City Mouse Country Mouse
I am a country mouse, I always have been. I grew up in a small town. When I played house as a child my house was in the middle of a big meadow far away from town. Now I live on the outskirts of an even smaller town. I love it. I love my land, I love building my home from the ground up. I love knowing everyone in my community. I might even love everyone in my community on some level or another, just because they contribute to the way things are.
My only problem is what to do, if you have city mouse offspring? Bigger towns have so much to offer children. Our school doesn’t even have enough kids to have a soccer team. IF I were in town I could have my pick of wonderful alternative schools. My kids could have music, dance and swimming lessons, tutors, and team sports. They could walk to a friends house or at least ride their bikes. We would have greater access to museums and theater. Oh, it would be divine.
Wouldn’t it? Or would we be so busy we would forget about our family? Would we garden together, or go on hikes? Would we eat or read or listen to music together? Would we have horses, chickens, dogs, cats and maybe someday goats? Would we remember the beach or the river? Would we trust every parent at the school, or an event to have our child’s best interest in mind, to be looking out for them? Would we know every teacher or instructor on a first name basis? Would our kids hug them?
It is so difficult to know if you are doing the right thing. Is the right thing for you the right thing for your child? If it is not, is it still ok to trust that they are learning valuable things form where they are, and they will have plenty of chances in their life to experience what they love? Should we sacrifice the way of life we have chosen and built, for a brief interlude of convenience? Or is it more important for our children to 
learn how to be centered and sure of themselves, and therefore able to accomplish anything they set their mind to even if they have to wait until they are grown?
In Retaliation 
January 30, 2009 at 4:06 am
I raised my children in the hills until they were “tweens” and I think the years of no tv, and real quality family time, working and learning together, were some of the best years of their life.
February 1, 2009 at 5:35 am
I know in my heart that you are right.
On a slightly different subject I want to thank you for your blog. I wasn’t interested in reading blogs so one night when my husband asked me to read your blog I refused. He was upset, he thought you wrote really well and he was offended that I wouldn’t let him share that with me. So I broke down and read it. I was instantly hooked. My husband and I did argue some more about your content and intent, which brought up the subject of one of us starting a blog. Somehow I could not get the idea out of my mind and now here I am reading blogs, talking blogs, and writing blogs.
I want to thank you for your obscure contribution to my new form of therapy.
February 1, 2009 at 7:47 pm
I’m glad you started a blog!
I’m sorry I caused arguements. My content and intent seem to do that.
But I am so glad to see your blog, and I look forward to your future posts.
February 17, 2009 at 6:13 pm
I just found your blog from SoHumBorn’s blogroll. I’ll add you to my links.
January 23, 2023 at 8:40 am
Thiss is awesome