A northern Mississippi newspaper columnist ponders the presence among us of homeschooling mothers. Excerpt:
Young families must make the decision: Will junior go to day care and day school, or will mom stay home and raise him? The rationalizations begin. "A family just can't make it on one income." (Our parents did.) "It just costs so much to raise a child nowadays." (Yeah, if you buy brand-name clothing, pre-prepared food, join every club and activity, and spend half the cost of a house on the daughter's wedding, it does.) And so, the decision is made. We give up the bulk of our waking hours with our children, as well as the formation of their minds, philosophies, and attitudes, to strangers. We compensate by getting a boat to take them to the river, a van to carry them to Little League, a 2,800-square-foot house, an ATV, a zero-turn Cub Cadet, and a fund to finance a brand-name college education. And most significantly, we claim "our right" to pursue a career for our own "self-fulfillment."Deep down, however, we know that our generation has eaten its seed corn. We lack the discipline and the vision to deny ourselves in the hope of something enduring and worthy for our posterity. We are tired from working extra jobs, and the looming depression threatens our 401k's. Credit cards are nearly maxed, and it costs a $100 to fuel the Suburban. Now the kid is raising hell again, demanding the latest Play Station as his price for doing his school work ... and there goes that modest young woman in the home-made dress with her four bright-eyed, well-behaved home-schooled children in tow. Wouldn't you just love to wipe that serene look right off her smug face?
Is it any wonder we hate her so?
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
I hate that all homeschooling moms are put into some kind of box. We spend as little on clothes as possible ( I love eBay) but that's no excuse for looking like slobs. We are called to be a good testimony in every area of our lives, including dress.
The only difference between me and other mothers when we are out (you would never know our name-brand clothes are from yard sales) is the fact that my kids are well-mannered (everyone tells me so) and actually look adults in the eye and answer when they are spoken to.
I resent that no matter who I tell that I homeschool (not including other homeschoolers, of course) they all take it as a personal insult and want to know what's wrong with the schools here. I'm not judging someone because of the choices I make! I think people automatically feel judged. I have lost friends when I chose to homeschool my children.
I understand in our culture, it's not the cool thing to do- go without to raise your children in a manner pleasing to God, but maybe that's why our country is such a mess. Maybe we all need to rethink what we do without looking at our neighbors.
So Deb, think you might be better off if you sell the house and hubby quits his job to homeschool the kids? To my knowledge, there's no law that says only mothers can homeschool. It's all about making the right choice for your family. And to be honest, your family is not the norm. Most families I know are all about putting their kids in school so "they" can have a "life". Maybe you and your husband need to reevaluate your priorities and your finances. I am very sorry for your husband's health problems, btw. I'm all too familiar with Parkinsons. It's a bitch. :(
Homeschool moms are really one of a kind. They are some of the most calm and composed persons you will ever come across. It is a challenge of course, homeschooling, but an immensely satisfying experience let me assure you.
I don't hate home school moms, but I do have concerns about home schooling in general.
My brother's wife home schooled their children through the elementary school years, then sent them to a Christian high school. My sister-in-law is an intelligent, disciplined, organized and well-educated individual, and her five children thrived. The oldest has recently been accepted to an Ivy League college.
My husband's sister was neither firm nor disciplined. She home schooled her three children, and I am deeply saddened to point out that, as adults, none of them has a GED, and they have little self-discipline.
The success of home schooling depends entirely on the capability of the parent, and from what I've observed, far, far too many home schooling parents absolutely should NOT be home schooling their children lest they do them a grave disservice and fail to prepare them adequately for adulthood.
I agree completely with Jean.
Lets be honest with ourselves, some people aren't even fit to be good parents, much less attempt to homeschool their children.
On the other hand, some people need to put their children in traditional schools, for the children's benefit (Not to say that some traditionally schooled children's parents lack the knowledge, discipline, or fortitude to homeschool their children)
Others, however, have the discipline, and are willing to make a huge sacrifice to see that their children thrive in this world.
Of course any anger or hostility we have towards should just be a reflection of our own short-comings (as Mr. Dreher has carefully stated)
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.