Home Spun comic strip #208

One of the hardest things I've had to teach my children (and myself) is to be respectful of others. I've made a lot of decisions in my life that have taken me off the "well traveled" road. I took a year off after high school instead of heading straight to college. I wanted to have children at a young age when all of my friends were pursuing careers. I nursed each of my children until they were over three. I decided to teach them at home.

Going against the norm does not make for a simple life. Since I began homeschooling, I've lost count of the number of times we've been asked, "No school today?" When I mention what we do, we hear the usual responses. Most often, people say, "I could never do that!" I usually just smile and shrug. We all have our choices to make. I am in no position to respond since I have had my own days of thinking, "I can't do this!"

I have rarely met with adversity since I began homeschooling. I consider myself fortunate that my husband and our families have been very supportive of this decision. I think because I am always going against the norm I am very sensitive about the choices others make. I assume (a really bad habit) that since I agonize over my decisions, others must put as much thought into their choices. As a result, I try to respect the choices of other families even if they are not in alignment with my own. We all have a path to follow in life. When our roads cross I would much rather greet other travelers with smile, instead of frowning at them for choosing a different way.