Thursday, March 10, 2011

That Dreaded Question

Yep, you know the one.  The one every homeschooler has heard numerous times that drive us all crazy.  "What about socialization?"  I was talking with a mother who's first grade daughter is struggling in public school and is considering homeschooling.  She asked not out of contempt or curiosity but out of concern.  She didn't want her daughter to miss the opportunity to learn about being around other people or be thought of as weird.

 I answered as I normally do:  my daughter is involved in activities with other children, she plays sports, she attends a homeschool art class, etc.  But I started thinking about homeschool kids being weird.  Not in a pathological way but as in different.  Is it really that wrong to be different?  My daughter is a little weird compared to other kids her age I guess.  She is articulate, polite, respectful, and most importantly confident in her self.  She isn't worried about having the "right clothes" or the newest toys.  She can be interested in anything she wants and follow her passions without worrying if it's cool.  She can feel like she's the smartest and prettiest girl in her class because she is.  She has the freedom to be different (or weird) and feel good about it. 

I LOVE different.  I AM different.  If this makes us weird - well then we are ok with that.

9 comments:

Melissa N. said...

AMEN to that! Stopping by from NOBH! Love it! Cheers to us Weriodos!

Unknown said...

I love, love, love all that you said. I so want to homeschool, but I work full time and my hubby just isn't the homeschooling patient type (God Bless him, he stays home with these blessings while I am at work). I have been praying for a way to work it out, but I agree with all that you said and that is why I want my kids at home to learn on their own terms and not someones elses. Following from the blog hop. Hope you can follow back.
God Bless,
Shelley
< a href="http://www.mylifeadventurebyme.blogspot.com//">Finding My Life in Faith< /a>

Jess said...

melismama,
So glad to not be the only proud weirdos!! :)

Shelley,
Thanks for stopping by and following. Homeschooling isn't for everyone but we absolutely love it. I hope one day my children understand all that we sacrificed in order to homeschool them. I'm sure no matter which decision you make for your family it will be made with love and that's what matters.

Design It Chic said...

This is such an empowering post for all the homeschooling families out there. Oh and your little girl is so crazy adorable! I am now following you thanks to Friday Blog Hop, and it would be so nice if you could share the love back on my blog;)
Also today we have the coolest blog hop there is... no rules just fun and would love you to join in with us at Boost My Blog Friday, where you can meet lots of friends and have a great time :) See you there!
Happy Friday

Amanda M. said...

I am a new follower from the blog hop. I don't home school but I do want my children to exbrace what makes them different. Hope to see you over at my blog sometime soon :) Have a great day
http://themizenfamily.blogspot.com/

Jade Rahl said...

I want to homeschool but hubby doesn't T-T

Newest follower from the Friday Blog Hop.
Please stop by my blog and return the follow.
http://slepperymind.blogspot.com
Thanks and have an awesome weekend! :)

Unknown said...

I agree and bravo for putting it that way. Yes, in a way, I do want my son to be "different" also. Great post! Thanks for linking up at NOBH. Have a wonderful day.

Carletta said...

I feel the same way! I want my children to be different, and I want THEM to be glad they're different instead of feeling as if they have to imitate all of their peers. The things I did to fit in... Sad... I definitely want better for my children!

Marlis said...

great post! We are weird too. But sometimes I worry for my son. He is only 5½ and really missing friends. He is articulate, friendly, social but has little opportunity to meet with other boys his age. Sometimes I am very sad about that. We are planning to join some sports etc teams this year for soccer or some other outdoorsy thing for him.