I guess it could have been worse.
Some people asked how the conversation with the principal went. I guess it could have been worse.
It was basically a dance between two very polite and and respectful people, each one trying to get the other to concede the point. I tried to impress upon the principal that my family is sensitive to comments about reform and conservative Jews as well as nonJews and that my child needs a gentle, friendly approach so that she will grow to enjoy and love Judaism. She tried to convince me to speak to my daughter about being tznius outside of school because otherwise, she won't have any friends as most of the parents will tell their children not to have anything to do with her. She informed me that on the first day of school, when my daughter was walking home in the heat, she unbuttoned the top buttons of her uniform so that her tank was showing. A parent driving by noticed and called the school to inquire who the new girl was and whether she came from a frum home. And I don't want her to be an outcast, right? Right? Nu, so then I must speak to her and tell her for her own good to dress appropriately outside of school.
I agreed with her that friendships might be affected, but tried to resist her intrusiveness into my parenting. I didn't tell her I think she's full of crap and her whole approach to religion is twisted beyond recognition. I kept those thoughts in my little head, where they belong.
In other news, our neighbors have two cute kids that play with my little girls all the time.The family is not observant and the neighborhood treats them like gentiles. My six year old recently informed me that a frum seven year old neighbor recently explained to everyone that this family is going to be our slaves when moshiach comes because that's what will happen to all the goyim. The little girl ( who is supposedly going to be enslaved) was right there with us during this conversation and she was pretty confused because "slavery was over many years ago," in her own words.
Of course, I spoke to my kids and minced no words and explained the ridiculousness of this concept. And later I calmed myself down by thinking that whatever school my kids go to, they will be exposed to ideas that I don't agree with and find abhorrent and that's part of my job as a parent, to talk and explain and share my own values.
But maybe that's just something I tell myself to feel good. I mean, really, say if I moved to a district with a better school system and sent them to the excellent public schools in that area. What are they going to learn about and hear from their friends that is worse than hoping for the enslavement of goyim? They will learn about Halloween? Santa Claus? Heather Has Two Mommies? At a later age, maybe they'll be offered a joint or exposed to boyfriends, sex. Is that worse? I'm thinking not.
It was basically a dance between two very polite and and respectful people, each one trying to get the other to concede the point. I tried to impress upon the principal that my family is sensitive to comments about reform and conservative Jews as well as nonJews and that my child needs a gentle, friendly approach so that she will grow to enjoy and love Judaism. She tried to convince me to speak to my daughter about being tznius outside of school because otherwise, she won't have any friends as most of the parents will tell their children not to have anything to do with her. She informed me that on the first day of school, when my daughter was walking home in the heat, she unbuttoned the top buttons of her uniform so that her tank was showing. A parent driving by noticed and called the school to inquire who the new girl was and whether she came from a frum home. And I don't want her to be an outcast, right? Right? Nu, so then I must speak to her and tell her for her own good to dress appropriately outside of school.
I agreed with her that friendships might be affected, but tried to resist her intrusiveness into my parenting. I didn't tell her I think she's full of crap and her whole approach to religion is twisted beyond recognition. I kept those thoughts in my little head, where they belong.
In other news, our neighbors have two cute kids that play with my little girls all the time.The family is not observant and the neighborhood treats them like gentiles. My six year old recently informed me that a frum seven year old neighbor recently explained to everyone that this family is going to be our slaves when moshiach comes because that's what will happen to all the goyim. The little girl ( who is supposedly going to be enslaved) was right there with us during this conversation and she was pretty confused because "slavery was over many years ago," in her own words.
Of course, I spoke to my kids and minced no words and explained the ridiculousness of this concept. And later I calmed myself down by thinking that whatever school my kids go to, they will be exposed to ideas that I don't agree with and find abhorrent and that's part of my job as a parent, to talk and explain and share my own values.
But maybe that's just something I tell myself to feel good. I mean, really, say if I moved to a district with a better school system and sent them to the excellent public schools in that area. What are they going to learn about and hear from their friends that is worse than hoping for the enslavement of goyim? They will learn about Halloween? Santa Claus? Heather Has Two Mommies? At a later age, maybe they'll be offered a joint or exposed to boyfriends, sex. Is that worse? I'm thinking not.