Raising kids to homeschool the next generation?

by Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger

It occurs to me that I am not raising my daughter(or son) to homeschool their own kids. While I do not regret my choice to homeschool my kids, I don't want to limit my kids to what they will do in the future by planning ahead to what they will do with their kids.

My daughter has a propensity for acting, and the arts. She also has political aspirations. While there is room in there for homeschooling, raising her to homeschool the next generation, I fear will limit her dreams and reign in her aspirations. Where my son is concerned, traditionally, he would have a wife who wanted to homeschool, but who is to say that the woman he falls in love with won't be a high powered attorney or doctor with no time to educate her own. Who is to say, that he won't be just as engaged in his career?

So what does that mean for my potential grandchildren?

It could mean that if and when my grandchildren are to be homeschooled, that I would lend my services. (This is called second generation homeschooling). This would of course mean that my child and I would see eye to eye on all things educational, and that they would want and solicit my help. There is also the possibility of my kids being able to hire people to help educate their kids if their careers and life paths don't allow them to actively teach their own children. Of course there is the possibility that traditional education will be more tailored to the individual child, and that faith won't be ridiculed in public education. (Fat chance of both of these happening.)

Perhaps I should stop putting the cart before the horse. My son is only 14, and has no aspirations to ever marry (or at least he says so). My daughter is only 12 and while she is an excellent caretaker, seeing how she takes charge whenever anyone of us is sick, her own kids are the farthest thing from her mind. In addition, I was hardly raised with the notion that I would homeschool my own children. When I finished high school, it was much more likely that I would be a lawyer than a homeschooling mom. By the time I graduated college, I was heading toward being a writer and illustrator rather than a homeschool teacher.

Perhaps I shouldn't worry so much about homeschooling the next generation. I am well on my way to my college aspirations, and stopping to homeschool has actually helped me pace and figure out my long term path. Perhaps in homeschooling my kids toward their long term goal, they will also pause to make sure that the next generation in their charge are also headed in the right direction.

Homeschooling making Schools of the Future Possible

Learn more about Andrea Hermitt

Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children.

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