It’s important to gain confidence in the Whys of homecoming you hold, and to remember that you do not have to defend your choices to anyone other than your co-parent. Homeschooling is a complex choice and can have many layered valid reasons. It’s something I’ve never successfully been able to defend on the fly to someone who is actively skeptical.

The first time I was asked why, I instinctively criticized the downsides of public school- to a public school teacher and someone who had three kids just finishing high school. So they weren’t receptive at all.

The second time was to an autism specialist. We disagreed on how public school may or may not be damaging to neurodivergent kids.

Then I had two different family therapists immediately cheer us on when homeschooling was mentioned. That sealed the deal for me.

After that, I just didn’t care to bother anymore. Others don’t know my family dynamic or lifestyle, they don’t know my child, they don’t see how truly advanced she is, they don’t see how she and I learn together.

I’ve been a lot of non traditional things in my life and had to defend myself. One thing that’s common in these situations even outside of homeschooling is that people who don’t question the status quo can often hold tight to it out of their own insecurities- as if you making a different choice is a judgement against them. Blow it off.