Puddle Jump Through Life With Us - Living... Loving... Growing... washed in the love of Christ

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Friday, January 22, 2016

Why Social Media Caused Me To Officially Resign From The Human Race Never Join a Homeschool Co-Op



I realize that when I received my Meyers Briggs test score results in college and came out as a combination that only two percent of the population shares, that there would be times (ok, almost every day) when I feel like I don't fit in or that no one understands me - even when I'm in a group of minorities like homeschoolers. And, here is where my story begins as to why today, I am officially resigning from the human race.

Pretty much, I'll just be blunt - I hate people. (Well, at least most people that is)

I apologize if you are one and take offense. I'm sure if I met you in person, I may change my mind. I don't know. But, here is how it goes:

I currently stay at home with my children. The idea was that I would raise the kiddos, homeschool them, and my hubby would work to pay the bills. Well, being married to a musician who walked away from his self-employed successful Christian wedding DJ service during the economic decline and sought to become a worship leader, only to add to my disillusionment among people, sadly even in the church, and now he re-invented his career beginning in his late 40's... It doesn't bode well for me to not try to supplement an income. So, I began selling items on eBay, Amazon, Etsy, and I started writing for Examiner, CBS Local St. Louis, and other sites as a ghost writer. I also began a blog to correspond with my homeschooling column on Examiner and began "selling" it on social media...

(Throw in looming dreadful music and a Da Da Dum)

Through my article writing and the now 9+ social media pages I monitor, I discovered quickly that when someone writes a comment, it sticks in my heart. It doesn't help that my love languge is Words of Affirmation, because if it is a nice comment, I'm happy all day long. If it is anything less than nice, I quickly take it to heart. It baffles me at first that people can be so mean. It then makes me angry, and then sad, and then angry again. And, finally I usually cry and then get a sinus infection and headache from my tears. I fight becoming depressed and cry some more. My son, on the other hand has developed his own YouTube channel, and he takes every comment with a grain of salt - even laughing at how pathetic some of them sound...The same comment that makes me cry makes him laugh.

But, these comments are enough to make me question everything and make me want to not even be a part of these people who call themselves human. It especially hurts when it is a fellow Christian, with whom you thought you shared beliefs in common, or a homeschooler who tries to put you in your place because your philosophies on doing life at home with your kids don't match theirs.

In college, I studied to become a counselor. I also worked as a paralegal and a word processing operator to pay for college. I did practicums at probation and parole, working with sex offenders and agressive offenders as well as individual case loads and the psyciatric cases. I also worked the suicide hotline. So, I had my fill of people with troubles. Mix in my personality given to empathy and constant battles to keep slipping into depression at bay, and reading comments on social media is probably not a good idea. But, it goes deeper than that. Before my children were even born, we made the decision to homeschool. At the time, I pretty much figured when they got to high school age, that may change and a private school may be in their future. But, I currently have a Sophomore and an 8th grader taking high school courses, so you see how that changed. I'm still a homeschooler.

During the time I have been homeschooling, I've noticed a vast amount of new homeschoolers have jumped on board. Some stick around, while others send their kids back to public school after a semester or a year for various reasons. I have discovered that pretty much every homeschooler you ask has a very different reason as to why he or she homeschools - And, often the reason you homeschool and the reason they homeschool don't mix.

For instance - There are traditional schoolers who basically just move the classroom into their home as they continue to follow all of the rules and regulations of their children's peers who are in public school.

There are the Charlotte Mason types who weigh heavy on literature and living books to learn everything.

There are the Classical educators, of which I would love to belong but my children pull me in separate directions.

There are the Montessori educators where everything is hands-on.

There are the lap-bookers and note-bookers.

There are the online accredited, basicallly traditional homeschools and the virtual schools that are offered in some states that bring the public school into your home online as a private tutor sort of learning.

There are the co-op homeschools or the day schools that cover either the heavy core subjects or supplement with subjects that are difficult to teach (due to the mess and such) in the home.

There are the Unschoolers among which ideas as to what unschooling is varies drastically from let the child choose everything to the parent choosing the curriculum with the child guiding the way to anything goes, but math must be traditional.

Then, there are the eclectic homeschoolers who mix everything up to suit their needs.

I'm sure I left someone out, and if I did, I'm sure he or she will let me know.

If being a homeschooler means shooting down any other homeschooler whose ideas don't match yours, then I don't think we can co-exist very well because I think you are free to homeschool how you need to, but let me be free to homeschool the way I see fit as well.

If being human means being mean or feeling free to spout off and speak your mind on everything that offends you, then today, I resign from the human race.

Thanks for listening to my need to vent.

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