All Things Transcription

Sometimes it is hard to maintain a sense of humor when you homeschool. We have been homeschooling for a long time, and for all that time we have been asked the same questions over and over. I equate it with my vegetarian best friend being told every time she gets sick, “You need to eat a hamburger, you’ll be stronger.” I can pretty much guarantee that she is sick of hearing that. I would also guarantee that she is about as sick of that statement as I am of being asked, “What about socialization?”

Follow up:

We don’t run into this question much anymore. My daughter looks much older than she is, so when we go out during school hours I am sure most people assume she is finished with school. However, when she was small we fielded this question every time we went anywhere during school hours. That one plus many others. From perfect strangers, I might add.

I should point out that we live in the Southern United States where it is not usually considered bad form to ask total strangers personal questions. It is true concern for their fellow human beings that motivates someone to ask a child in a market at midday during the school week if they had a doctor’s appointment. It was their reaction to the response that we are homeschoolers that wore thin very quickly.

The responses have occasionally been downright rude. I personally would never state to a stranger that I thought they were stupid to allow their child to attend public school. However, we have been told that we are weird, stupid, and egotistical because we homeschool. I am proud to say that I have never gotten into an argument with a stranger in a public place when these statements have been made.

This may sound as if I am bitter. Let me add that we have also met people who have been very envious when they found out we are homeschoolers. We have had a few lively discussions with folks who wanted information about homeschooling. That is the great thing about the South. You can have a very pleasant time while shopping for groceries because people are not afraid to be friendly with strangers.

This tidy bit of satire really made me laugh, and it is what made me think of all the silly questions we have fielded because some people think it is okay to comment on the choice we made to homeschool. It can be hard to maintain a sense of humor about it, but then something like this comes along and I cannot help but laugh. Laughter is good for what ails you, as we say around here.