Written around 2006

New homeschoolers read a lot of books touting a certain kind of homeschooler: the child with a passion for music, rockets, lambs, computer games, etc. We're often told to wait and watch for our child to find their "thing" and then the high school years and college unfold easily. I've seen a lot of homeschoolers fall naturally into that pattern and it is wonderful to see them blossom in that way.

But not all people fit that pattern. Some kids reach a certain age and they realize that high school is perfect for them. Supporting our child's choices can be very challenging when they've chosen school. (And you thought you'd be challenged by hang gliding or scuba camp!)

So I guess I'd like to say that we need to know that our children won't all find a "thing" (although some of them will). They won't all be the perfect SAT taker, the musical prodigy, or the nationally ranked gymnast (although some of them will). Or, maybe their thing will be something of dubious impressiveness: a makeup artist, a soap opera writer, a mechanic. Are you prepared to honor your child's dream to become a cosmetologist? Or a juggler? Most of them will be ordinary people doing ordinary things. We're here to be sure they're doing whatever they do with joy in their hearts, without the burden of other's expectations, with a sureness of their own selves. For years that looked like playing dress-up at our house. Now it looks like two days of MCC, a part-time job, trips to the thrift store, karaoke, skiing, and making SNL spoofs called Wednesday Night Dead; all with a group of friends we've known for many years who push us to become better people, not better resumes. I know my girls will be works of progress when they are my age. They don't have to have all of the answers by 18, 25 or 45. I have great faith that they have the self-esteem and confidence to know where they want to be today and how to plan for a meaningful future as they figure out what that looks like. They are so far ahead of where I was at their age because they have some idea of who they are, not who everyone wants them to be.

As for high school: Maggie tried it for eight weeks and came home disgusted and ready for MCC. Other kids try it and love it. I found it a very valuable experience for both of my kids to explore this alien world and choose for themselves the place where they felt they functioned best.

Originally published in Allens Creek Living, July 2015

A relatively new field within microbiology is the study of the human microbiome. While scientists have always known that bacteria, viruses and fungi were present in and on a healthy human body, science is now discovering the many ways that those organisms contribute to the function of the body, particularly the digestive tract, the immune system and the nervous system.

Our microbiome is our individual ecology – a living balance of coexisting creatures – and the state of balance or imbalance in that ecology can create a feeling of health or disease. In the normal human microbiome there are three times as many bacterial cells as human cells. Yes, for our 37 trillion human cells there are 100 trillion bacterial cells. And we are only just beginning to understand why we carry around 2.5 lbs. or 3 pints of microbes scattered throughout the body.

A baby’s incorporation of microbes into her body begins in the womb from the placenta. She is exposed to more microbes as she exits the birth canal, and then she gets another shot of microbes while breastfeeding (there are microbes that are only found on the nipple). She continues to acquire microbes as she meets new people and explores the world.

Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria. Prior to the discovery of antibiotics, common infections, such as a case of strep throat or a persistent boil on the skin, were life-threatening. Postpartum womb infections used to be the leading cause of maternal death before the discovery of antibiotics. These drugs were seen as miraculous because they were used to combat diseases that seemed hopeless before.

However, the overuse of antibiotics has caused drug-resistant bacteria and an imbalance in the human biome. If the baby’s mother has been given antibiotics, her microbiome may not contain microbes that used to be common. If the baby is given antibiotics, the baby’s microbiome may be stripped of microbes that manufacture valuable neurotransmitters (nervous system communication molecules) in the digestive tract. As the baby grows she may be exposed to antibiotics in meat (given to promote growth and prevent infection of the animal) that further challenge the balance of her microbiome.

Scientists are finding that microbial imbalances may cause obesity, colitis, colon cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, anxiety and ulcers, among other diseases.

Now there are therapeutic uses of bacteria to rebalance or recolonize the human biome. Probiotics are supplements containing bacteria normally found in the body. Probiotics  are commonly used to try and bring the body back into microbial balance. There are even fecal transplants done to normalize bowels that have become overwhelmed with one bacteria, usually clostridium difficile.

For more information you can go to the website of the American Academy of Microbiology and read their FAQ on the human microbiome: academy.asm.org