Over the last 10+ years that we’ve been homeschooling, I’ve dealt with it all. People who are curious. People who don’t really understand homeschooling but are willing to listen. People who eagerly encourage. Those who will argue with me every chance they get, and people who vehemently oppose our decision. Here’s what I’ve learned:

• People are afraid of what they don’t know.

People use their own experience to justify their opinions. If they aren’t familiar with homeschooling, they are uncomfortable. They stick with what they know because it is safe and makes them feel secure.

• Respond with a teaching heart but also with self-preservation.

When there is an open, non-judgemental conversation happening, take the time to explain your decisions, to teach and share with people this choice that you’ve made. But if they are being hurtful or mean, your personal worth and that of your family is more important than to fight about homeschooling. Be open and informative, but don’t let them trample you.

• Some people will never agree with your choice.

No matter how hard we would like them to, not everyone is going to understand or agree with your choice to homeschool. If it is a family member or someone you see regularly, set boundaries about what is an acceptable conversation. Stay away from them during events. End discussions you don’t wish to have in a definitively final statement and a firm voice before starting a new subject. My favourite thought when things are going to a bad place? “Don’t engage the crazy.” It’s okay to stop and walk away.

• Don’t let their reactions affect you negatively.

I tend to fall easily into homeschooler’s guilt. If I were to allow any of the negativity from someone else to get into those cracks, it would easily drag me down to the point that I give up. It’s important to remember the WHY behind your homeschooling journey so that you can keep focused and confident, even in the midst of opposition.

Not everyone you are going to interact with is going to question your homeschooling decisions, and hopefully, the good ones heavily outnumber the bad, but if you do have to handle a confrontation, may these thoughts remind you that you’ve got this.

Lisa Marie Fletcher is a busy homeschooling mom of 5 who somehow manages to find some time to blog at The Canadian Homeschoolerwhere her mission is to help connect homeschoolers across Canada with each other and with resources to help them on their journey.