Home School

I'm going to make some observations about folks who home school. Don't think for a minute that I'm going to degrade these people, I've been a home school dad for several years now and I'm a big believer in home education.

The rub comes, I'm thinking, because of the particular home school group I've recently been associated with. I think several of the parents are way out of line with reality to the point I think they are hurting their children. I understand, because I'm a parent, why folks don't want to see their children come to any harm or have bad influence exerted upon them. But when we try to shelter our children from the world I believe we are just borrowing trouble for them at a later date.

I'm not saying we ought to let our children run wild or encourage them to start having sex and doing drugs and alcohol. But we need to let our kids be put in situations, at an early age, where they have to make some decisions. I'm a firm believer in letting our children experience life while they are at home, that way I, as their parent, can catch them and help them grow from that experience. When they are grown we parents will not be able to help our children because they are no longer under our control.

The group I've associated with have some awfully good folks in it. I've not met one family that I didn't admire in some respects and didn't think they weren't good moral people. However, there are a few of them that make the rest of the home school community look like a bunch of weirdo's. If any of you guys are reading my blog, please understand I'm not cutting any of you down. In fact, most of you are just normal folks that just happen to school your children at home. There is not of one of you I don't like, and I mean that.

Here is what I want to tell every home school family. I'm generalizing here because most of the folks that home school do so for religious reasons. I've got to tell you that religion never had anything to do with the reasons my family home schooled. We did it because it was convenient for our family and provided the best way for us to live the lifestyle we desired.

1. Your children are eventually going to have to deal with the world as it is, not as you've shown them. The world exists out there and we have to live in it.

2. Playing competitive sports is not a sin. Jesus was not some meek, mild, sissy effeminate man some folks like to portray him as. If you believe that you obviously haven't read the bible very much in your life. We are told in scripture,"whatever your hands find to do, do it with ALL your might." You can do things with all your might and still not commit sin.

3. Your children are going to be working with folks that attended public school. Deal with it. Don't think you are going to control your kids when they leave home, your kids are not any different than any other kid out there. You need to have faith that you raised your children as Godly as you could and that they will be alright when they are out dealing with the public. When your kids leave home, and they will leave home unless your some kind of weirdo, they are going to do what they want to do in spite of what you may or may not have taught them. You did it and so will they.

4. You need to raise your boys to be boys, not girls. By in large, most of the home school families I know have strong female influences. Boys need to be boys and they need to learn that from their dads. Boys, by their very nature, are going to fight, get dirty,be hairy and smelly, and be overall hard to live with sometimes. You are not going to make them be as gentle as little girls and expect them to act like a man when they are grown. Boys need to be boys and you mamma's need to step back and get out of the way. The thing about boys is, is they don't stay mad at each other like girls do. Boys can be in a knock down drag out with one another one minute and be best buddies the next. That's just the nature of boys and you're not going to change that. I've always told my sons that I don't want them starting fights, but they dang sure better finish one if it comes to that. I've never ever told my boys that they can't ever fight. Boys have been doing that since there were two different boys on the earth and you can't change that either.

5. The bible says not to be overly righteous or overly worldly. If you don't believe that then you obviously have never read Ecclesiastes. King Solomon is said to have been the wisest man that ever lived; you need to read Ecclesiastes some time and drop the zealot act. And it is an act with lots of you and I know that to be a fact because I know you personally.

6. Back to the public school thing. Just because kids go to public school doesn't make them bad. If you do your job as a parent it will not matter where your children attend school. I'm going to state this again; Your children are going to have to live in this world and make a living. You need to get off the smothering, hovering parent act and let your kids get some experience with life or your going to have some big trouble when they get grown.

I know for a fact that there are some of the home school families I've been associated with that read my blog. Some of the things I've said here may or may not apply to you. There is not of one of you I don't like, but some of you need a BIG reality check. This is my opinion, I've heard most of yours and some of that is the reason my kids will be attending public school next year.