Little Tyke

What Every Parent Ought To Know About Homeschooling! - Yeah Right!

I just have to vent about a conversation I had with my daughter’s best friend’s mom. I am 99.9% sure we will be homeschooling my 7 year old daughter next year. She is unhappy even in the private school she is currently attending. She has no conduct problems, she gets straight A’s but she is unhappy being away from home for close to 7 hours a day. She worries a lot and, because so much time is wasted in the classroom, she has plenty of time to feel anxious and worry about things. I see this problem getting worse as the years pass and school is less and less “fun”.

Not to mention that we are having to work extra hours just to send her to this school and that is causing all of us at home to feel anxious and tired. We believe it will be in the best interest of our entire family if we homeschool her (I have a 17 year old step- daughter with ADHD who is homeschooling this year and will return to public H.S. for her senior year).

Well….. the mother of my daughter’s best friend is also a good friend of mine and just happens to be a stay- at- home mom who has her degree in education. So,(can you guess what’s coming?)she felt the need to tell me her concerns about what will happen with Kelly if

I homeschool her. She thinks that Kelly will get worse with her anxiety if she stays home and we will just be reinforcing the “problems” she is having. She feels that her anxiety will worsen
if she stays home and doesn’t “get out”. She also said that children need the routine of school and that the comfort of that routine will begin to calm her.

Now just wait a minute! Does she think that I will not have a routine if I teach my daughter at home? What does she think I will be doing? Watching Oprah while my daughter plays educational games on the computer? Does she think we will stay inside and never venture out for play-dates and field trips? I am very irked and will say something to her when I can calm down. I actually tried to get a word in edge-wise, but was unable because she wouldn’t stop to take a breath between tidbits of “educator’s wisdom”.

I truly think that most of her “advice” was selfish. She is a great mom and a wonderful person, but I think a part of her feels guilty that she isn’t willing to offer her children an at-home education. Secondly, she wants my daughter to stay in school because her daughter will miss Kelly. They are quite inseparable. I fully intend to make regular play-dates for the girls so they won’t miss each other that much.

O.K. I know that I am over-reacting a little, but this is a decision that I don’t take lightly. It is not like I am just having a knee-jerk reaction to a few small incidences. This has been well thought out and purposeful. I truly believe my daughter will learn better at home. I just don’t need people with their own agenda acting as if I haven’t thought it through.

Thanks for allowing me to rant! I welcome any comments and encouragement.