This cartoon is inspired by the less confident home educating version of myself. I am a recovering people pleaser and I definitely dislike to offend people. My boundaries around this kind of interrogation in public were loose to say the least and being asked this question would make me inwardly cringe. It came up a lot, especially in supermarkets.
I remember once, when I answered that, we were in fact home educating, getting a rather ruffled retort of ‘O’h, are our local schools not good enough for you?’. Part of me really wanted to say how shit they were & why, but the kinder part of me held back and just mumbled something about ….lifestyle choice… and being outdoors…..
These days I’m happy to answer questions when they are asked with genuine curiosity, otherwise I’m not willing to waste my energy anymore. I’m not defensive or cringing, I’m really proud of our home ed journey and I also know it’s not for everyone.
I like this quote, it seems apt but it also has a universal message: ‘When people seek to undermine your dreams, predict your doom or criticize you, remember that they are telling you their story, not yours.’ – Cynthia Occelli
(P.S. Don’t zoom in on the checkout woman’s left hand😆 I cartoon scenarios for fun, not art)
Unschool Sketchbook 