To all you disgruntled parents:

[Survivor]

If this is the only post you read on this site, for once, slow down, put your emotions aside and use your brain.

Since this website has been posted on Facebook, alot of homeschool parents have become aware of it. They have then, without reading all the posts, contexts of those posts, or purpose of the site, responded. Of course they didn't do it by addressing the site with intelligible posts or with common reasoning as to why they believe what they did was right. They went after their children with malicious anger, tirades, rudeness, and what would be hard to explain as anything but hate.

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!? You arrogant, self-righteous, bigots. How is it so awful that anyone thinks something you did was wrong? No wonder you all needed to live in bubbles, you couldn't handle criticism. And now you have surrounded yourselves with only people who are naive enough to not only do what you do, but are pitiful enough to never challenge anything you do. Do you really still need to find validation in your lives by showing your dominance over your children? Do you really believe you are doing anyone a service by showing you believe what you did to your children had no flaws? Do you really think you can still control the minds of your children by telling them what they can and can't do, or say, or become fans of certain awesome websites?

Just for one minute, can you please acknowledge the fact you aren't perfect? Lay down your pride and let us, your children, know that we can talk to you as people, not as authority figures?
Be our friends and sometimes just let us vent, even if we go overboard sometimes in what we say. No one on this site has defamed anyone directly. I would erase any posts immediately if they did. If you are the family who did the perfect homeschooling, congratulations. But if you are one of the other 99.9 percent who didn't, than get over yourself.

One last thing, this site is a combined effort of alot of people. Quit trying to pin it on someone directly. It's easy to try and blame your guilt on someone you don't like. If you know who I am and want to contact me directly, than do that. Don't take it out on your kids, and family members. Being a fan of this site doesn't mean that you agree with everything on it, it means that you agree that it is good to have a place to vent your feelings in an anonymous way. I am honored by the people who stuck their necks out to be a fan of the site.

If you don't like the site, I can respect that, but then respect the fact that I don't like what you did to us.

Survivor

[Loving father of three]

Survivor
Homeschool parents will never admit it but CONTROL is a parents primary driving force behind homeschooling their children. It appears that even after these children fly the coop, the desire - no, the urgent NEED to KEEP controlling them is a disorder that apparently does not subside. The fact that anybody has any reason at all to post the above message is solid testament to that fact.
Both I and my wife are survivors of that despicable 80's and 90's homeschool craze and after much very necessary therapy I am now a husband and father of three wonderful children. I love them enough to NOT homeschool them.
Great site, it certainly serves a purpose. Keep up the wonderful work.

"Loving father of three"

[jennym]

Hi There,

My name is Jenny, I am new to this site and I just wanted to take a moment after reading this post to say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS WEBSITE!!!! (HUGS) I have been searching for a site like this for so long, and I just wanted to say keep up the awesome work.

I myself am a homeschool survivor, and I am so sick of the way homeschool is being portrayed in the media right now, either as some kind of great and noble choice, (hardly) or even worse, as some kind of quaint, folksy new version of some kind of American tradition!!! Good grief people, wake up!!!

Speaking as someone who has been there, homeschooled kids for the most part do not have a voice, and desperately need someone to speak out on their behalf, and that is why we need this website!!!

God bless you for taking up this cause!!!
~Jenny

[glen w]

I echo the above words. a website like this is definitely needed and has been needed for many years. As stated above, god bless those who took the ambition to kick it off and get it rolling!
I'm not a home schooler --thank god-- but I know several people who were and are now in there 30s and 40s. to this day they have social trouble and it seems the older they get the more their issues become apparent in their everyday life.
Home school should be either completely outlawed or at least have strict oversight to ensure children are not being harmed as so many are being today in he name of "love" "better education" and "religion". parents who pull their children from school to home school under the excuse of "better education" is like a person who quits a top rated culinary school in order to play in his own kitchen so he can learn to be a better chef. just dont make no sense.
thanks again for the medium where people can say their piece on this issue.

[Creature]

Another point I'd like to make in addition to the above: many of the homeschoolers who dismiss criticisms of homeschooling out of hand, or who respond with hostility if someone talks about a negative homeschooling experience, will be perfectly well aware of families in their social circle who are struggling in home-ed. They will happily gossip about how so-and-so's eldest is eight and a half and can't read more than a dozen words, or how the Jones boys always have bad chests, or how Caroline and Jeremy's girl has a terrible squint now and they still haven't had her eyes checked...

Then they'll go online and rant at great length about how wonderful home education is and how caring homeschooling parents are; and how if you don't go on to have a glittering career in a prestigious field, there's obviously something wrong with you.

Not sure if it's hypocrisy or doublethink.

[Lori]

Thank you so much for your web site. I am doing a research paper for college on homeschooling, socialization, and have found nothing but positive websites, no matter what I type in. This has been a tremendous help to me. I knew that no matter how many researches were done or how many parents proclaimed victory with this there had to be a done side to it somewhere, and there is, unfortunately, it's the kids. I feel so badly for those of you that have had negative experiences with this, your education and socialization is one of the most important parts of your young life. I really hope that you will, in some way, be able to over come it. Kudos to those you who have already have been able to. Thank you so much for letting me into you world and sharing your experiences with me. You have helped me so much and I really do wish you all the very best!

[joshabrahamdrums]

I was home schooled from the age of 12 to 16. At first i really enjoyed it but as time got on and as the weeks, months went by i slowly started to realise that my life style just was not normal and i became so lonely, isolated and felt badly betrayed by everyone around me. I deep down wanted to go back to school at times but once i was in a physiological routine i found it impossible to break. I was afraid of the world and everyone around me and as time went on the worse it got for me. Now over a year after my home schooling i have problems to this day with communicating with people, relationships , i was not able to stick out college and dropped out because i was afraid of the people there and it was a very traumatic experience for me. Now i have no job , next to no qualifications and i am deeply depressed now ... I dont think my problems will get any better from now n because the damage has been dont but please i warn homeschooling parents just because your child appears happy it dosent mean that they are, now all i can try to do is to help as many people as i can so these children dont end up like me.

[Tally Marx]

Perhaps the reason many parents (and homeschooled children) dislike your site is because the anti-homeschool posters on it and yourself generalize to an extraordinary degree. You (plural) paint out all homeschooling parents to be evil, negligent, and controlling people whose reasons for homeschooling are pathetic or invalid. I would not mind--I do not think anyone would mind--you saying your homeschool experience was bad, and explaining how it was so. But when you tell 99.9% of homeschool parents that their decision sucks to an unjustifiable degree (Survivor) and that they did it solely and mainly for control (Loving father of three), you can expect these parents to be offended. When you tell homeschooled kids who enjoy homeschooling that they aren't happy even if they say and look it (joshabrahamdrums), then you can expect them to be offended. Who do you think YOU are, that your experience is universal or majority? Who do you think YOU are, that you can tell 99.9% of parents and 99.9% of homeschool students what they think and feel and what is good for them? Are you the 99.9%? (Answer: No)

You cannot say anything about anyone else, the experience they had or will have. You cannot tell parents not to homeschool because your parents sucked at it; you cannot tell homeschool kids or prospective ones that they hate or will hate it just because you hated it. But that is what you are doing and that, I am guessing, is why some people are offended by this forum. Continue condemning people who you know nothing about and trying to shove them in your bubble, and you can expect your hateful projections to receive hateful replies.


Sincerely,
-Tally Marx

[Survivor]

I am glad Tally Marx is here to give the dissenting view, it makes people think.
This specific post about disgruntled parents was about a very specific instance which those involved know what it is. To which Tally knows nothing about.
It has nothing to do with any posts that someone put on this board. It has to do with homeschool parents going to the point of kicking children out of their home because they liked this site.
I don't care if someone hates this board.
I do not go to pro-homeschool sites and bash them. I created this site so that people who have had bad experiences, and are forced to keep quiet about them, have a place to vent.
So feel free to keep the comments coming, but remember...

Those who are truly brainwashed don't know they are

[hOmeskewler]

Feb 29, 2012 16:26:58 GMT -6 Survivor said:

Those who are truly brainwashed don't know they are

Sooooo true.

[Lauren]

parents who homescrew their kids are always so full of s---
from a homescrewed 12 year old all of you have a nice life