Representing Homeschoolers

Homeschoolers represent the homeschooling community every time they are out. We were out yesterday.

In my town, public school opened 2 days ago. In the city to the south of us, they open today. Not every school district in our metro area has started school yet, but the kids are trickling back to school.

So, now we are becoming more noticeable again. During the summer, we blend in with every other family, and no one knows. With kids heading back to school, we will begin to attract some attention every time we are at the grocery store, library (if I can ever pay off my overdue fines and a lost book), or shopping mall. People wonder who the lady is with the three kids who obviously should be in school. Until I spot another mom with a school-aged kid or two. We pass like ships in the night, with a small smile towards each other, acknowledging another homeschooling family sighting.

It is not so uncommon to see homeschoolers out during the school year, but it can still attract attention. We can be our own best advertising for homeschooling. My kids hear this a lot. Yes, they are kids and we sometimes have our bad outings where we are all grumpy. However, as I tell my children, we may be someone's only exposure to a real homeschooling family. People can hear some crazy things about homeschoolers, and everytime we are out, we have the chance to create a great impression for the homschool community.

For example, we were at a bookstore yesterday. We were there for quite a while, and my kids got tired. They asked to go sit in some chairs while I checked out. I said yes, as I could still see them when they were sitting. A woman checking out, who had also been in the store a while, went to them and said, "Tell your mom that you are some of the best behaved children I have ever seen in a store. You boys have been so good." And then she left.

Of course, this woman was not with us a couple of months ago, at the fabric store, when I was waiting to get some fabric cut and the 4 year old decided it would be terribly fun to play hockey with many spools of thread....But,I was proud of them. I was proud that they proved to everyone in there that children can be well behaved and still happy.

Hey, we are not perfect. No one is. We will still have our cranky public appearances. Yet, overall, we are working to be good representatives of the homeschooling community. The boys like that idea of power, that they, young though they are, can influence someone's opinions.

Now that is positive power!