How did you tell your extended family/friends about your decision to home school? Do you live far or near family and how did that impact your decision?
Can you tell I’m getting ready to “break the news”?
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I’m about to break the news too! I’ve mentioned it briefly to some family and I’ve gotten mixed reactions. I’m trying to convince myself that the only support I need is from my husband 
if anyone else doesn’t like it then oh well! Best of luck! I’m curious as to others experience with this too!
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When my husband and I were first seriously thinking and leaning towards homeschooling our kids I was only really worried about what our mothers would think. We really wanted their wisdom and support! We asked them to come over and we told them what we were thinking about and we shared with them our pros and cons list and I asked them to pray about it and think about their own pros and cons so that we could make sure we covered and thought about all the different aspects of homeschooling.
My husbands mother was really on board and she actually went home and wrote us a long three page letter about her thoughts and some thoughtful pros and cons. I really appreciated that and I took much of her advice. My mother was very skeptical and had a big list of cons! She didn’t want us to homeschool. After a huge amount of prayer and thought we did decide to homeschool. Many of extended family either made no comment about it or made some silly/negative remarks like, “How will your kids find a spouse?” (We weren’t really worried about our little kids finding spouses at such a young age!!) “What about socialization, I’ve met some weird homeschooled kids!” I then usually list all of our extracurricular activities and mention that we’ve all met some really weird public schooled kids! (HAHAHA!!)
My mother ended up really coming around in a way that surprised me! Over that first year she really got to see how much the kids were learning and flourishing. She saw that they didn’t turn into the stereotype of homeschoolers that she had in her head originally!
I still have a brother who is anti-homeschooling, but he actually is not very involved with anyone in the family and does not know my children… That is his opinion and he is entitled to it but they are our children and we make the choices that we hope are the best for them! I’ve had complete outsiders make some shady comments, but I think you have to follow where God is leading you and really trust in that. I think my advice would be to follow God, pray, put forth your best effort in everything you do, make learning fun for your kids and I think eventually people will come around and things will fall into place!
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Sounds like a good attitude to take! As long as hubby is in, who cares if others dont agree? They’re your children, not theirs, so it’s your job to train/teach them the best way you see fit.
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Well said, Jenny! I completely agree with what you said.
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LOL!!! US too!!! We’ve been telling friends BUT not the grandparents 
But like others mentioned, all that matters is that hubby is in agreement!!! We’ll definitely get negativity but oh well…only time will show that this choice is BEST for my kids
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My mother-in-law was against it, but that’s just her nature. If I didn’t want to homeschool, she’d be for it and consider me selfish…so there is no winning with her. 
Because we have special circumstances, I focused on what wasn’t working in the public school (special ed, being bullied by a classmate, high anxiety, etc) and how being homeschooled would resolve those issues. My husband and children were supportive. (And because my younger daughter is the only one being homeschooled, I really wanted her siblings to support her).
A few times, I have heard someone say something negative. I respond kindly and calmly and it usually resolves the issue quickly. I find that most people really believe their comments are helpful, even if they aren’t. We all want to feel accepted and if I argue, then it is a missed opportunity.
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I was very nervous about telling because my mom and mother in law are both PS teachers. We initially began homeschooling because my son has severe allergies. We told them we were taking it one year at a time. As it turns out both were supportive (probably helps I have a degree in education). We homeschooled for K and 1st. This year we are doing private school and I’m the K teacher at the school. We’ve however decided that homeschooling is best for our family and are going back to it next year. My parents seem a little less enthused this time, less about the education and more about the loss of money. They seem very worried about our finances! We are just willing to sacrifice. My brother in law is the only one I’ve heard make negative comments but he’s never said them directly to us so I just try to ignore and know we are doing what I’d best for OUR family.
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I just “broke the news” to my parents! My husband’s family is very supportive, as 2 of my SILs homeschool (or have homeschooled). My family is a different story. Many of my relatives have taught in public or private schools, so homeschooling isn’t a viable choice in education. When I told my parents, my mom asked lots of questions (skeptical at first, but has come around since then) and my dad was ready to help out wherever he could. Of course, my mom was worried about the socialization that NEVER happens in homeschooling (ha!), but my children are very involved in our children’s program at church and there’s always the option of a co-op in the future. I haven’t told extended family yet, but I have my arsenal of proof that homeschooling is best for us Be brave and know that you have a community here to encourage you as you “break the news”!
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We are slowly breaking the news to friends and family and so far have had all positive reactions
Good luck to you!
I’ve found That it all comes down to what each person has experienced either as a child, or with their own as far as school goes. Basically Everyone has different colored glasses they’ll look through upon hearing the news.
What I find fascinating is that if a child is going to a really bad school, nobody has issue with it. However if someone decides to homeschool everyone has an opinion.
It’s tough when you don’t have extended support. If that ends up being the case, lean on those who do/will support your family!
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I am lucky that my in-laws already had a daughter who homeschooled her children. My own parents was a completely different story. Ask them if they have more happy memories or bad ones from High School.
Please remember that thousands of years of history were built by parents teaching their children. Public schools have only been around 200 hundred years. Rome, Troy, Egypt, America and others were all built by “homeschooled” kids. I think we should learn from the past. You can do it!
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