After my post on the Homeschool Recovery reddit, a few of us chatted in comments about the very real fear so many of us feel that our children will grow up to regret being homeschooled.
It would be easy to dismiss this. It would be easy for me to counter with, “But nobody asks schooled children whether they regret being sent to school!”
There is truth in this last affirmation, after all. Everybody seems very concerned about whether homeschooled children are actually being homeschooled against their will, about why they are being “kept at home,” and very few people are concerned about whether schooled children are being sent to school against their will, or whether they will grow up to regret it (many of them in fact do.)
This reveals the inherent bias in societal assumptions around what is best for children, of course.
That said, BECAUSE living life without school is still so outside of the norm, many parents do still worry about whether our children will regret it, more so than we might worry whether they will regret being schooled.
It feels like a much bigger leap of faith to homeschool.
It feels like an active opting out, rather than a passive just doing what everyone else does.
It take a willingness to push through and go against the grain.
It takes some serious honesty on ours and our children’s part, and a willingness to recognise when it’s no longer working.
I want to tell you a little story about our journey through this, and also my thoughts about how we deal with our children’s questions about school and potential wish to go back to school.
I’ve recorded a video because I’ve injured my left hand and typing is really hard right now!
Hence also why this Substack has slowed down somewhat. I really do appreciate all your continued support as I work my way through surgery and physio and get back to normal!
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