, gunpowder, or one's son blowing himself up.

Well, you've certainly piqued my curiosity! I sent you a PM. :)

[thoughtful]

On a more constructive note I am super nervous about kids, well anyone really, handling fireworks. I can trace this anxiousness directly to reading "Follow my Leader" in the third grade. The protagonist Jimmy is blinded by a firework. Scared me off the things for life.

Not only did I read and re-read that book, I think I still have my copy! As someone with serious eye problems and a passion for dogs, it was right up my alley.

And it only reinforced my already-solid "fire and explosions are scary" opinion.

[Mudball]

I am sure that her PTSD is self-diagnosed. It's unsurprising that she does not want to explain it on her blog because the event that caused it (I'm assuming) could reveal her identity, and perhaps she's legally restricted from discussing in public. If you know her real identity, it's not that hard to uncover.

It's probably played up for drama, though. While the event was likely traumatic, it has nothing to do with explosions of any sort, gunpowder, or one's son blowing himself up.

Sooo intriguing!!

[ILoveJellybeans]

Wow, you know who she is? She keeps it so secret about her identity-although she has posted photos of some of the kids before.

[quinoa]

She's so silly about it. My favorite is when she claims that good friends send her links to her own blog thinking that she will find it interesting. As though anyone who is her good friend wouldn't be able to tell it's her blog. Too bad no one has sent the link to the "little boys'" mom, because I think she might ACTUALLY find it interesting.

Yes, I know her name. I don't know her from Adam, but I learned her identity from her blog. They've been sloppy on posts in the past and she regularly links to another site she's involved with that contains her real name.

[canbritam]

If I (a practicing Muslim) were to so this with my two boys, I would have the RCMP on my doorstep so fast trying to pin some sort of terrorism charge on me thar my head and entire body would be spinning. If any if my American Muslim friends were to do this with their sons I'm sure the FBI would do exactly the same thing. In fact, I'm sure I these idiots found out that I or they were blowing things up they'd be screaming for out arrests on terrorism charges because they'd be saying we were practicing to bomb something bigger. But yet, it's something to brag about when they do it. Mmmm. Nice.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Yes, I know her name. I don't know her from Adam, but I learned her identity from her blog. They've been sloppy on posts in the past and she regularly links to another site she's involved with that contains her real name.

Exactly.

I've seen her around since the USENET days and over the years she's given away enough info for me to tell who she is. She trips up in the usual ways people trip up. I've never met her or any member of her family, FWIW.

So, she is not nearly as clever about that as she imagines. That is all.

[godlytomatosoup]

I don't know who she is, but I assumed she had PTSD from her childhood. She's been spilling more info about that since her father died - I think she believed she had to honor and obey him by not describing him as abusive or neglectful while he was alive.

That's part of what keeps me reading her: the hints of just how much she's lived through, and how secretly unhappy she seems, while telling herself and the world that it's all good. That, plus her obvious intelligence and love for books, make me think of her as someone who under other circumstances I could have really liked and admired.

I still do admire her in some ways - I just also think she's horribly, horribly wrong about some things, outright delusional about others, disturbingly paranoid about others still (usually the same issues she's also boring as hell about) and racist and homophobic and occasionally plain mean for no reason. And also very spammy with the Kindle book stuff. If there was a way I could filter her posts by tag, I would do that in a heartbeat.

Also, more than the other Four Moms bloggers, I get the impression that she did arrive where she is through some sort of original and independent thought process, not by swallowing Vision Forum or Gothard whole. I don't agree with the her conclusions, but I do think she'd be doing what she's doing in some form or other even if she didn't have a bunch of blogging buddies all doing it too, like it's a fashion trend. And that makes her more interesting to me.

[formergothardite]

I can't figure out who she is, but it seems like her husband isn't that great of a guy so and if she came from some sort of traumatic background then it might be hard for her to realize that her husband's behavior is not normal. Even the country rednecks I know and are related to would not have let a child along with several other small children go outside and blow stuff up with absolutely no supervision.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

She has a post recently where she mentions that she never was a fan of Vision Forum or Doug Phillips. I agree with you that she hasn't just swallowed up some program, as far as I can tell.

I too share her love of books (though aside from that our interests are probably as opposite as possible and certainly I don't agree with her politically on about anything at all) which is what got me started reading her stuff ages ago. On certain nuts-and-bolts "what is a good way to homeschool this topic?" questions, we've shared some suggestions. Her idea of a cozy perfect house being a room with comfy chairs packed to the rafters with books is RIGHT up my alley. :)

Her views on language are quite different from mine, she is very attached to the words themselves in way I find very strange. It's to the point that she's posted against the idea of books using diagrams and images to teach, as she seems to think that describing something in words is the only true way to learn something or to exercise the imagination. I suspect that my growing up bilingual is probably one reason I think differently - what something is and what it's called for me have always been a very uncoupled thing, and personally I find flow charts and diagrams to truly be worth a thousand words.

We could probably share some coffee, as long as we don't talk about either science or politics...!

As for the PTSD stuff - I hadn't really thought about that, but was thinking maybe it was due to an accident she was in a some years ago. Just for the heck of it I reread some archives and I will admit that some of the writing surprised me just for what was left out.

FWIW I occasionally surf some other websites where it seems everyone and their cousin is claiming to have PTSD now but I can see how she might have issues, official or not. I'm thankful to not have had such trauma.