2026.04.21 Daily Thread: The World According to Trade(Bait)

Enjoy your spring days!

Today’s opener is primary about two children, grandsons #1 and #2. Updates on both follow. Granddaughter – #3 grandchild – is perfect of course. She is two years old going on fourteen and thoroughly attacking the terrible twos in the most bossy way possible. Any references to mamaw and her mom along with apples and trees do not usually end well.

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Grandson #2

Starting with #2: There are no lingering issues after having his leg run over by his dad with the family car at the drop zone at school a year ago (#2’s fault – see ADHD that follows). Dad even got over his fear and will drop and pick him up occasionally. 😂

Per his pediatrician #2’s leg is perfectly fine – a God miracle. The growth plate seems unaffected. Along the way ADHD has been diagnosed by the pediatrician for some time. It has been obvious to our entire family as well. He does well in his academics, yet, struggles to stay focused while being somewhat disruptive and getting in mild trouble along with his buds at times. Very recently he was diagnosed with mild to moderate food allergies – wheat and dairy primarily – as well as excessive glucose readings for his age. It also added to some restless legs and poor sleep. In short, his nutrition sucked, which further fed the ADHD. Mom and Dad realize they were too easy on it and have to do better as they rebuild his diet and more disciplined eating patterns.

He is in the 97th percentile on height and 85th on weight. Big dude for his age and very strong. Since he is only 9 years old, his reboot should not be a major challenge. He wants to play middle school football next season, so he knows he has to get his act together. He is the type child that if you explain why he needs to change or do something he accepts it readily and does his best. His parents must cooperate and remove as many temptations as possible, which they are committed to doing.

Intuniv (Guanfacine), a mild non-stimulant med has been prescribed for the ADHD and so far the results have been good. It is mild and acts purely as an enhancement for focus while taking out some of the excess motion. The teachers have all raved at how he has responded in class and with the other kids now with no disturbances and great focus. We have also noticed a return to his creative artist side at home, which has been welcome. We will continue to monitor closely along with follow up blood labs to see how the med and the reworked nutrition does with his system. The Intuniv use will be as short termed as possible, especially if the revised nutrition works well as he goes through puberty.

Grandson #1

The results for 6th grade with the Miacademy homeschooling curriculum are in. Grandson #1 blew through it with flying colors. Four A’s and one B. He also had an A in one course with the previous Time 4 Learning curriculum we left. Once again, science was his B (Earth Science). Language Arts, Math, American History, Biblical Studies and Life Skills (Typing) were the A’s. We are going to switch with his parents taking World History and me taking on Science this next school year. We want to see if a different voice and orientation toward science can help him excel like he is doing in the other courses.

That said, for the past two months he frequently completed the course videos, lesson questions, quizzes and final tests unassisted. We made ourselves available for any questions about the work, but for the most part left the room for him to figuratively go to school. His average time range spent per day was 3-3.5 hours. The exception was his parents providing assistance conducting experiments in the science course. He took short breaks in between segments to get a snack, something to drink or go to the bathroom. To see his confidence grow has been priceless.

His parents and I monitor the course content from the parent’s portal. We know in advance what he will be studying. It is no wonder so many who use this curriculum go on to college. It is thorough and well taught by interesting teachers in videos that generally last ten minutes per segment on average. The method and presentations keep the attention of the student.

Following each video the student goes through an extensive series of questions about the presented material that are in multiple choice or fill in the blank form. Students are not allowed to proceed with wrong answers. For every wrong answer the lesson segment adds two more related questions until all are answered correctly. If needed, the student can go back and rewatch the teaching video, consult PDF’s, and restart the lesson questions. After watching the video and completing the lesson questions; a quiz is given that counts for their score in that particular subject matter’s segment. There may be as little as four segments to as many as a dozen segments per chapter in each subject. There may be as little as five chapters for an elective course or more than a dozen for core subject courses. All subjects have additional PDF provided material in each segment that can be printed that supports and even goes beyond the video content should a more in-depth look be desired. In several subjects I found the PDF’s to be very helpful for better comprehension.

The curriculum’s emphasis is the opposite of many public schools today. The schools tend to teach for students to test well and are losing their minds over state required student assessment test requirements. This curriculum teaches for the students to simply learn well. As a result their students also test well. With less distractions than in a normal school environment, the student learns more in a shorter period of time because they remain focused on the material and not on what may be going on around them. Student social interactions can be provided through local homeschool support groups as desired.

There is some flexibility with selecting subjects. There are at least a half dozen electives for each grade level. Students can accelerate into higher grade level core subjects if desired. For example, #1 loves American History and we wanted to strike while the iron was hot. With this curriculum that course is a 7th – 8th grade subject. He took it anyway and aced it. He will take the normal 6th – 7th grade subject of World History as a 7th grader. There are a few choices for each grade level even within core subjects.

To complete the balance of his 180 school days to meet the state requirement, he is doing an outside subject of cursive writing, continuing music (vocal) lessons, library time, field trips, golf, tennis, etc. Since he started this school year in late July of 2025, there are not many days left to finish it anyway as he worked on subjects during Christmas break when he had nothing else to do. That’s flexibility. No matter where you are and what day of the week it is, you can have school if you have a computer and internet access.

The primary caution for parents with any curriculum that is selected is to monitor for objectionable content. Each have their own methods, so parents can choose the curriculum that best suits the child. Below is a reminder of what parents must navigate for their children both in schools and even in some homeschool curriculums.

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/04/18/woke-school-book-stores-exposed-scholastic-publishing-pro-trans-anti-racist-books-for-ten-year-olds

It was the school provided language arts Taylor Swift dream story trans images that ignited our rapid departure from 4th grade public school with #1. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

A handful are much easier on subject matter content, which fits academically challenged kids. However, most users prefer academically challenging subjects that have ample content. We found this with Miacademy with the bonus of them using teaching methods that work well for #1 and many kids. We found a couple of narratives and woke type lessons that we addressed with him as they happened. There were not nearly as many or as obnoxious as Time 4 Learning, which is the largest curriculum provider in the nation that we used previously. They have also begun using AI totally for grading purposes. It was a nightmare with the written responses to questions for many students and parents alike. That ended for us with the switch and we now wish we had always used Miacademy or a similar curriculum and system because #1 remained interested in the subjects and learned well. MUCH better video presentations, methodology, testing, etc. in our and his opinions.

I have continued to update #1’s progress periodically to make a point. No child should be left behind. That slogan from the government was true. The methodology chosen to deliver it in many public schools stunk. More were left behind than in the past as the progressive narratives and methods took root. That has led to crap results and American school children falling well behind peers around the world. The good news is that it is now easier than ever before to educate your child, or have your child basically educate themselves. Academic achievement generally soars. Homeschooled children have been documented to collectively test higher on college entrance exams than public school peers. Students tend to take ownership of their performance much better as there is nobody else to blame for getting distracted or refusing to complete assignments.

We chose to use an umbrella school at a low annual fee for reporting. They then report his progress and attendance to our county school system. This umbrella school has its own private school and is accredited in four states. When #1 is finished, he will receive a high school diploma just like all other students in public and private schools with a transcript for submission to colleges and universities as desired. He can take the college entrance exams, submit all of it and go from there just like everybody else.

Some remember #1’s health story. He was born three weeks premature with birth trauma as he was stuck in the birth canal for three hours until an emergency C-section was performed. He did not have many motor skills. He never crawled normally and had therapy for over a year to learn to walk. He suffers from Dyspraxia that contributed to the condition, which presents body awareness and coordination issues. He had a full set of teeth by age 15 months. Had tubes in his ears as well as adenoids and tonsils removed by age four. He was diagnosed lactose intolerant, which had contributed to GERD. That condition went away as he aged fortunately. He has severe sensory issues from the birth trauma that will be long lasting and includes foods. This condition worsened when the schools forced masking during COVID. His anxiety went off the charts, which triggered the sensory responses.

I discussed his binocular vision issues previously, which were resolved through eye therapy – another blessing. However, his eyes are still very sensitive to sunlight. We are using a good pair of wrap sunglasses to help with that as needed. What was once observed and misdiagnosed to be absence seizures, a form of pediatric epilepsy, turned out to be focal events triggered by anxiety associated with the sensory issues. As he has matured and become more confident they have subsided and he has learned to manage them on his own.

Many of these issues have contributed to ADHD type symptoms that persist, but are subsiding as he matures. The condition did lead to hyperfocus on things he likes to the exclusion of those he doesn’t. This is addressed by family and therapy regularly. The good of hyperfocus is revealed with his high degree of intelligence that when focused, manifests itself in excellent learning and academics as well as music, golf, etc. performance. The negative is the over focusing to the exclusion of what may be going on around him.

Fortunately, his height is normal for a 12 year old, but his weight is well below due to the food sensory issues. We encourage him to eat anything and everything he likes while exposing him to other foods to try. He continues to have monthly chiropractic adjustments, which have been essential for helping his CNS develop normally. Some will recall how horribly his spine was out of alignment until discovered at age 8 after we took him to an excellent chiropractor who had years of additional medical training on brain and CNS functions. This has reduced the effects of the Dyspraxia and helps him be much more coordinated with a more even keeled personality, which improves his confidence strongly.

We have addressed all of this as a family with the help of professionals and found that at NO time were medications helpful for #1. In fact, as I posted previously, when we agreed to use prescriptions from physicians they had moderate to severely negative effects. Chiropractics, Physical (OT), Vision and Eating therapies have improved or resolved many of the issues. It seems he has been through every test possible – MRI. scans, scopes, biopsy, blood tests, EKG, allergy testing, etc. Traditional medicine was helpful in the testing and eliminated some potential medical causes of the issues he faces. But as for providing cures – nope.

Throughout it all #1’s behavior and attitude have been exceptional. He loves the Lord, family, church buddies, and neighbor friends. His friends think he is the coolest, most fun guy on the planet, which strokes his ego. The golf and tennis have strongly helped coordination as well as assisted with sensory issues. He sings from his heart and is making good progress as a vocalist. In a year or so he will add back guitar lessons as his dexterity has improved greatly.

In less than three years starting from abysmal public school IEP reviews per teachers and administrators at the time that had him being a first grader academically, he has advanced 6 grade levels academically. He would have been a total failure if left in public schools. They are not equipped to honor “no child left behind” as they are manufacturing type facilities built on widget production. We cannot cast all the blame on them, his health issues would have made it difficult to thrive in that type of environment even with more dedicated assistance. We do blame them for not honoring the conditions of the IEP’s and the law by refusing to provide the required services without us pursuing legal remedies. Instead, their initial refusal and our decision to do it ourselves turned out to be the biggest blessing we could ever imagine. We give thanks and praise for all God has done to heal and grow #1. We know He has been involved in directing his path. Along the way we would hit a wall and not know what to do. Then when it was needed most there would be a clear answer that worked. We would then proceed down the path that led to the next solution to a problem. Some of those answers came from QTree members along the way. We are eternally grateful.

In summary, we have learned and worked hard to improve his lot in life. He has responded by giving his all and truly appreciates all of the help and attention. Very few if any people do not like #1. He is a light unto the world, but he is not an angel on earth. The teenager wiseazz is kicking in, which can be very funny or exasperating depending on the moment. Have no idea where that comes from.

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There are keys that open doors to living and learning well for all of us, to achieve more that we thought possible. Find the keys, ask God to help, then use them to unlock and open doors. Pay attention to what God lays on your heart and do it, He will equip you. This is one old guy who never dreamed he would find complete fulfillment in helping homeschool a child, yet, here I am blessed beyond measure and still learning.

Some scripture to help us,

“When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’” – Mark 10:14

“And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” – Matthew 18:5

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” – Matthew 18:10

“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.” – Psalm 127:3

“Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:4

““Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” – Matthew 21:16

“Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” – Colossians 3:21

“All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.” – Isaiah 54:13

Finally, strive for the following with your own children and grandchildren,

“Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” – Proverbs 17:6

Remember Wolf’s site rules. Note and label all AI. Please be kind to one another, we are all in this together. May God richly bless America and all of you.

Before all things and people – In God We Trust. Also, trust Trump and the plan.