Give your children the gift of pride in your choice to homeschool

May 9, 11:42 PMMinneapolis Homeschooling ExaminerChris Oldenburg

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Leonel Medina / freerangestock.com

Give your children a gift. Teach them to be proud they are homeschooled. Since the day we made this decision in our family, there have been other choices we have had to make as a part of this adventure. Who do we tell, when do we tell, how do we tell the outside world that we have made a choice to homeschool?

The first time I actually uttered those words, “We are going to homeschool,” I admit that my heart was pounding and I braced for impact. I had to steel myself against the inevitable reactions that questioned my choice, my sanity, and my parenting. Armed with research, statistics, and a prayer, I tried to never shy away from who we are as a family and the fact that we homeschool.

There were times when the prying questions of strangers, or from relatives who were concerned about that infamous concept of socialization, bothered me, but I always tried to meet the inquiries head on. It was during a typical, hectic trip to the grocery store with 4 children ages 8 and under, that I saw my reactions mirrored by my children. An adult asked me why my children were not in school, but before I could give my usual answers, my then 6-year-old son quickly answered with a smile. “I am. I am homeschooled. My mom is my teacher. And my sister’s teacher. And Mom is letting me pick the cereal today.” It was simple, direct, and a perfect answer. That questioning adult just smiled and said, “Oh, that’s nice. My neighbor does that too.”

I have made the conscious choice to encourage and expect that we will not hang our heads, avoid eye contact, or mumble a half-hearted description of our homeschool. We won’t avoid situations where we know there will be questions. I am always a little saddened when I hear other homeschool parents talk about how they either tell as few people as possible about their choice, wait until they feel they absolutely have to share with relatives, or give evasive answers to questioning strangers. When people see us as confident in our choice, it confirms that this is a wonderful opportunity. Show your pride for those who fought for this right to homeschool. It is the least we can do. For our children, it is the best thing we can do.