@arbitrarykitten Very cleverly written account which weaved in principles. I would like like to address the subject of critical thinking. Many folks bandy the term and many more claim to possess this skill. It differs from refined logic.

The skill must have in its foundation the high value of integrity. Without intellectual honesty, there can be no critical thinking. I will share a snippet of a study I did on critical thinking.

"Critical thinking is being able and willing to think for one's self; independently from anyone else's opinions, tenets, and philosophies. Real critical thinkers are willing to make decisions consistently, without fear of making wrong decisions. They are confident that an erroneous decision is often part of the course to the correct one.

Once again, I mention groupthink. Still, one cannot possess the skill of critical thinking and be subject, in any way, to groupthink. Throughout the years, I have tackled projects to understand philosophies, theories, dogmas, and opinions. I focused my mind on emptying itself of anything remotely connected with the assignment at hand."

I am always excited about parents who hometeach their children. Do you know what each one's primary learning modality is? (visual, hearing, or kinesthetic) I'm guessing that you have one each. The kinesthetic children are the easiest to teach and the ones that the warehousing indroctrination centers ship off to Doctor Rent-a-friend so that they can be dosed with Methylphenidate. Be well.