Is it a cultural thing?
As many of you know, we do a form of homeschooling with our children.* This decision was considered fairly non-normative and odd in France, and even there, people did not "approve" and sometimes cited a nonexistent law saying school is obligatory.** However, here in Lebanon, people are outright authoritative in their declaration that we must STOP harming our children and put them in school. These are not school officials or people otherwise concerned with child welfare in a professional sense. These are a random father we met at a sports class, the man who sold us our car, and a fellow shopper at the grocery store just to cite a few.
Our children are well-loved, well-cared for, presented phenomenal, diverse opportunities for learning and experiencing life.*** They look it and comport themselves in a congruent manner. So what makes people think we need parenting instructions or to be shown the error of our ways?
I can't imagine going up to a stranger on the street and telling them how to parent. Is this a cultural thing? It reminds me of when Sprout was a baby and I overheard men grumping about me carrying her. At least *his* opinions weren't meant for my ears. Seriously, you can think what you want about our choices--even question and discuss them with us****--and I respect that; but when you tell me I *must* do something, when you decree I have to change what I am doing because you disagree with it (without actually *knowing* anything about it), my response can only be: Where do you think you get off?
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* How and why we do what we do is not the point of this post, and neither is defending our beliefs, but suffice it to say, it is a considered decision, one we have put a lot of thought (and years of practice) into. Our oldest is 11 and has never been to school; we were not phased by no school because of a health crisis or technological fails. For us, what we do is about so much more than "education;" it is a philosophy of life.
** Your average Joe and Jane who never question or look into things themselves can't really be blamed because every year, at back-to-school time in France, newspapers, magazines, and tv reporters are always saying that school is obligatory and no one calls them on it. Newsflash: It's not. An *education* is obligatory.
*** This one gets my goat a bit when people say we are not preparing our children for life. Our children are not waiting to live *someday, upon graduation*; they are living life now, and therefore "being prepared for" life right now by, you know, actually doing it.
**** We do this a lot with those who are curious
Our children are well-loved, well-cared for, presented phenomenal, diverse opportunities for learning and experiencing life.*** They look it and comport themselves in a congruent manner. So what makes people think we need parenting instructions or to be shown the error of our ways?
I can't imagine going up to a stranger on the street and telling them how to parent. Is this a cultural thing? It reminds me of when Sprout was a baby and I overheard men grumping about me carrying her. At least *his* opinions weren't meant for my ears. Seriously, you can think what you want about our choices--even question and discuss them with us****--and I respect that; but when you tell me I *must* do something, when you decree I have to change what I am doing because you disagree with it (without actually *knowing* anything about it), my response can only be: Where do you think you get off?
___________
* How and why we do what we do is not the point of this post, and neither is defending our beliefs, but suffice it to say, it is a considered decision, one we have put a lot of thought (and years of practice) into. Our oldest is 11 and has never been to school; we were not phased by no school because of a health crisis or technological fails. For us, what we do is about so much more than "education;" it is a philosophy of life.
** Your average Joe and Jane who never question or look into things themselves can't really be blamed because every year, at back-to-school time in France, newspapers, magazines, and tv reporters are always saying that school is obligatory and no one calls them on it. Newsflash: It's not. An *education* is obligatory.
*** This one gets my goat a bit when people say we are not preparing our children for life. Our children are not waiting to live *someday, upon graduation*; they are living life now, and therefore "being prepared for" life right now by, you know, actually doing it.
**** We do this a lot with those who are curious