How to Gracefully accept and ignore criticism regarding home schooling your child

This article is about how to defend your decision to home school your child, while keeping friends and family who don't understand your choice.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A short simple polite statement that you have put some thought into about why you are home schooling your child.
• A thick skin for the first year.
• A good fake smile while tuning out the naysayers
• A strong belief in your choice.

1. After deciding to home school your child, mentally prepare a short concise statement for friends and family that will inform them of your choice without creating opportunity for debate. A statement such as, "We put a great deal of thought into our choice, and it is the right thing to do for us at this time."

2. Be prepared for the eyebrow raise, eyebrow furrow, blank stare, fake enthusiasm, and/or outrightly rude knee-jerk reaction. My personal least favorite was the eyebrow raise with the 'ooooohhhhh' with the nod. It screamed to me 'oh, I had no idea you were such an idiotic nutcase'. Inform of your choice and give them a moment of absorption.

3. Prepare yourself to execute the fake smile/head tilt pose that you can hold comfortably while listening to someone - who does NOT, in fact, live in your home, parent your child, or bear responsibility for parental choices - offer critical negative opinions based on their uninformed stereotypical opinions about home schooled children.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't expect immediate acceptance or praise. It may take awhile.
• Don't debate. Be strong enough to rely on internal convictions.
• Don't be bullied. This is your child, your choice.
• Never agree with a naysayer to placate them. This will prolong the pre-acceptance period.

[jaicard]

on 10/29/2009 Great advice - parents will always be criticized for decisions that do not conform to the "norm". I applaud your conviction!