Homeschool Opposition from Family and Friends

The theme of this week's TOS Blog Cruise is "How do you respond to family/friends that don't support your decision to homeschool?"

When I first saw this question I thought about the responses I got from my family 21 years ago when we decided to homeschool. They were anything but encouraging. Then I thought about the many questions one gets from strangers about homeschooling. These questions may be the same, but remember, family and sometimes even close friends have an investment in us, care for us and want the best for us and our children. We must answer them with firmness and conviction but in love.

It is difficult for friends and family to understand that we may choose a different way for our children, a different way of educating than they choose/chose for their children. I got a college degree in elementary education. I worked at at Christian school for one year. I did not have trouble with friends and homeschooling. A lot of my friends were already homeschooling or knew someone who was. None of my family doubted that I could do the job. They were concerned about the children not having enough friends. One of my siblings wanted to know when I was going to put the children in school and get back to teaching. I was teaching. Teaching my own. But that did not pay anything. I had a difficult experience my one, and only, year of teaching. I was glad to quit and get married. I had no desire to go back to teaching a class full of kids and deal with the parents and administrators. I was happy to only have to please God and my husband in what/how I taught my children. I was lucky to live in a state that required little from us where reporting was concerned. My sister asked me this question often. And I answered her each time by saying something like this, "I plan to homeschool my children and I don't have any plans to teach in any kind of school again." We stood our ground and kept homeschooling. After a few years the questions lessened and then stopped. Until we started some other "radical" thing. LOL Then there were questions about that.

My mother was always supportive. I never had any trouble from my husband's side of the family, but Court's parents were both dead before I began homeschooling. I have no idea what they would have thought about it. His siblings did not have much to say about it that I remember.

This image from Free-Extras

Remember this, "The proof is in the pudding." Be patient with family and friends. If you do your best, if your children are learning, happy and growing, if you pray and keep on keeping on they will come around. They will see the children happy and learning and will come over to your side. And, if they don't keep on anyway. As long as you have the conviction from God that this is what you should do, and your husband is supportive, keep on! The same sibling that once questioned me now has two grandchildren being homeschooled by her daughter-in-law. One other nephew of mine and his wife are also homeschooling their kids. Life is ironic sometimes...it makes me smile.

To see what my other TOS Crew Mates said about this topic check out the Blog Cruise. The blog cruise is every Tuesday. This topic will be up tomorrow, Tuesday the 7th of September, get to it by clicking the button at the top of the page or the Cruise button on my sidebar.