Comments on: Are homeschooled kids weird?

By: Jill

Jill

Well, I went to public school and was pretty weird. I was bullied so badly I almost committed suicide and struggled for many years to fit in. Sadly, going to public school is no guarantee of being “normal” or quite frankly of fitting in and having friends. The strange thing is, I got along great with the kids in my neighborhood– it was just school were I didn’t fit in. I finally learned to shut up and not give any answers. I learned to hide as much as possible. I learned to copy what everyone else did. I learned to completely ignore that popular magazine advice to ‘just be yourself” as that was apparently a great way to get beaten up. I don’t think I could have been any weirder if I had been homeschooled quite frankly. Some of us are just a little odd, and aren’t really going to fit in no matter what. What a relief it was to get to university and finally find that no one cared what clothes I wore, or what books I read, or what movies I watched or songs I listened to. What a relief to finally get to be yourself without someone hurting you for it. All you homeschoolers out there– go for it! Save your children all that hassle and pain. Public school is great for creating conformity because if you don’t , you get punished. I am not sure that conformity is really that great a goal.

By: Joanne

Joanne

In reply to Beth. Thankfully there are not loads of people like this Moncton fellow in the world. Parents do their best and what they believe will work, based on so many factors.

By: Morgan

Morgan

In reply to Beth. Hi, I would like to politely disagree. I am a currently homeschooled child, have my own blog and love talking. I don't miss out at all on socialization. I understand your homeschooling experience might have been different, but that's your experience, not everyone else's. What I am trying to say is that we all have a different viewpoint from our perspective and we don't all live in the same place. Socialization is a matter completely aside homeschool or public school. It's the place and the way you were raised that makes a difference in your social life. Thanks for listening, and please visit my blog sometimes @ insidethemindofabird.wordpress.com

By: selena mainarick

selena mainarick

I was homeschooled all throughout high school. I would never ever recommend it . my own children have been in private Christian schools from k-4 and now high school. High school is were kids identify who they want to be and become. I felt left out of many functions in high school. I want my kids to have an option of choosing to go to social events as long as grades are maintained at 3.0 or higher and are challenging themselves in any athletic way or for my daughters sake educational ap way. I’m a weird person that only was it in college did I finally experience social awkwardness that could of been dealt with at a younger age. I felt like I missed out on all the things that I would of loved to have been part of if in regular or even private school I.e. newspapers club, drama club, prom, Sadie Hawkins, tutor club. So much I could of explored and been able to say. I remember those friends and all the great things we did. Memories. I believe if you are a good parent with good guidance you can let your child experience so much for fruitfulness in their lives if let them experience public or private school.

By: Lizette

Lizette

No, it’s no secret. We proudly let the freak flag fly in our home. 🙂 We’ve home-schooled our twins (now 13) since they were 5 1/2 and they are exceptionally proud of their quirks. Their “normal” friends just shake their heads and love them the way they are. It is possible they got their weird eating habits from me (eating the bread and salad first, and then the burger meat, or eating the pastry layer by layer, from the bottom up and then making a little bowl with the top of the pie and the filling)… My son also has some Aspie tendencies, which brings a LOT of humor into our home. Celebrate the socially acceptable quirkiness, I say!

By: Cait Fitz @ My Little Poppies

Cait Fitz @ My Little Poppies

I adore this post. I was just talking to a friend about this very thing. In public school, to be different is to be weird…. And yet… once you survive high school, that difference is embraced. So at that point it’s cool to be weird. Am I right?

I kinda want to eat olives off my fingers now 🙂

By: Sarah

Sarah

I don’t wonder whether my 5 year old is weird. With his parents and grandparents, he’s really got no choice but to be weird. 🙂 We have the only grandchild on both sides of the family (i know, how spoiled is HE?) and so far, luckily, the whole family has just kinda shrugged off anything he does as weird. My sister and sisters in law are just, “well what can we expect with you two weirdos as his parents?” and my parents LOVE his uniqueness. He is in a public pre-k right now, and we are all counting down the days til he is out and we can return to our version of normal. 3 night owls on a day schedule for school is a nightmare of epic proportions.
I hope he maintains his “weirdness”. I don’t want my son to ever fall into the pit that is normal. I want him to be comfortable with his weirdness!

By: Yvette Edwards

Yvette Edwards

I don’t harbor a secret worry that my kids are weird. All kids are! I am happy in our homeschooling which allows them to be who they are. I have always let them wear what they wanted, matching or not, furry haired vests and all (even when they went to PS) because I felt squashed as a kid. The only real and present fear or struggle I have is with my family. They are the ones worried about quirks. I love living close to them so we have opportunities to serve them and teach my kids the value of family but also wish we lived far away again so my girls would not be subjected to the family ideas of “normal” which are fairly ludicrous and often very narrow ways of thinking/living. Loved this article. Thanks for your heart and soul in it and for sharing it with us. I find encouragement here. Knowing that I am not the only weirdo schooling the next generation of “weirdos”. Kudos to all who are stepping out of the box. You all are amazing and wonderful and lovely!!!

By: Christine

Christine

I’m thinking of doing home school partially because of this. I grew up the weird, bullied, social outcast. To be honest, I think I would be MORE confident socially now if I hadn’t gone to public school. My treatment there made me want to avoid social situations and people in general. I finally decided after freshman year of high school that I’d had enough. I left and attended an online high school, graduating a year early, and I was much, much happier for it. I look at my two-year-old daughter, and she is so much like me. I’m thinking of home schooling her so the same thing doesn’t happen to her. In my own opinion, it’s more important for a child to be comfortable with being who they are, quirks and all, then being socialized. Socialization can come through many different avenues after all.

By: Amber

Amber

My kids all love olives!! They certainly have their own style too.