The Familyman
As long as there are homeschoolers, there will be non-supportive family members. If you’re fortunate enough to have supportive family members, you need to thank them. Thank them for believing in you and in homeschooling. Thank them for keeping quiet when they could be critical. Thank them for the encouragement in what you believe.
Now if you’re like most of us, who have a few non-supportive family members in the closet, then let me say, “You’re not alone.” We’ve all had (or have) relatives who say critical, hurtful, discouraging comments. To give them the benefit of the doubt, I really believe they don’t mean all that much by it. They are just “status quo” people. They like normal, they lived normal, and they don’t know what to do with non-normal … so they say dumb things.
I think the temptation is to get defensive, quote successful homeschool statistics, or get argumentative. I think that’s the wrong approach. Instead, let your children do the talking … not literally, but let their homeschooled behavior/character speak for your efforts.
Homeschooling and being at home has positive effects on your children. Your non-supportive family members will see it, and they will come around. I’ve seen it in my family. We had some who were skeptical … and then they watched our kids grow up and you know what? They say nice things to us now because they see the difference.
So again, to recap:
- Don’t be surprised; you’re not alone.
- Don’t get defensive.
- Let your children do the talking.
Oh yeah, and although you might think you need to have it all together … don’t pretend to above all.
Be real,
Todd
P.S. I’ll be speaking at CHEF of LA. First one who comes to my booth with a Cajun greeting gets a FREE audio CD. To see if I’m coming to a homeschooling convention near you, check out my speaking schedule.
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