Bonnie and Joel: Not Every Day Is A Rational Day (Part 9)

[Scar2016]

I'm actually surprised they chose to travel this weekend since it is Conference weekend. Aren't they big on making the kids have blanket time and watching it as a family?

I'm guessing this is the same Conference E&J had playing on the TV in their basement in today's vlog.

[HelloSweetie]

They are missing three weeks because the first week school is on break anyway.

My son goes to a school where it's not uncommon for families to travel during the school year, so I guess this is why it doesn't seem as outrageous to me. The teachers request three weeks notice for homework planning, but are otherwise supportive. This is obviously playing a part in why I'm not as outraged as everyone else. I don't see this trip doing irreparable damage to Olivia or Cody (sorry, I just don't), but I have seen firsthand the reward of travelling with your child. My son has learned a lot in HI, and I'm sure the Hoellein kids will love it.

I will say though, they are lucky the surprise didn't backfire. We tried to surprise our 5 year old with Disneyland once, and it did not go over as expected

[alym0326]

They are missing three weeks because the first week school is on break anyway.

My son goes to a school where it's not uncommon for families to travel during the school year, so I guess this is why it doesn't seem as outrageous to me. The teachers request three weeks notice for homework planning, but are otherwise supportive. This is obviously playing a part in why I'm not as outraged as everyone else. I don't see this trip doing irreparable damage to Olivia or Cody (sorry, I just don't), but I have seen firsthand the reward of travelling with your child. My son has learned a lot in HI, and I'm sure the Hoellein kids will love it.

I will say though, they are lucky the surprise didn't backfire. We tried to surprise our 5 year old with Disneyland once, and it did not go over as expected

I wouldn't be as outraged if it was a 2 week trip which would equate to 1 week out of school. Why couldn't she just do that instead of a month long trip?

Personally, I agree the damage isn't irreparable - but I don't think anyone's saying it would be irreparable damage. But it comes to a point where it's really hard to catch-up if you become so far behind grade level and takes a lot of effort to correct which I just don't see Bonnie and Joel putting effort into.


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[formerctfxcer]

Even as a kid I side-eyed parents that took their kids out of school for random trips when we had ample amount of time to do stuff like that during summer break! As an adult, I side-eye it even more. But, my parents placed a lot of emphasis on being well-educated and it has definitely impacted my life in a very positive way so I guess I'll just be glad that I (and my children) have an edge over people who don't care about their kidses education

[alym0326]

Sorry for the double post- but it's pretty easy to tell that Bonnie and Joel aren't the brightest... some of the homework they were given was most likely for subjects that Olivia and Cody haven't been taught yet. I just can't see Bonnie or Joel being able to teach them. It takes a lot of patience and we've seen Bonnie get frustrated with Cody/Olivia before when they weren't understanding their homework or Bonnie's help.


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[HelloSweetie]

They are missing three weeks because the first week school is on break anyway.

My son goes to a school where it's not uncommon for families to travel during the school year, so I guess this is why it doesn't seem as outrageous to me. The teachers request three weeks notice for homework planning, but are otherwise supportive. This is obviously playing a part in why I'm not as outraged as everyone else. I don't see this trip doing irreparable damage to Olivia or Cody (sorry, I just don't), but I have seen firsthand the reward of travelling with your child. My son has learned a lot in HI, and I'm sure the Hoellein kids will love it.

I will say though, they are lucky the surprise didn't backfire. We tried to surprise our 5 year old with Disneyland once, and it did not go over as expected

I wouldn't be as outraged if it was a 2 week trip which would equate to 1 week out of school. Why couldn't she just do that instead of a month long trip?

Personally, I agree the damage isn't irreparable - but I don't think anyone's saying it would be irreparable damage. But it comes to a point where it's really hard to catch-up if you become so far behind grade level and takes a lot of effort to correct which I just don't see Bonnie and Joel putting effort into.


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Two weeks in Hawaii can cost the same as a month long rental. I'm guessing this was a factor.

I'll admit my husband has been tempted to do something like this before, but a month away isn't an option I would ever entertain. I'd rather "waste" my money.

[pendleton]

Sorry for the double post- but it's pretty easy to tell that Bonnie and Joel aren't the brightest... some of the homework they were given was most likely for subjects that Olivia and Cody haven't been taught yet. I just can't see Bonnie or Joel being able to teach them. It takes a lot of patience and we've seen Bonnie get frustrated with Cody/Olivia before when they weren't understanding their homework or Bonnie's help.


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This! Joel can't spell even the simplest of words: mariage, oatmill, and Bonnie and her sisters still don't know the difference between lose and loose. I hope to God that Boston receives more prep than Cody before kindergarten because watching movies on the daily just isn't going to cut it.

[flowerpuppy]

i wouldn't be surprised if the kids barely got any of their homework done during the trip anyways. i can't see b+j really taking time out to sit down and work through the homework with the kids until they're finished everything and fully understand it when they could be out at the beach instead.

i just can't get over how little sense it makes to go during school. in april, no less, when there's only ~1.5 months left before summer. why go on vacation when you have homework to worry about instead of waiting until you have 0 responsibilities? well, i guess that's a dumb question since they obviously already don't worry about the homework lol


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[pendleton]

Tbh I think it's kind of crazy. When do the kids in Utah get out of school? Why couldn't they wait until summer break? I know from personal experience, my brother is in 3rd grade and if he even misses a week he is so behind. Like someone said above, they definitely are "new money". Since they have the money now, they are free to do anything at anytime. I'm glad they get to experience this and everything, but the timing of it is just weird. Even Olivia's teacher said it wasn't the best decision. Are they going to be going back to school at all before summer break??

24/25th May school get's out for summer break, so seven and a half weeks time. Olivia and Cody will be in school for three and a half weeks when they get home, if they come back at the end of April and Bonnie doesn't convince Joel to stay for two months which is what she said she was going to work on. I'm in the UK and can't believe kids get three months summer break (kids here get half that - six weeks), looking at the Logan District school date. Is that the same all over the USA or is it just Utah?

ETA: Parents get fined for taking their kids on vacation during school time here.

I WISH parents got fined here in the U.S. It's absurd how many families take vacations during school. It's insulting to teachers who plan and work hard to prepare for the children's lessons each day.

[beachygirly]

Please tell me how much they make doing YouTube that they are able to go to Hawaii for a month. That has to be crazy expensive! What do you think is the total cost of that vacation? Just think air fare, car rental, hotel or house stay, food, excursions, etc. This is probably equivalent to the cost of one semester of college or more!

[YouTubeIdiots101]

They are missing three weeks because the first week school is on break anyway.

My son goes to a school where it's not uncommon for families to travel during the school year, so I guess this is why it doesn't seem as outrageous to me. The teachers request three weeks notice for homework planning, but are otherwise supportive. This is obviously playing a part in why I'm not as outraged as everyone else. I don't see this trip doing irreparable damage to Olivia or Cody (sorry, I just don't), but I have seen firsthand the reward of travelling with your child. My son has learned a lot in HI, and I'm sure the Hoellein kids will love it.

I will say though, they are lucky the surprise didn't backfire. We tried to surprise our 5 year old with Disneyland once, and it did not go over as expected

I wouldn't be as outraged if it was a 2 week trip which would equate to 1 week out of school. Why couldn't she just do that instead of a month long trip?

Personally, I agree the damage isn't irreparable - but I don't think anyone's saying it would be irreparable damage. But it comes to a point where it's really hard to catch-up if you become so far behind grade level and takes a lot of effort to correct which I just don't see Bonnie and Joel putting effort into.


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I agree with this. We saw how she didn't bother to teach Cody much until right before school started. So, we know that school isn't on the top of their priority list. That's what makes me shake my head at this situation also.

[natalka81]

I've said many times that I think learning through play/experience is a great thing. Half the trouble with the Griffith women is that they aren't worldly, and have no idea what life is like outside of the UT bubble. I think the Hawaii trip is ultimately a good thing for the kids. I imagine B&J have a one month rental to save money, and this is a "once in a lifetime" experience for them. I criticize vloggers all the time for acting like the money is forever, I can't blame B&J for making the most of it right now. I would never plan a trip where my son misses 3 weeks of school, but if I had an opportunity to do one I wouldn't say no. He'd be fine.

Tbh, I would judge them way more if they left Linc for the month. Glad the whole family is going. This will be a great memory for the kids.

I have to say I agree with this. I was NEVER allowed to miss school for anything other than sickness or a doctor's appointment (and even if I had a doctor's appointment that would be finished by 2pm or something, you can be sure I was sent back to school to finish off the last hour!) but I do think that it's really not the end of the world for Bonnie AND Joel (because it's BOTH their decision, not just Bonnie's!) to take them out of school. I don't think it's necessarily the best idea to miss 3 weeks, but I also don't think it will cause any long-term problems for kids in second grade and kindergarten. I also agree that leaving Lincoln for the month would not be the best decision. He's just way too young to be without his parents and siblings for more than a couple of days MAX, in my opinion.

But one thing I did notice was Olivia's reaction when Bonnie told her about the teacher not being too pleased about it. I thought Olivia was going to cry. She looked very anxious and concerned- as a kid I would have been too. So while it was a great surprise, I hope there was some discussion about missing school that happened off camera to prepare Olivia and reassure her that it would be okay.

ETA: I'm a huge stickler for decent education so I'm kind of surprised at myself for not being upset by B&J's decision here. I'm much more alarmed by Ruby taking Chad out of school to be "homeschooled" 6 weeks before the end of grade six.

[HelloSweetie]

I've said many times that I think learning through play/experience is a great thing. Half the trouble with the Griffith women is that they aren't worldly, and have no idea what life is like outside of the UT bubble. I think the Hawaii trip is ultimately a good thing for the kids. I imagine B&J have a one month rental to save money, and this is a "once in a lifetime" experience for them. I criticize vloggers all the time for acting like the money is forever, I can't blame B&J for making the most of it right now. I would never plan a trip where my son misses 3 weeks of school, but if I had an opportunity to do one I wouldn't say no. He'd be fine.

Tbh, I would judge them way more if they left Linc for the month. Glad the whole family is going. This will be a great memory for the kids.

I have to say I agree with this. I was NEVER allowed to miss school for anything other than sickness or a doctor's appointment (and even if I had a doctor's appointment that would be finished by 2pm or something, you can be sure I was sent back to school to finish off the last hour!) but I do think that it's really not the end of the world for Bonnie AND Joel (because it's BOTH their decision, not just Bonnie's!) to take them out of school. I don't think it's necessarily the best idea to miss 3 weeks, but I also don't think it will cause any long-term problems for kids in second grade and kindergarten. I also agree that leaving Lincoln for the month would not be the best decision. He's just way too young to be without his parents and siblings for more than a couple of days MAX, in my opinion.

But one thing I did notice was Olivia's reaction when Bonnie told her about the teacher not being too pleased about it. I thought Olivia was going to cry. She looked very anxious and concerned- as a kid I would have been too. So while it was a great surprise, I hope there was some discussion about missing school that happened off camera to prepare Olivia and reassure her that it would be okay.

ETA: I'm a huge stickler for decent education so I'm kind of surprised at myself for not being upset by B&J's decision here. I'm much more alarmed by Ruby taking Chad out of school to be "homeschooled" 6 weeks before the end of grade six.

I have similar feelings about homeschooling.

I noticed that about Olivia too. Like I said a surprise trip sounds like a fun idea, and we tried it on our son, but for some people it can create undo anxiety.

I know I would lose my mind if my husband tried to surprise me with a trip. I think they should have told the kids beforehand and let them pack their bags for the month. Yes there would have been some conflict over what to bring, but the kids should have a bit of control over what "comfort items" they have with them over the next month.

[lmmomSD]

Of course Olivia's teacher was less enthusiastic. Cody is in kindergarten. It's not as important. Bonnie can't get to and too straight. How is she going to teach Olivia? I think that the homework is going to go by the wayside quickly.
I still say that Lincoln and Boston aren't going to remember squat.
This is just me, but I just can't with those eyelashes. She looks like she has furry caterpillars on her eyelids.
And Ellie-- OMG. Her voice was saying "you're welcome" but her eyes were saying "I hate you"

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[lmmomSD]

Did she call the palm trees "pine trees"?

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[HelloSweetie]

Did she call the palm trees "pine trees"?

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I didn't hear this, but it would be ridiculous if she did. Pine trees are very common in UT!She should definitely know the difference.

[alym0326]

Did she call the palm trees "pine trees"?

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YES! I THOUGHT I WAS HEARING THINGS, I'm glad I'm not the only one that heard that.


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[alym0326]

Did she call the palm trees "pine trees"?

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I didn't hear this, but it would be ridiculous if she did. Pine trees are very common in UT!She should definitely know the difference.

Just went back to double check that's what she said, it's at 9:14 and it's definitely "pine trees" that she says. Jeez, she really should know the difference.


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[lmmomSD]

Did she call the palm trees "pine trees"?

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I didn't hear this, but it would be ridiculous if she did. Pine trees are very common in UT!She should definitely know the difference.

Just went back to double check that's what she said, it's at 9:14 and it's definitely "pine trees" that she says. Jeez, she really should know the difference.


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And she took her kids out of school for a month.
No, education isn't important.

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[rogi822]

First off I feel like most folks are probably jealous. I mean who wouldn't want to go to Hawaii for a whole month and live. I know I sure would and think it's awesome they get to do this. I also don't feel like pulling Cody and Olivia out of school is a huge deal. I would have a way bigger problem if they were in high school where what they learn actually will have an impact. I say good for them. I sure wish my family had this opportunity. Maybe I'm a bad parent for thinking that though.


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