Still mining dust with the Bitaxe. €8 earned, probably €25 in electricity. The math remains brutal.
But wanted to talk about something that's been bugging me lately.
This Family I Met
Was at the Barcelona Cypherpunk conference last month. Met this expat family from Germany who moved here a few years ago. Really cool people, proper bitcoiners.
Their 11 year old kid comes up to me while I'm explaining Lightning Network to someone. Kid starts asking questions about channel liquidity and routing fees. I'm like... what?
Turns out they homeschool. Been doing it since they moved to Catalunya. Kid speaks three languages, understands Austrian economics better than most politicians, and can actually think critically.
Meanwhile my kids are in the Generalitat school system learning about how the ECB "maintains price stability" and why we need the euro for "European unity."
The Spanish System is Broken
Look, I love Barcelona. But the education system here is a disaster. Half the time is spent on political indoctrination - Catalan independence, EU good, capitalism bad. The other half is memorizing useless facts for exams.
Financial education? Zero. They teach kids that banks "create jobs" and that inflation is caused by greedy businesses. No mention of money printing or Cantillon effects.
My 12 year old came home last week saying we should have more social programs and higher taxes. I'm like... who's paying for your PlayStation again?
The Paperwork Nightmare
Here's the thing though - homeschooling in Spain is legally complicated. It's not explicitly illegal but it's not really legal either. Families live in this grey zone, always worried about truancy officers.
The German family I met had to jump through hoops. Register with German authorities, file paperwork with Catalunya, deal with suspicious social workers. It's a mess.
But they said it was worth every headache. Their kids are getting a real education instead of state propaganda.
What We're Missing
While my kids learn about gender theory and climate catastrophism, homeschool kids are learning actual skills. Logic, rhetoric, mathematics that isn't dumbed down, real history instead of revisionist nonsense.
The dad showed me their curriculum. They're using Austrian school economics texts, studying actual philosophers, learning about Bitcoin as sound money. Not as "speculative digital assets" like the Spanish media portrays it.
Their kids understand why the peseta failed, why joining the euro was a mistake, why printing money makes everyone poorer. My kids think money comes from the government.
Catalan Complications
It's even worse here because everything's politicized. Half the classes are in Catalan, which is fine, but it's wrapped up in separatist ideology. Kids learn that Madrid is evil and Brussels is our savior.
No critical thinking about why we traded one distant capital for another. No discussion of why small, independent regions like Switzerland or Singapore do better than big bureaucratic unions.
Just "EU good, Spain bad, independence will solve everything." Meanwhile the ECB controls our money supply and Brussels makes our laws.
My Regrets
If I'm honest, we screwed up. Should have pulled the kids out years ago. Now they're teenagers, have their friend groups, think I'm just a weird Bitcoin conspiracy theorist when I try to explain reality.
The homeschool family started when their kids were young. Built the foundation early. My kids' foundation is state school nonsense that I'm trying to chip away at piece by piece.
Should have been braver. Should have dealt with the bureaucracy. Should have prioritized their minds over social convenience.
The Bitcoin Angle
The homeschool dad made a good point. He's raising kids who will understand why Bitcoin matters before they get brainwashed into thinking central banks are necessary.
His kids know self-custody, understand proof of work, get why decentralization matters. They see the Bitaxe setup and immediately understand the game theory behind mining.
My kids see it and ask why I'm wasting electricity on "fake internet money." Because that's what their teachers and the TV tell them.
European Mindset
The worst part is how Europeans are conditioned to trust authority. "The experts know best." "The EU protects us." "We need regulations for safety."
My kids are absorbing this mentality. That you need permission to do things. That bureaucrats in Brussels understand your life better than you do. That more government is always the answer.
Meanwhile the homeschool kids are learning to question everything, think independently, take responsibility for their own lives.
What I'm Doing Now
Trying to deprogram them at home. Teaching them about the Catalan banking crisis of 1931, how currency controls destroyed the economy, why black markets exist.
Showing them Venezuela, Argentina, Turkey - what happens when governments control money completely. Trying to make it real instead of abstract.
Also teaching them basic economics. Why prices coordinate information. Why profits aren't theft. Why competition helps consumers.
The Language Thing
One advantage here - they speak Spanish, Catalan, and English. So they can access different perspectives, not just local propaganda.
Been giving them books in English about Austrian economics, American history, different viewpoints. Trying to broaden their information diet.
But it's still playing defense against 8 hours a day of institutional programming.
Looking Forward
Maybe when they're older they'll appreciate what I'm trying to teach them. Maybe they'll question the narratives they've been fed.
Or maybe they'll just think their dad was a paranoid bitcoiner who didn't trust "democratic institutions."
Either way, I wish we'd been braver earlier. Wish we'd given them a proper education instead of state indoctrination.
Anyone else know any families successfully homeschooling here?
The Bitaxe keeps humming along btw. Still burning money for the cause. Some things never change.