I totally agree and hope these blog post don’t give off that vibe of being the only or the best. Would love to meet you one of these days in Kalona! :)

Lucinda- You are correct that while values are the same the way we go about living out those values can be different. I guess my point was that different doesn’t equate to bad. Different groups tend to put their blinders on and see their way as the “only perfect” way of living out those values. That is what really drives me up a wall! On a totally different note, I was reading one of your blogs from October, I think, and saw a picture of your Grandma Dorothy in Iowa. I realized that I live about 10 miles away from her and am in her town several times a week taking my son to activities and shopping at the Amish shops. So if you are ever in Iowa and a blonde lady comes up to you and say “aren’t you Lucinda” it is probably me ;)

I think this is a fair criticism, Hannah, and very legitimate points. I think there are real lifestyle differences between people groups, but good values are pretty much cross cultural. We all have an idea of what we want…getting there is the hard part. And Mennonites are just as imperfect as anyone else.

And just to clarify, the blog posts I plan to share on family togetherness, self-reliance, boundaries, and including children as a normal part of life I in no way consider to be exclusively Mennonite values. They are what came to mind when I think about the things important to me as a parent or what I have appreciated about my upbringing. I plan to explore them on a personal level–this was my childhood experience, and these are the goals I’m working toward as a parent. That sort of thing. Would love to hear your input and your own choices and experiences in raising your son.

I love this outlook, Dorcas. And as a young mother myself, that reminder is good for me, too.

I guess I’d write in summary that this experiment is failing for the general public.