Homeschooled...a trip down memory lane.

So, I was blog hopping and found some homeschool blogs. Oh what the memories....

So have I mentioned that I was homeschooled? Not in the way that a lot of the kids in my area were; that has-learning-disabilities-school-gave-up-on-them-and-parents-pulled-them-out-to-roam-free-and-do-what-they-want-with-NO-education-whatsoever-because-they-weren't-dedicated-to-their-children way. It more of a, the principal at our local elementary school was undergoing investigations for child abuse and my aunt had starter homeschooling HER kids because of it, situation.

And oh did we take the criticism for it. I wasn't being properly socialized, don't ya know. It wasn't that. I had plenty of socialization if you ask me. Story hour at the library, my friends when I went to my grandmas, Girl Scouts, etc. I just disliked most of the kids my age. They were all so....dumb. And immature. I had a few friends that I got along with and that was good enough for me. But because I didn't have play dates and day care and 30 classmates, I wasn't socialized. (I was also an only child.) Oh well. I think I'm doing ok now. (One of the only girls from my home town not to get pregnant at 14 and end up in an abusive relationship with her kids taken away.)

We didn't homeschool for religious reasons. We started out using the Christian Liberty Academy curriculum. Oh how I hated that. Couldn't STAND the way they forced very conservative religious beliefs on students. (I am more conservative, but I don't think it should be forced onto a kid.)

So we dumped convention and I picked out my own books. I loved being homsechooled. My cousins (mostly) resent their mom for keeping them at home I think. They barely finished high school because they wanted to be more "socialized" working and partying with friends...but I loved it. Don't get me wrong, my mom and I had our moments. Our screaming, yelling, crying moments of her threatening to send me to public school the next Monday and me begging not to have to go after I finished my tempter tantrum. But, totally worth it.

I never really graduated from high school. Since we created our own curriculum, and it wasn't accredited, no one would give me a diploma. So, I have a GED. No big deal. The only difference it made was getting in to college. (And now in the career world, it seems as if a Bachelors makes no difference. You either need a GED or a Masters. There is no middle ground for an Associates or Bachelors. Sigh.)

And I don't think I really ever thanked my mom. She gave up a lot to make sure I was kept in a positive environment, where the principle wouldn't make me eat raw fish, where I learned to read and do long division (not to mention calc. UGH) and loving environment where I didn't get shunned for being too pale or not having the right label on my clothes or called fat because I've never had the figure to pull off spandex leggings and mini-skirt.

So thank you to my mom, and thank you to all the moms and dads out there that are homeschooling the right way, giving your kids the love, support and education that a public school may not be able to give them.