Dealing with shady questions from strangers regarding homeschoolers

I have come to realize that those rude, hurtful, shady comments from homeschoolers are just a projection of questions they have about homeschooling.  Deciphering those questions and answering them gently has been a key to better understanding.

Today I am 50 years old, and I understand some things

I understand:

That I have outlived most of my family that I grew up with (as there was a lot of illness in our family). Therefore, I understand the gift that my life is.

That I know more than I did when I was a 30-year-old idiot, but in 20 years I might be shaking my head at my 50-year-old self.

That as individuals, most people have redeeming qualities, but the mob mentality is strong, so you gotta watch out for that shit.

That it is OK to swear.

That I am loved, and not just by my immediate family, but by people who I hardly know. It surprises me when I run into someone who has "met" me through social media, and they praise me.  That's mind-blowing.

That after years of finding a new purpose (after graduating my kids from homeschooling), that it turns out that nothing is more important to me than education.

That I am open to spending the rest of my life teaching and learning.

That it is OK to cry. (whether happy or sad).

That happiness is a choice.  Surely sadness comes and goes, but how long we decide to live in it determines our growth or lack of...

That you have to call an idiot an idiot, and a spade a spade, and wicked, wicked.

College Prep Homeschooling: 8th Grade Electives

This video walks you through keeping track of and giving your child credit for homeschool, high school electives.

This ranges from taking care of the home, cooking, sports teams, clubs, hobbies, music instruction, and just about any other recreational activity your child might do... including scouts.  You can give your child a great deal of homeschool elective (and even subject matter) credit for scouts

College Prep Homeschooling: 8th grade science

notes:

Most colleges require a student to have studied at least biology and chemistry and two other lab-based sciences. I also like to get a jump on these requirements in 8th grade.
This is also a chance to get your child more interested in science and to build a positive attitude around it. Note: don’t jump into chemistry until you have done the math to support it, preferably Algebra 2. Likewise, I prefer calculus happen before physics. For 8th grade, you don’t NEED a lab science, but you can use this opportunity to introduce your student to lab work. Still, your options for high school science are numerous. I like this college course from MIT called Kitchen Chemistry. It allows chemistry to happen at home with a manageable mess and no danger of explosions. https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/experimen... My child followed this curriculum. It was not too difficult for her at 14, and we did her lab work on Wednesday, just in time for dinner. Yum. If you are not too keen on doing labs in your home, most communities have science groups, classes, and the like where your child will have more than a full year’s curriculum. Robotics clubs Astrology at the local planetarium Virtual dissections online Science labs are available at science museums in every major city.