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A lot of dads have mixed or flat wrong views about homeschooling. I know, because I was one of them. Now my kids are homeschooled, and I get the privilege of watching it happen!
When I was younger, I viewed kids who I knew were homeschooled as a little weird. Maybe it was the fact that we hardly ever saw them, or the fact that when we did, they seemed so ill at ease.
Or, maybe it was just me.
You see, what I learned later in life is that usually the people who stand back from the crowd are just as fun, creative, interesting and likeable as those who join the crowd. They just have different circumstances.
When my wife suggested homeschooling our kids before they were even born, I immediately said, "yeah, that's a great idea," while inside I was picturing those weird kids I remembered from my childhood. How could I let my kids turn into THEM?!?!
But, wising up a bit, I realized a few things:
- My wife was homeschooled! She turned out alright.
- I had a really tough time in public school, mostly because of all the fluff that bored me to tears. Homeschoolers can skip all that and focus on what they want and need to know.
- My kids were growing up in a school environment that was a lot different than the one I went to. Would I even want them going there for most of every week day, with no idea what was going on there?
So, I agreed. It was one of the most rewarding decisions in my (admittedly short) tenure as a dad. My kids are excelling in their homeschool curriculum, and they are loving the fact that they can be home with Mom and have the flexibility to work their schooling around their life instead of the other way around.
If that's weird, then I'm glad to have a couple of beautifully weird kids!
Justin Lambert is a freelance copywriter and ghostwriter, as well as a frequent contributer to several blogs and online forums for writers, dads, sports enthusiasts, and info-maniacs of all kinds!
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