11 Aug How I Defended Our Personal, Private Decision To Homeschool

I am not the sort of person who ever feels the need to defend her decisions. I am confident enough in my choices, that an explanation to a stranger just seems weird and irrelevant. Today, however,  as I stood in line at the local Chick-Fil-A, I unexpectedly found myself in a position where I felt I needed to defend our decision to homeschool. Up until that moment, I had never been publicly challenged or even questioned about our choice to homeschool. It had honestly never occurred to me that a stranger could possibly be so rude, so needless to say, I was taken somewhat by surprise. I was not prepared to defend our personal, private decision to homeschool.

I was laughing with my 4 year old daughter when a woman came up in line beside us. She watched as my daughter spun in circles, so delighted to be out with her Mom at a “west-o-want” that had a playground. After a moment, the woman smiled and commented: “Your daughter is so bright and happy. How old is she? She must be going back to school soon.” I smiled back and without thinking of the possible consequences, replied “Oh, thank-you! She’s four. We homeschool.”

I was not prepared for this!

GUH. I imagine that those of you who have homeschooled for years are used to this sort of attack. This type of showdown probably rolls right off your backs. You’re probably prepared with all of the right come-backs and arguments. I was not.

The woman’s face literally dropped to the floor. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me over her glasses in a look of horror. For real. Like, real HORROR. “HOMESCHOOL?! I would NEVER do that to my kids!” Her voice boomed and I swear the entire restaurant spun around to witness the conversation. Before I could squeeze a word in edgewise, she continued on. “How will your children go to college? They will NEVER go to college! How many children do you have? Does the State know that you are doing this? How does anyone know that you are actually teaching your kids? Do they have any friends? How do you socialize them? I went to public school and I learned everything I needed to! Why would you not send your children to school like everyone else?”

The woman’s litany of questions continued until it was our turn to order. Thankfully my daughter continued to dance and sing, completely unaware of the scene. Before ordering, I turned to her and replied: “Our decision to homeschool is a personal choice and it’s what is best for my family and our lifestyle. Our state does not require reporting, but thank-you for asking, and my bright and happy children will go to college just like everyone else’s only probably sooner because they’ve been homeschooled.  Have a great day!”

What would you do?

I cannot imagine questioning someone’s private, personal choice for their family like that! Clearly the woman had no understanding of the first thing about homeschooling, and she displayed her ignorance for all to see (and hear!).

Although I was not prepared, this was how I defended our personal, private decision to homeschool. What do you experienced homeschool Moms respond with in these situations? How do you handle it when you find yourself in a position where you need to defend your decision to homeschool?