My in-laws are so un-informed about hs and all they keep saying is; "What about socialization?" "You are ruining him for life." And "He will never be able to go to college."

Well, we all know they are wrong on all 3- but they do not say these things to me only to dh. He holds his own pretty well but I am the one who has done most the research and have lots of good answers for them. I wish they would not be so cowardly and let me give them so correct info on hs!

Have you had to deal with non supportive family and how did you/do you deal with it?

I just don't care! The one's who are not supportive are the ones that don't matter to me anyway! I just ignore their comments, they live in another state so we only see them a few times a year. People believe what they want to believe, you can give them all the facts and stats but most are so close minded they won't change their opinion no matter what. Now if you have family that are sincerely interested in learning more they have small brochures they make every year with all the current info, they are great to give to family members who WISH to understand! Like this: http://www.amazon.com/Worldwide-Guid...e=UTF8&s=books

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A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.-Eleanor Roosevelt

We just quietly go about our business of learning. People coming into my house are impressed by the books and crafts and other learning things they see around. If they ask, I have my speech prepared. Otherwise, I don't worry about it.

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I don't believe in miracles; I depend on them

I don't worry about what they think. That being said, I haven't had any family members say anything unsupportive about it. I think they know me well enough to know that I don't worry about what others think, and that my kids are my #1 reason for doing everything I do!

Tonya

I didn't really have to deal with negative relatives, but I had some who were questioning our decisions. They just didn't know if homeschooling would produce smart, well-rounded kids. The best way to handle their doubt was to just show them results! I let the kids be the answers. When the kids were well-behaved, polite, intelligent and articulate at family get-togethers, they had no more arguments. And, if they did, there was nothing I could do or say that would ever change their minds.

If you have relatives that are truly interested in learning about homeschooling, I have friends that have had success in educating their family members by inviting them to homeschooling conventions or support group meetings/events. Other families that I know have hosted open houses for their home school where they exhibit school projects and invite family and friends to see some of their work and hear presentations and meet each other. Sometimes this helps. Just a couple of ideas . . .

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"Fostering Excellence in Intellect & Character"

When we first decided to homeschool our family thought we were nuts. As the year has progressed, they have noticed how much she is learning. It is really hard when family members aren't supportive, but we just have to remind ourselves that this is a calling on our life for our kids not for them.

Thanks for all the replies!

I wish they would all realize he is our child and we will do what we think best for him just as they are doing what they feel is right for their kids. We certainly don't judge their decision to use ps!