{"id":1189,"date":"2014-12-04T15:46:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-04T22:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/?page_id=1189"},"modified":"2015-07-06T11:20:18","modified_gmt":"2015-07-06T17:20:18","slug":"family-acceptance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyhomeschooling.com\/site\/family-acceptance\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Acceptance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"archeskids\"Question:<\/h4>\n

I’ve been homeschooling my children, now four of them, for 10 years, yet I still struggle with the non-acceptance of my family<\/strong> who are very involved with the public school system. We never seem to see eye to eye on many issues, even though my sisters and I are all Christians. We don’t even speak of it any more, yet homeschooling is such a defining part of our lives. I’m not sure how to describe the frustration and sometimes downright depression that inevitably follows any family gathering. Is there any encouragement you can give or suggestions you could share with me or others that struggle with these issues?<\/p>\n

Answer:<\/h4>\n

Friends: is this a familiar story? Can anyone relate?\u00a0All homeschoolers who have lived with this stand up and say “YES!”\u00a0Did you hear that?<\/em> I think it was a loud wave that passed through the nation!<\/p>\n

Why the non-acceptance?<\/em> I have often pondered that and I live with it myself. There are some homeschool moms who seem to be warmly accepted by their family, neighbors and church congregations\u2014but often, this is not the case. I think homeschooling must seem to people like a threat to God, family, country and all other sacred institutions. I know I have had comments made to me by well meaning neighbors and acquaintances that by homeschooling, I am somehow undermining the public school system (and hence the foundations of American way of life and the Constitution, the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, it appears!). Isn’t it amazing, though, that homeschooled children tend to be the most patriotic, conservative and law-abiding young adults<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

I think a couple of factors are operating here. One is the feeling that all people must do the same thing to be accepted. If everyone wears jeans and you wear a skirt, there is going to be backlash. If everyone eats Snickers and you choose an apple, it is going to cause comment. I think the non-acceptance others express is a mixture of guilt, self-incrimination, fear that perhaps one might have to consider it for their own children and frustration that you won’t fit into the mold that their mind has settled on as “acceptable” behavior. Well-meaning persons may worry that by doing something different, you may be doing something wrong and they don’t want you to be unhappy. Traditions incorporate ancestral wisdom, and going against tradition, even if it is a change for the better, comes with the fear that wisdom may be neglected and the consequences will follow. Some homeschoolers invite persecution by isolating themselves from others socially, or putting on airs that they are better than others. I don’t think this is the case for most homeschoolers though. I think the problem lies with the attitude of our culture towards homeschooling. I see Christians getting the same kind of persecution in Hollywood movies. So please know that you are not alone.<\/p>\n

A few experiences that have happened to me illustrated that misunderstanding is great indeed!<\/p>\n