Dear Lauren Turner, wife, mother, chief cook-and-bottle-washer, blogger, and caretaker of civilization,

Thank God that you are among the caretakers of civilization! And thank God for your mother! As a new Steemian who (for some reason) has not read the beginner's guide, I jumped into the deep end of the Steem pool by wandering around in Internet-land until I reached a video made by a friendly-looking man with a thick beard. (Would that be your husband?) The man had me enthralled by his expertise on sanitary methods for the composting of human waste while living off grid. Seriously? Yes, it was absolutely fascinating. As was the immaculate appearance of the pinewood compost shield just behind him. I could almost smell the fresh wood. The man was talking much too fast for my understanding, and as a city dweller, I know nothing about living off grid. But I was immutably persuaded that whoever these people are, they know what they're doing. So of course that man must be your husband because anyone who knows that much about safe and sanitary composting could only be married to one of the caretakers of civilization.

Your decision to mirror your mother and keep the family together for as long as wisdom permits is supported by experts in educational psychology. Unfortunately, I cannot remember their names at the moment, but I remember their peer-reviewed research. It has now been proven through longitudinal studies that children who remain at home for the first 4-6 grades of public school education are able to join their public school peers in grades 4-6 (at about ages 10-12) with a measurable learning curve advantage. In assessment tests, they outperform students who were educated in either the public or private school system, and they are able to competitively absorb and combine the information taught in multiple grades. They adapt more readily, learn more easily, and quickly become student leaders, contradicting the expectation that home-schooled learners would be deficient in the broader social skills. The theoretical conclusion is that the secure emotional bonding made possible in a home-school environment facilitates the formation of neural pathways in cognitive development.

Or, in other words, what your mother said.

If you want further proof that occasionally the experts get it, compare the pictures of your very happy children with the tragic face of Prince George (link / video below) on his first day of school at age four. Kensington Palace staff reported that Princess Charlotte cried when George left for "big school." The Inside Edition film clip below clearly shows the confident, ready-for-life body language of Princes William and Harry when Diana took them to school, and the reluctant, almost sorrowful social torture of Prince George.

So I am quite delighted to find you here blogging beside that fast-talking man with the thick beard. All I wanted that day was the land of early American furniture, wood burning fireplaces, tongue-and-groove precision carpentry, the seductive scent of cedar, and "chestnuts roasting on an open fire." Therefore you and that fast-talking man are a double blessing.

Lest I seem much too impressed, I should add that I found the bearded man's explanation of upvoting by bot deeply disturbing and very must against the "constitutional rights" of Steemians. But let me get my feet wet first before I challenge and antagonize the wrong people, as I am so prone to do.

God's blessings and grace upon you and your family.