Kristina (of Keepsakes) Starting to Homeschool

[Buzzard]

Logic fail:

I was poorly educated so I'll educate my children. I know better than teachers!

:angry-banghead

[fundiefan]

I understand the sacrifices people make for their child's education. We enrolled our son in private school when he was a few weeks old (for 11 years old) and with prices currently 30K I can only imagine what they will be in 11 years time. One reason we will only have 2 children.

Kristina should enrol her kids in public school. Lots of Christian kids go to public school. Or if she is so scared how about a cheap church school? From memory husband is minimum wage though?

Only Christian kids whose parents are not so weak in their faith that they see education as a threat to it. If her kids go to public school, they might be taught about the evil evolution or science or astronomy or god forbid, later on, sex education/health.

No good Christian allows their children exposure to such evils. Far better to poorly educate them in a safe environment with only that which you want them to know.

[VodouDoll]

"Kloe" ????

That hurts me on a visceral level.

It looks like it should rhyme with glow, rather than be pronounced Chloe.

She's going to educate her children by staying one step ahead of them in her curriculum? Would that even work? If you've only just crammed the material last night, how will you teach it to a kid this morning? It doesn't sound like a thoughtful or realistic plan. She seems in over her head before she's even started.

[treemom]

I don't even think you have to make sacrifices to care about your kids school. Most public schools, even one with challenging socioeconomic would be able to educate her kids better than she can. That isn't a slam Kristina, your parents failed you on so many levels and it makes me angry when I think about it.

If Kloe is behind (and I don't know, my kid had motor skill delays and I stupidly didn't realize it until his preschool teacher called me in), she will likely qualify for public preschool. It's just a travesty. I hope her views on public school go the way of not wearing pants.

[Palimpsest]

I just checked on a few things. Kloe will be 5 and the twins will be 4 in September. I'm reluctant to label Kloe as behind at this stage (MMV). I don't understand why Kristina is waiting until the Fall to start homeschooling if they are so eager to start.

I also checked the last time Kristina graced us with her presence. The thread is archived under Misc. Births - probably accidentally. viewtopic.php?f=228&t=22561

So for those unfamiliar with the family who want a brief synopsis:

- Kristina and Josh will consider Christian school when the children get beyond her ability to teach them. I'm sure public school will always be :penguin-no: Public school might leak the information that the USA is a republic and not founded on the Bible.

- NellieBelle, Kristina had not voted as of last November, but only because she hadn't got around to it. Josh votes, I think.

- Kristina does not beat or hit her kids. She "pops" them instead. "Popping" is not hitting.

- It looks as though Jessica did take that adulterous unemployed asshole Ronnie back. I don't know Jessica's FB to check on the latest status though. Ronnie is Kristina's brother and the guy who divorced Jessica when she was pregnant with # 5. Jesus wept. I wonder how Jessica feels about the Browns tossing her under the bus for being a bad wife and causing Ronnie to stray. They also temporarily embraced and then trashed Tashia, the woman Ronnie ran off with. This family is so fucked up.

I was so very frustrated with Kristina on that thread. :lol: It really is because I see her as having such enormous potential. It infuriates me that she refuses to expand her horizons because she is so damn obstinate. She will never admit that she has changed her mind or was ever wrong about anything.

[fundiefan]

I've seen Jessica's Facebook and it's full of lovey-dovey family pics. Ronnie posted on his own FB when they took up again about how awesome it is and having haters. His mother made sure to let everyone know that those who didn't support them are not Christian - her words were "they need to get right with god'. Because only those not right with god would question a husband and wife reuniting. Blah, blah, blah.

They're deeply ingrained but worse than even most fundies because they are not educated and refuse to acknowledge or admit that they do not know all, even about their God or religious beliefs, and that they are as human as everyone else.

It's everyone else who has the problem and them and them alone who are right with god.

[Palimpsest]

^^^

Thanks for the update on R & J.

They just don't get it, do they? At FJ we rarely, if ever, rejoice at a marriage breaking down. We are usually very compassionate, especially when there are children involved. We also tend to see the breakup in terms of the inadequacy of the courtship model, their backgrounds, and their youth. I do see that I am a heretic because I think that some marriages are just not meant to be, and that staying in a horrible relationship just for the sake of the children can be a really bad idea.

But the Browns are just superspeshul Christians whose Patriarchal menfolk can behave as they want and must always be forgiven. They can walk away from their families at will, get fired, refuse to work, cheat, fight child support, but then they return to the fold and all is fine.

Sorry, but I think both Sis. Julie and Jessica have made big mistakes in not dumping their respective husbands forthwith. It would be common sense in this case. And I don't care about being right with God.

BTW, did Ronnie ever legally marry Tashia? That was never clear to me. I thought they claimed to be married at one point, so did they divorce?

[fundiefan]

No, Ronnie & Tashia were never legally married. They claimed 'togetherness' but there was no legal or even covenant marriage. She is now off fighting for her kids (their father has them) and he is...sliding up to Jessica, playing the god card, and taking everyone for a ride. Jessica is taking him back like it was meant to be. Their god, don'tchaknow.

The men in this family can always do whatever the hell they want with such ease because the women are always waiting for them to 'come back' with open arms.Because 'come back' = Jesus.

The women in that family don't WANT to cope with life and would rather be victims and 'wronged' than get off their asses, make effort, stand up and be human beings. Ronnie learned from his father how to be a man. Neither are worth jack shit and both are a waste of air.

Kristina, her mom (Julie), and Jessica will forever exist entirely to please their men and their rules of Christianity. Jessica has been living with her parents with her four children and doing nothing else because she is a perfect Christian waiting for her man to come back. And, what do you know, he did! Now, everything is great! They have no home, the man has no job, there are four innocent children, but god is happy and so are they! Let's all celebrate.

Truth be told - the entire family disgusts me.

[formergothardite]

I so hope that Jessica think about some form of birth control. Let's face it, any man who acts like Ronnie and only comes back when he has no job or house is going to do something shitty like that again. It is just a matter of time and there doesn't need to be any other children brought into this family.

[mango_fandango]

I never know quite what to think of this girl. She seems decent hearted, but very dim at the same time. I'm familiar with the Arby's engagement, and the family issues discussed here that made her flip out. I wonder if she ever caught that spy? ;) Her husband seems a little off, like the militia living in rural Montana type of off. I have no problem with homeschooling as long as the person doing it is licensed to teach in a public school in their state. Otherwise, I think you are fooling yourself and doing a disservice to your children. There is obviously no degree of any type in sight here. I still honestly don't know how I feel about her. And that's rare for me. I usually have a strong opinion one way or the other with fundies.

Hmm, sometimes not even then. Erika Shupe of Large Families on Purpose has a degree and is a qualified teacher, and homeschools her kids. She said in her "why we homeschool" post that she had to "unlearn" a lot of what she'd learnt, in order to become a "better" homeschooler, because that degree really opened her eyes to what was being taught "behind parents' backs". She still says she has this degree (nothing would take it from her obviously), but she's basically thrown away all she's learnt to use Alpha Omega Press's LifePacs and all that. Plus, if you check her posts, her spelling and grammar are very dodgy.

[acheronbeach]

This is a very bad idea. She's so poorly educated. :(

[VodouDoll]

Where I live (MI) you need to have a bachelors degree to homeschool, or claim a religious exemption because higher education is against your faith. Kristina would fall into the latter category, I'm sure. Probably a lot of people do, come to think of it.

[dairyfreelife]

I can't remember all the dates but their 6th wedding anniversary is in July, so Kloe is around 5.

Raegan and Brayden are probably almost 4, and Brianna will be two in June. Caleb was born in March.

Kristina claimed that she would homeschool by trying to stay a step or two ahead of her children in whatever curriculum she decides to use or modify. It will probably be a crap curriculum. However, with 5 children and counting it is hard to see how that will work. Even now she'll be busy dealing with the latest infant and the toddler rather than focused on teaching the oldest 3. It will probably be alright, if a bit substandard for kindergarten and perhaps even elementary school, but I cannot see how it will work after that.

Um, wow...she's about 5 years old and doesn't know her numbers 1-10. :? Unless Kloe has some sort of learning disability, that's really bad. My bf's nephew will be 2 in July and he can say his alphabet and can count 1-20. From my experience, that's quite normal. Most two year olds know their ABCs and can count at least 1-10. Either no one is teaching her properly or she is developmentally. Either way, it's bad news for all of her children.

[nelliebelle1197]

Kristina is in Georgia. We have lottery funded preK. Klow should have been in that last year. It is FREE. She should be entering kindergarten this year, not preschool. My four year old is entering pre-K in the fall; she can count to 20, do some simple addition, write her name and do a lot of higher for a 4 year thinking, thanks to an actual quality preschool education.

[JMarie]

I wonder if she's just starting to homeschool Kloe (oh, it hurts to type that!) so that all three kids will on the same curriculum.

[Childless]

Kristina is in Georgia. We have lottery funded preK. Klow should have been in that last year. It is FREE. She should be entering kindergarten this year, not preschool. My four year old is entering pre-K in the fall; she can count to 20, do some simple addition, write her name and do a lot of higher for a 4 year thinking, thanks to an actual quality preschool education.

Not necessarily. My kid is going to be 5 in October and he's still got another year of preschool. If I'm not mistaken, Kloe was born in September. It's possible she just barely missed the cut off date for kindergarten enrollment. Like my son, she's going to be one of the oldest in her grade. Sometimes, that can be an advantage. I know my son was not ready to start preschool at 2 years old, so the cut off date worked in his favor.

I agree with the rest of your statement though. She seems way behind for a nearly 5 year old. At that age, its easy to catch them back up if you know what your doing. The problem is, Kristina does not know what she's doing. She'd do better by her kids to enroll them in preschool, particularly since its free. In my state, preschool is not funded so there are a lot of young kids who do not go and start kindergarten at a disadvantage. I think she's beyond stupid not to take the opportunity Georgia offers its youngsters.

[dairyfreelife]

Not necessarily. My kid is going to be 5 in October and he's still got another year of preschool. If I'm not mistaken, Kloe was born in September. It's possible she just barely missed the cut off date for kindergarten enrollment. Like my son, she's going to be one of the oldest in her grade. Sometimes, that can be an advantage. I know my son was not ready to start preschool at 2 years old, so the cut off date worked in his favor.

I agree with the rest of your statement though. She seems way behind for a nearly 5 year old. At that age, its easy to catch them back up if you know what your doing. The problem is, Kristina does not know what she's doing. She'd do better by her kids to enroll them in preschool, particularly since its free. In my state, preschool is not funded so there are a lot of young kids who do not go and start kindergarten at a disadvantage. I think she's beyond stupid not to take the opportunity Georgia offers its youngsters.

Depends on location, but also nelliebellie may think she's already 5. If so, then yes, she would be in most cases. Sometimes they are not ready for Kindergarten anyway. If Kloe was 5 already, based off what Kristina said, she's not ready. She'd be behind most of the others. :?

[Childless]

No, Ronnie & Tashia were never legally married. They claimed 'togetherness' but there was no legal or even covenant marriage. She is now off fighting for her kids (their father has them) and he is...sliding up to Jessica, playing the god card, and taking everyone for a ride. Jessica is taking him back like it was meant to be. Their god, don'tchaknow.

The men in this family can always do whatever the hell they want with such ease because the women are always waiting for them to 'come back' with open arms.Because 'come back' = Jesus.

The women in that family don't WANT to cope with life and would rather be victims and 'wronged' than get off their asses, make effort, stand up and be human beings. Ronnie learned from his father how to be a man. Neither are worth jack shit and both are a waste of air.

Kristina, her mom (Julie), and Jessica will forever exist entirely to please their men and their rules of Christianity. Jessica has been living with her parents with her four children and doing nothing else because she is a perfect Christian waiting for her man to come back. And, what do you know, he did! Now, everything is great! They have no home, the man has no job, there are four innocent children, but god is happy and so are they! Let's all celebrate.

Truth be told - the entire family disgusts me.

I'd like your post a thousand times if I could. I'm all for working on troubled marriages and trying to keep them together, but I'm also grounded in reality and know a lost cause when I see one. The guy left her to go bang someone else. When that woman wised up and dumped his ass, he came crawling back saying how sorry and wrong he was. There was no evidence of growth or change. Mark my words, its only a matter of time before he thinks the grass is greener on the other side and runs off with another woman again. Furthermore, the two of them have 4 kids and no jobs?!?!? On what planet is that acting like an adult? In my opinion, she's just as guilty as he is. He left her. That's sad and upsetting. However, she has 4 kids to feed and clothe. She should have gotten up off her ass and went to work. At least when he came back, they'd have someone making some money. What a bunch of grifters.

I love my husband, but if he pulled something like that, his ass would be gone. Of course he'd always have access to his children because kids need both their mother and father, but his opportunity to be with me would be over. I'm no one's doormat. I don't think being a man gives you the right to do as you please. I still expect you to be responsible, kind, compassionate, caring, and honest. Having a penis doesn't mean you get to act like a child for your entire life. I feel bad for their little girls. Neither of their parents seem to have their shit together. So glad my boys don't have to deal with crap like this.

[fun2beme]

I so hope that Jessica think about some form of birth control. Let's face it, any man who acts like Ronnie and only comes back when he has no job or house is going to do something shitty like that again. It is just a matter of time and there doesn't need to be any other children brought into this family.

I hope so, too, not just for birth control but protection for Jessica. I mean, Saint Ronnie doesn't strike me as the "oh let's have an adult conversation about STDs and such" before hopping into bed with someone. Not sure if he got the e-xGF pregnant?

As for Kristina homeschooling, I agree with many of the posters - she seems like she has a lot of potential if her circumstances were different, but they weren't. But I don't really think Josh gave her a choice in the homeschooling matter either.

I become so angry when I think of the parents and Ronnie!

[formergothardite]

I hope so, too, not just for birth control but protection for Jessica. I mean, Saint Ronnie doesn't strike me as the "oh let's have an adult conversation about STDs and such" before hopping into bed with someone. Not sure if he got the e-xGF pregnant?

As for Kristina homeschooling, I agree with many of the posters - she seems like she has a lot of potential if her circumstances were different, but they weren't. But I don't really think Josh gave her a choice in the homeschooling matter either.

I become so angry when I think of the parents and Ronnie!

I sure hope someone in her life talked to her about STDs, but I rather doubt they did. If I remember correctly the ex-girlfriend was pregnant when Ronny started dating her, so he didn't get her pregnant.

If Kristina had one or maybe two children she might be able to pull off homeschooling in the early years, but with that many kids and with such a poor education herself, I don't think she will be able to do it. One of the reason's Kloe might not know as much as an average five year old is because Kristina has been pregnant or caring for babies her entire short life. How much time as Kristina been able to devote to just Kloe and helping her learn?

[copyed]

I've occasionally stopped by Ronnie's ex's FB page, and it looks like the bulk of her posting is of duckface selfies (which I cheerfully judge because I'm so over this age of Internet selfies). Also, she has a new boyfriend, looks like. Wonder how long before she's pregnant again.

[nelliebelle1197]

Depends on location, but also nelliebellie may think she's already 5. If so, then yes, she would be in most cases. Sometimes they are not ready for Kindergarten anyway. If Kloe was 5 already, based off what Kristina said, she's not ready. She'd be behind most of the others. :?

I just checked the old blog and KLOW was born in September 2010. She should be starting preK. She is two months older than my daughter, who was born at 26 weeks in November 2010.

[Cactus]

Where I live (MI) you need to have a bachelors degree to homeschool, or claim a religious exemption because higher education is against your faith. Kristina would fall into the latter category, I'm sure. Probably a lot of people do, come to think of it.

This 'religious exemption' baffles me - I'm used to legal loopholes being somewhat smaller. How could you possibly admit that you subscribe to a set of religious tenets that explicitly want to keep you and your children dumb, docile and unquestioning, and do so with a straight face?! You might as well hold up a big sign saying 'I'm too stupid to teach my children! Take them away from me!'

:cray-cray:

[nokidsmom]

I'd like your post a thousand times if I could. I'm all for working on troubled marriages and trying to keep them together, but I'm also grounded in reality and know a lost cause when I see one. The guy left her to go bang someone else. When that woman wised up and dumped his ass, he came crawling back saying how sorry and wrong he was. There was no evidence of growth or change. Mark my words, its only a matter of time before he thinks the grass is greener on the other side and runs off with another woman again. Furthermore, the two of them have 4 kids and no jobs?!?!? On what planet is that acting like an adult? In my opinion, she's just as guilty as he is. He left her. That's sad and upsetting. However, she has 4 kids to feed and clothe. She should have gotten up off her ass and went to work. At least when he came back, they'd have someone making some money. What a bunch of grifters.

I love my husband, but if he pulled something like that, his ass would be gone. Of course he'd always have access to his children because kids need both their mother and father, but his opportunity to be with me would be over. I'm no one's doormat. I don't think being a man gives you the right to do as you please. I still expect you to be responsible, kind, compassionate, caring, and honest. Having a penis doesn't mean you get to act like a child for your entire life. I feel bad for their little girls. Neither of their parents seem to have their shit together. So glad my boys don't have to deal with crap like this.

And you know that when Ronnie leaves Jessica again (note I said "when" and not "if") chances are pretty good that there will be more than 4 children involved.

[nolongerIFBx]

From Kristina's "Everything Nice" Facebook page:

Those poor kids. Pretty scary to think about the "quality" of education they will be receiving. :think:

You know, when I read "start [them] in preschool" on her FB page, I read that as she had enrolled them somewhere. Guess I would have said something more like "can't wait to start homeschooling in the fall and neither can the kids".