In hiding at the ice rick

I belong to a local homeschool group that is dedicated mostly to field trips.  I have found it to be really hit or miss on the attendance of some of the field trips and we haven't made many connections although I am starting to recognize a face or two.  This group did require a signed statement of faith, but I felt is was the least imposing of the ones in my area, so I gave in and signed up.   I have found most of the members are extremely conservative in their beliefs.  Trying to fit in has proven to be a bit of a challenge for all of us.  I wish to be respectful to the group while at the same time not hide who I am.  While at the ice rink, I met a lady new to homeschooling and we began to talk and my conservation was rather surprising.  I decided to be honest and upfront  when asked about science curriculum and I mentioned I teach evolution in my science.  The women looked shocked said "you really said that."  I answered hesitantly "yes."  I fully expected for the women to turn away from me, as it has happened before...but instead she leaned in and whispered "I do too, but I am in hiding, cause I want my kids to have friends."  We exchanged emails and plan to get together next week for tea.

I am telling this story for several reasons, one I have never openly said that I teach evolution to my children on my blog and it is time that I did.  Two, I found it incredibly sad that in this day and age people are so afraid to speak up and be honest.  Why can't people agree to disagree and move on?  Is it really so threatening to surround yourself with people who think differently from yourself?   Why does the young earth crowd feel threatened by the old earth crowd and vice versa?   Three, it emphasizes to me that their may be others out there like me, but they are in hiding and I have to search harder to find them.

Let me be clear I really don't care what beliefs people hold so long as they are not rude about it.  One of my friends in England was a wife of a Baptist preacher and fundamentally we are on opposite sides with many points but we were honest and respectful of each others beliefs and it never got in the way of our friendship.   I teach my children that there are many beliefs, and that they are smart and need to make their own decisions about their beliefs but they must at all times be respectful to others and it is okay to respectfully disagree and move onto other areas that are more compatible.  I wish more adults were able to do that as it appears to be a skill that many lack particularly in the homeschooling community where we live:(

It is funny I feel the need to mention our family's religious affiliations as if to prove I am still fit to belong, we are Lutheran and yes, I can rectify my religious beliefs with the teaching of evolution in my science lessons.  I have actually been asked this by a homeschooler who than rudely informed me that my views were not in line with Christianity and that I am really not a Christian.

Now on to our field trip excursion:  Ice skating

Little Man trying out the skates, he really didn't like the ice skates as they hurt his feet so we switched him to hockey skates which he felt more comfortable in.  I think we tried on at least a dozen skates before he found one he felt comfortable in.  

Here an older boy is giving my son some pointers on how to use hockey skates

This young man was so helpful he helped my son attempt to skate 

Meanwhile Firedrake who has skated before was looking to met new people and too my surprise found a group of teenagers that she like.  The kids seemed very nice

Firedrake skated for nearly 2 hours before coming off the ice in pain.

Mario fan lasted about an hour before declaring he was finished and went to play on some of the video games

All in all a fairly good day, while my daughter did exchange emails with the group of kids she met I am very curious to see if they keep in contact as there were obivious difference in beliefs and while Firedrake was not aware of them, I was.   For example the 16 year old hadn't read Harry Potter series because they contain witchcraft and that is one of Firedrakes favorite books.  While I hope the kids can overcome this obstacle, from past experience I have found these things can be deal breakers once the other children's parents find out:(.  Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised.