this is SUCH a thought provoking thread ECAPRIS, i'm glad you started it.

good to hear lots of views.

Polly, your "fence sitting" post made me smile. I often feel like i'm in the middle - between the alternate views and the mainstream. i don't feel like i belong wholely in either side. I'm sending my child to a Steiner stream, but i can see there are "purist" steiner families (e.g literally NO tv in the home) and to the other extreme, Steiner families who the ONLY steiner thing they do, is send their kid to a Steiner school (and do the exact opposite at home).

You're so right ECAPRIS, no way around it. Either we offend other parents with OUR ideals, or they offend US with their ideas. But SOMEONE is going to offend.

i will do most anything to avoid conflict, so this is so tricky for me, and i tie myself up in knots, trying NOT to offend anyone. doens't work of course.

i'm sure i appear "too alternative" to mainstreamers, and "too mainstream" to the alternatives - can't win. But i'm entitled to my views, and i know what you mean, many things i really think over, before i come to a considered view.

and OFTEN, i have found, having an alternative view (to the mainstream) can get you instantly labelled a "snob", whether that is relevant or not.
Having bilby has made me stronger about this, i can now reason to myself, "what does it matter what others think of my decision, i'm doing it for bilby's benefit".