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>>I used to tell people to read the Colfax books because I thought their
children were particularly shining examples of success. I still think the
Colfaxes succeeded, but my definition of success has changed somewhat.

People who see success as achieving social status and a lot of money will
no doubt be impressed by what the Colfaxes have achieved. However, there
are more than a few people out there who are applying very different
criteria of success to their lives and by those criteria succeeding
brilliantly.<<

Actually, by my criteria the Colfax boys are succeeding brilliantly. From
the latest issue of HEM (first written on the HEM website: "Grant is still a
physician in San Fransisco working in public health and is a noted AIDS
reseracher. Reed is married and a dad . . . they live near Washington, DC
where he works as a civil rights attorney in the field of fair housing.
Drew, an attorney, works for the Southern Poverty Law Center (I think)
working on appeals for death row inmates. Garth resides in Sacramento with
his wife. He works with developmentally disabled individuals and restores
old houses."

I don't see any of the Colfaxes as having achieved "social status" (now
*there's* a term that begs definition) or great wealth. I see them as people
who had joyful childhoods filled with interesting work who grew up to achieve
their own goals and are using their skills and talents to help other people.

Please note that I said "their own goals". I am not setting goals for my
children, but I most definitely want to provide support for them to achieve
the goals they set for themselves. If my kids want to become attorneys or
doctors I would support that. I wouldn't encourage it <g> but I would
support it. But I hope that my children help others, no matter what career
path they choose.

I think the value in the Colfax's books is that they lay out convincing
examples of the fact that kids do not need to spend their childhoods in heavy
academic pursuit in order to survive in academia later on. Yes, there are
unschoolers who are not interested in academia. That's fine. But judging
from the questions that come up again and again on the homeschooling message
boards, I think that most homeschoolers (especially new homeschoolers) want
to know that their children will have the option of attending college.

Lisa Caryl