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So… in the past I have always received subscriptions for The Ensign, The New Era, and The Friend. This year as my subscription was coming to an end, I chose not to renew them for many reasons… Money is really tight right now, I have way too many magazines cluttering my house, and all these magazines are available to read for free online (plus the whole save-a-tree thing!) Anyhow I have received no less than five notices in the mail that I need to renew, and I have gotten three personal phone calls from the church about it! Seriously… they are worse than telemarketers! Are the magazines even that big of a profit center that it is worth their time and resources to pressure me, or do they just really feel it is important that I have them in my home? I do read the entire Ensign online every month, as well as share a lot of the stories from The Friend and New Era with my kids as part of their homeschooling.
It’s as if we are being told to get out of debt, and live within our means, but we better not stop buying their stuff! Arrrgggghhh!!!
(Sorry if it sounds like I complain a lot, but I have found that if I can vent here a little, I am then able to remain more pleasant for all my faithful friends and family)
Flowerdrops, You are a homeschooler too!!!!! We are beginning our 7th year. It’s great. One of the reasons I chose to homeschool is that I wanted to teach my children to think and in the process I began to think and well look where that led me. LOL
I’m sorry you are being pestered to buy the church magazines. I’ve never received more than one notice and never a phone call. I don’t know why you have.
This is a great place to vent. One thing I’ve noticed though is that I’ve become so comfortable with saying my peace here that I sometimes forget where I am and state it in places where it is not as well received. Kind of like what Brian was talking about in his True Confessions of a StayLDSer post. I spoke my feelings about President Monson’s talk on a yahoo group of women and they just didn’t get what I was so excited about. Either they are blind to the way a lot of women are feeling in the church or they didn’t want me airing our dirty laundry to the non-members on the group. I’m going to have to be careful what I say and where I say it which makes me sad but that’s life isn’t it.
Glad to know a fellow homeschooler.
canadiangirl wrote:You are a homeschooler too!!!!! We are beginning our 7th year. It’s great.
This is my 9th year, I love it too! I am doing my best to raise independent, confident, free thinking kids. The best part is… traveling a bunch off-season when everyone else is in school… and my kids being able to be involved in many after-school activities without the burden of tons of homework to complete.
My oldest started attending Seminary this year which is kind of freaking me out. I had a few bad experiences myself. (like getting thrown out for asking a couple questions about JS that offended my teacher!) Anyhow the seminary topic for the year is Church History and the D&C…. eeek! So far so good, and my daughter and I have good discussions everyday as I pick her up.
I’m wondering if the phone calls and mailings might be coming from DI employees? Just a thought. I don’t think that a $10 magazine with no advertisements would ever be profitable.
😆 I don’t think the solicitations are profit driven!On Seminary teaching Church History and the D&C:
I subscribe to a magazine “Mental Floss” that had an short article about Joseph Smith in it last month. Not flattering, just the straight-up non-correlated history of JS. I had my son read it since it went along with his Seminary studies.
I was homeschooled from grade eight. I loved it! My two youngest siblings were all their life. I really wish DW would consider it but almost refuses. We don’t have kids and might not even be able to. As far as church magazines go I’m just not big on them. Most of the material is available online for free and I’m sorry but much of the content is just “milk”. I would much rather invest the money in a Nibley or Bushman book than rehash the same material over and over. The execption I might make is The Friend, I think it’s a cute and fun magazine and seems to be fun for little ones.
It kind of surprises me also how critical some members of the church are of homeschooling. My cousin whom I love dearly is unfortunately one of such idiots. She blames my aunt’s half-baked version of homeschooling for her siblings falling away from the church. BTW she lives in a small Utah Mormon dominated community while my family lived in a PNW city in an area of town where gang and drug-related activity was an ever present plaugue until about five to ten years ago. Her mother moved here during this time after my cousin was attending BYU. My cousin has never lived outside of Utah and even then mostly in small farming communities but seems to have all the answers as to why people outside the MorCor leave or have difficulties with church activity.
FenixDown wrote:The execption I might make is The Friend, I think it’s a cute and fun magazine and seems to be fun for little ones.
I do love bringing copies of The Friend to church to keep the kids quiet during SM. Lots of cute activities to do. They especially love to search for the hidden CTR ring in each issue. Maybe I will consider renewing this one.
FenixDown wrote:It kind of surprises me also how critical some members of the church are of homeschooling
Yes… I have endured LOTS of criticism. From many ward members, close friends and even the majority of my in-laws. Things have gotten much better over the last few years, mainly because my kids are so friendly, well adjusted and awesome! I guess they figure that I must not be screwing them up too badly. Besides… Isn’t that the main goal of a parent… not to screw your kids up too badly!
Quote:I’ve never received more than one notice and never a phone call. I don’t know why you have.
That’s my experience, as well.
To be honest, I’m VERY cynical and usually quite bitter about my church experience — but I have never had reason to complain about the church magazines or church newspapers. I read them quite “religiously” (sorry about the pun) and I’m able to find “truth” in the articles. I really like the MormonTimes, and I see it as being the “liberal” leg of the church publications – but I understand that only those who live outside of Mormondom are allowed to subscribe to it? Anyway, I would much rather just get my “church” from the mags, than to actually have to go to church. Do you think that would be an option within the TR questions of “do you attend all your meetings and sustain your leaders”?
My oldest is attending Seminary this year as well and because it is Church History year I’ve wondered how I might enrich what he is taught in seminary but he doesn’t tell me the content of the classes just that he is really enjoying it and that he screwed up playing the hymn and was really embarrassed. I do intend to ask him questions though. How does one get their hands on the seminary curriculum so I know what is being taught? Flowerdrops said, “Yes… I have endured LOTS of criticism. From many ward members, close friends and even the majority of my in-laws. Things have gotten much better over the last few years, mainly because my kids are so friendly, well adjusted and awesome! I guess they figure that I must not be screwing them up too badly. Besides… Isn’t that the main goal of a parent… not to screw your kids up too badly!”
This has been my experience exactly. When I first took my son out of public school I even had members of the ward come to my house and tell me how they disagreed with my decision. But the proof is in the pudding as they say. Now they say, “well you’ve done a good job but you are the exception.”
Sorry for the threadjack but when you are on the fringe of just about every institution that surrounds you, its nice to talk to someone who understands another part of your life.
Threadjack alert! canadiangirl wrote:When I first took my son out of public school I even had members of the ward come to my house and tell me how they disagreed with my decision. But the proof is in the pudding as they say. Now they say, “well you’ve done a good job but you are the exception.”
It is my opinion, as a public school employee, that 85% of home school kids that get sent back to public school, ARE screwed up. Yes, I don’t see the ones that succeed at it, only the ones that have failed and get sent back to me to “fix.” – so that is where my perspective comes from. We have some mormons in our community who home school and they send their kids back to public every other year – something to do with maintaining welfare status, and yes, they are screwed up and behind. Kind of sad actually.
Soooooo – I am really glad to hear success stories and that you folks are doing the job correctly. As a school employee – thank you.
cwald, I’d love to have a conversation with you about this. Maybe privately. I know that your opinion is the one most public school employees have and while I have known that to be true in some cases I am seeing a change in the homeschooling field and we are doing some great things. I think the issue is more complex than 85% have to be “fixed” by you. I took my son out to prevent him from needing to be fixed as a teenager. (He was falling through the cracks, smart enough not to have an aide but learning disabled enough to feel like a failure every day) I really do respect your opinion, its the same one my father, who is a retired highschool math teacher has. I’d just like to understand it better. PM me if you’re game.
Ok, I will. Just clarifying – I generally only see the ones who it don’t work for — so I admit my perspective is bias and flawed.
I have started a new thread if anyone would like to openly discuss home schooling. I would love to hear more from you…Canada, Cwald, Fenix etc…
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