I have an overactive imagination. This is why I think the worst when I hear an ambulance when anyone in my immediate family is not in my immediate sight, and why I have very vivid and realistic dreams and wake up tired. Today, leap day, I posted a comment from Jake on facebook. He was wondering why he had to do school on a day that only comes once every four years. Just before he said that I was thinking about posting something like, 'here's that extra day we've been waiting for, let's make the most of it'. Jake's sentiment was cuter so I posted that (I'm not one of those multiple post in one day people so I didn't put both) {if I were a multiple post person I could've also put something Jonathan just said..."for being instant breakfast it certainly takes a lot of work to prepare it"... but I digress}. So back to what I hope is my point. I got a comment from a high school friend who lives in New York. She said her kids have an early dismissal today because of an impending storm, but since because I homeschool and live in Florida this wouldn't apply to me. She included that homeschool part. This got me thinking. #1 I haven't seen this girl in 24 years (well maybe she was at the 10 year reunion, I honestly don't remember...{Cindy I'm losing my edge in the memory department}, so I have no idea about her thoughts on homeschooling. Part of me knows it doesn't matter, but another part of me always wants to make a good impression. And #2 my train of imagination went even farther, maybe facebook friends of hers would see on her wall that she recently posted something to a lady who homeschools her kids. I pictured these imagined people calling her up saying "you actually know one of those lunatics?!" etc... etc... Yes these are all thoughts that I had this morning. The funny thing is in real life I almost never even think about these things anymore and in our entire homeschooling career I can count on one hand (yes we use our fingers for counting around here) the number of times people have even questioned our decision to homeschool or given a negative comment. My thoughts are often more about how we are pretty mainstream, we dvr American Idol and we can quote Seinfeld better than Jerry himself. In the eyes of the critics we are much more like "normal people" than their imagined view of homeschoolers. This stereotype works for me because we are normal people. Anyone who knows us knows that. My thoughts this morning arose because these people don't know us. This made me think about what my facebook posts say about us for those people who don't really know us. This is what I've come up with... we homeschool, we're Catholic, I love my kids, I love my husband (but I never use the word hubby), my kids perform in shows ALL THE TIME, Jonathan runs lights for shows even more than ALL THE TIME, and we tend to burn the candle at both ends. This is an amazingly astutute description of us. If people that I may or may not even know think we're weird, it doesn't really matter does it?
That might be a good place to end, but my overactive imagination is not done yet. If anyone searched further into facebook they might find out even more from my kids' pages (yes 'gasp' my teenagers have facebook... we really are more like public schooler than homeschoolers). Jonathan's profile picture is always the show he is currently running lights for (except for right now it's the symbol for an upcoming movie based on a book that he hasn't even read yet, but he plans to read the book and see the movie and he feels he's going to like both), Madi has tons of friends and posts pictures with them all the time. Her cute little face is often in other friends' profile pictures. This makes me smile. Both of my teenagers are passionate about what is important to them, their friends, their faith, and theatre. This is very clear on their facebook pages. I'm really good with that.
4 comments:
I would try to give your friend the benefit of doubt and guess she meant it like, being a homeschooler in Florida you don't have to deal with the unexpected logistics of getting kids home early from a location different than your own when there is terrible weather closing in. Unexpected = homeschool means you likely aren't used to them going somewhere else 5 days a week at the same time for the same length of time to the point you can rely on not having to worry about the kids and what they are doing because it's always the same and Florida = aside from the once every couple of years threat of a hurricane, your weather is unlikely to make the roads impassable or leave you stuck at home for a long period of time with children who aren't used to spending that much time in your company.
So, rather than think she thinks you are weird, feel sorry for her having to deal with a rift in her schedule, maybe it was envy she was expressing? That's what I'd try to do. I know I'm sort of weird, but it has nothing to do with us being homeschoolers. :)
MelissaB, I'm sure that is what she meant, and I didn't intend to come across as not giving her the benefit of the doubt. I was just using my train of thought as a springboard for a train of thought kind of post.
She should have said this..."Oh, you homeschool...not that there's anything wrong with that?" hehehehehe
could not resist :)
love annmarie's comment!
and I agree with MelissaB, Jul, especially because I know who you're talking about (and she wasn't at the reunion, FYI. But I bet you can still remember what we were wearing on whatever date I might give you-that's where you always had the edge in the memory dept!) And on the flipside, if she really meant it how you initially took it, I think you need to remember the source (not to be catty but I KNOW you know what I mean!)
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