OK, this article from CBS has me scared silly, well because I scare very easily about this kind of thing. Something that will motivate social workers to start investigating home schooling families simply because they home school. Somehow we are more suspicious. Somehow we are more neglectful, which is something I do not understand because it is easier to send a child off to school for a minimum of six hours a day and have no concept of what they are doing during the day (not that people who send their children to more traditional schools are neglectful, I just do not see the logic simply on the basis of “where” they school).
With that said, recently my parents went on a retreat where they met the Parish Life Director of the Novus Ordo parish that my new home is a part of geographically. She said there are a few home schoolers in the area, and that they are cultish in nature and home school to cover for their family problems. In all honesty, I think there is some truth to this. When I lived in New Jersey, it seemed less so, so I am not sure what the difference is here except the horrible formation on a diocesan level. Anywho, the conversation with this lady has prompted a bit of family pressure to put the children in school, even though my father, as the Director of Assessment knows first hand how decrepit morally and academically the public schools are and as a Deacon knows how heretical the Catholic schools are. I guess not seeming “weird” or “cultish” is more important.
Now CBS is doing the “expose” on the hidden life of home schoolers, adding more fuel to the fire. I am hoping it is just a passing frenzy and that it will not incite a new type of witch hunt because witch hunts seem the norm for anything not PC lately.
9 comments
Comments are closed.
I’m sorry you have these worries Pansy. I can relate, as I not only hope to homeschool, but perhaps have a homebirth in the more immediate future.
It’s hard when most of the culture is firmly attached to certain ideas, and the people most showcased as (or vocal about) following a different path often have somewhat questionable motivations. No, I’m not into homebirth because it’s “my choice” and I’m seeking ecstatic fulfillment instead of a boring old hospital birth; I really believe it’s safer. On the homeschooling count, I’m glad we live in a community that’s friendly to it (if not to homebirth midwives,) so that hopefully we’ll have a little network of homeschoolers and be seen out playing and shopping and no one will have to wonder what we’re doing to our kids that we have to keep them caged until nightfall.
What I really hate is the idea that parental authority shouldn’t only be breachable when the parents put their kids into clear and present danger, but if they’re not doing what someone else decides is best or better.
“. . . the conversation with this lady has prompted a bit of family pressure to put the children in school . . .”
Smile and say, “Dad, Mom, I know you trust me to make good decisions about my children’s upbringing, just as you did for yours.” Then run.
DM-I agree totally including with what you said about homebirth.
Elinor-in all honesty, my family means well, but things like this come up, people are easily convinced that going against the flo is not the way. KWIM?
Most people who want to tell you what to do with your children mean well, especially parents. That’s why I recommend smiling; but if you smile very firmly, and go on doing what YOU decide is best for YOUR family, eventually they’ll catch on that you don’t intend to let other people make your choices for you.
In a way I think the pressure makes for good practice, Pansy — as hard as it must be due to the enormous respect you have for your father.
Orthodox Catholics (homeschooling or otherwise) are just going to have to get used to the world thinking of them as weird, reclusive, anti-social, and cultish. We are living in times when everything is inverted.
OK, this is probably a question for Alicia, but after Amalia was born Melanie said, “I can’t imagine doing this at home – how do you contain the mess?” We have wondered that. Obviously home birth was the norm for most of history, but what did they do? Yikes. That was a very messy afair.
Usually the lay midwife and who ever who have to help cleans up the mess.
Most people who want to tell you what to do with your children mean well, especially parents.
Actually Elinor, this is not true for about 85% of my family. Most of my family are control freaks who cannot stand the fact that 1. I am not doing it “their way” even though they do not careless the outcome, just the fact that they are not controlling our lives and 2. who literally want to see us fall on our face. They do not approve of our marriage, our religion and are dying to see our family fail somehow wo they can say “I told you so” My FIL comes to mind. Sick, I know, but those people, while their opinions are hurtful they mean little as far as the scheme of things and our choices.
Oops, baby screaming, no time to proof-read, sorry.
Good heavens, how awful. I take it that it’s not your side of the family that objects to your religion (unless you mean that they object to your taking it seriously). Inlaws are kittle cattle; it can be very hard to know how to deal with them. I think one of the hardest things in the world is to stand in a daughter’s place to someone who doesn’t reciprocate; a daughter wants to be approved, and to be loved, and some parents and inlaws (not mine, I must say in justice), for various reasons, just won’t or can’t be loving and approving. Keep praying and keep writing, and email me anytime you’re fed up about it and want to gripe to somebody safe.