Why Aren’t They In School?

There is nothing like spending the day homeschooling your children. Many homeschooling days end with enough time left over to run errands and anything else that needs to be done. I don’t know how many times we are out during “school hours” and I am asked this question, “aren’t they supposed to be in school?” OR…directed at the boys… “why aren’t you boys in school?”

I guess it is a general question that is typically asked for the “normal school children,” however, when your children are not the norm,  it becomes a rather annoying statement. I guess I should just expect to get questions & looks regarding our non-typical schedule. It confuses people, I think. They can’t picture any other life other than the one they are juggling. Most people have the concerns…. “that they can’t”….. “they are not smart enough”….. they have to much work” and they are under the impression that someone has to be a stay at home parent. That is not the case. There are many homeschooling groups that function with two working parents. I cannot tell you how much of a relief I feel to have stepped outside the box. It really does feel like freedom!

I used to work for the U.S. Department of Education, during the launching of the Common Core movement. We were conducting longitudinal studies to collect data on the way children “learned.” During this time, on top of some other concerns, I decided to pull my child from public school. At the time I only had 1 child enrolled full time in the public school system. Do you know how many concerns & whispers I heard then? Working for the U.S. Department of Education and you homeschool your children? Talk about not believing in what your working on!

Uh-humm….I am not going to touch base on the Common Core here during this blog, but maybe another day.

I know that I sometimes feel as if I am being judged by my decision to homeschool. I don’t want to judge other families for not homeschooling. I don’t want to judge anyone at all, but I know how I feel when I talk to others who do not understand, and I know how they look at me! One day, maybe, public school will be a thing of the past, and homeschooling will be the norm.

Children judge other children. Period. It is a trickle down effect from the judgmental parents. I couldn’t tell you how many times my children have participated in activities and came to tell me that so-and-so said that we were weird because we homeschooled. We have also had children beg to come homeschool with us! Sleeping in does have it’s advantages!

How many other homeschooling parents get these types of questions? What were the worst questions or statements you received about your choice to homeschool? I can recall several instances of speaking with other moms, friends, colleagues, about my choice to homeschool and having the feeling that when I walked away from the conversation the whispers began. How do you combat the questions, concerns, and uneasiness people often face when you discuss your schedule? Do you feel that they look at you as if you are in a “cult”? (many have asked me what religion we are…and if that is why we choose to homeschool…)

On a side note…maybe we are weird…after all there are some statistics saying so.. just kidding!

If you have questions, stories, or suggestions leave them in the comment section.

Have a great night!