Are Homeschoolers Weird and Annoying?
Here is a good post: Why are homeschooled kids so annoying? I like what the article says. The author says she was a weird kid in school and her kids are weird. For the record I was not a weird kid in school and I don't think my kids are weird. In fact I've been told that my kids are "so normal". The article paints the light that being weird or annoying comes with being smart. I think some smart kids and good kids can be normal also, in their behavior. Other kids are just quirky and they are weird, and I accept those kids, that's fine if that other homeschooled kid is weird. Although it is a pain for people to keep thinking my kids will be weird when in fact they are well-behaved, kind, and smart also. I used to fret over feeling out of the mainstream and feeling judged, but I am over it now. I am sure the next round of disgust with dealing with the mis-perceptions and stereotypes of others will be when my sons are applying to college and need to prove who they are and that what they know is worthwhile and that they are good kids. The one way that recently I am being told over and over that my kids are different is this: they are mature acting and a pleasure to be around. They are kind and well behaved and do what they are told when they are told to do it. They follow rules and they are responsible. They are not the troublemakers when in group settings. They respect material things and don't just destroy things for fun and games or handle things without thinking and break stuff by accident. They show up when they said they would be there and they do what they committed to do: they are trustworthy, you can count on them. Adults like that my kids look them in the eye and talk to them rather than avoid any contact with adults. They can hold a real conversation and they have opinions and share them and have a large vocabulary that shows they are not ignorant. To date they still do not have text messaging or smart phones and when with others they don't have their heads down into an electronic gadget. Their heads are up, their eyes are open and they can actually sit still, such as waiting in a restaurant for food to be delivered. They talk and interact with others instead of tuning out into personal entertainment devices such as iPods. I am told such things by adults who work with my kids in Boy Scouting and other extra-curricular things they do. I also am complimented on a regular basis by stranger adults in public places. A few weeks ago while in New Orleans I received no fewer than three compliments about my kid's excellent behavior. After that some of them start up conversations with my kids who actually engage and participate in talking with them. So if what I described about how my kids act is what weird is, then my kids are weird. But I don't think that's what people generally mean when they say "that kid is a weird kid".