Homeschooling Fashionistas!

I’m only on my computer to write, but when I hit a block, I take 5 to 10 minutes to either:

• Check and respond to email
• Play on YouTube
• Mess about on FaceBook
• Google my friends (current and long lost) to see what they’re up to

So, I’m messing around on FaceBook yesterday, searching groups. I’ve added some groups on FaceBook and I have no idea why. Is there a purpose? Whatever.

Anyway, I’m into homeschooling, so I decided to check that out and I came across the VICTIMS OF HOMESCHOOL FASHION group.

Thank God I had a toilet near me, because things like that make me wanna pee. I mean, denim jumpers. Seriously.

So do things like this:

(The best part, is Mr. T is totally for real in this 80s fashion extravaganza.)

It all brought me back to thinking about the homeschooling community and the weird factor.

The truth is, not all homeschoolers are alike. I’ve seen fashionable homeschoolers.

But not many.

And I really don’t care what people wear. My friends come in all shapes and sizes, and many simply have different priorities – though some of my friends are extremely fashion oriented and make fashion really fun for moms and women in general.

However, after that conference, this fashion thing continued to weigh on my mind. I finally realized that what has piqued my interested isn’t really the blatant disregard for personal appearance on the part of more than a few in the homeschooling community, but the fact that looking purposely blah seems to be part of the culture.

In the group settings, lipstick wearing feels almost sacrilege and high heel wearing feels just plain hookerish.

When I had this epiphany, I had to call my friend who had attended the homeschooling conference with me. When at first I mentioned this homeschooling fashion thing a while ago, she simply said, “Seek help.”

Gotta love authentic friends.

She finally got what I was itchy about…AND admitted they were actually discussing this in one of the sessions.

In truth, there is an idea among some (many?) homeschoolers that you have to be ALL about the children and if you are a hottie mom, then you must be all about yourself.

I’ve also heard derogatory remarks about clean houses. Like, if your house is actually clean, you must be one of those parents – more interested in sterility and appearances than in letting your children play and enjoy equality in the household.

But that’s not true. Some people just have plenty of energy to do it all. Other people have housekeepers. Still others simply go out a lot and don’t have a lot of time to mess the house up. And still more are into FlyLady (I love FlyLady!).

The homeschooling community is very diverse and it is pretty much impossible to generalize, although I won’t say I saw a lot of Jimmy Choo or Prada at the CHN Expo.

But it brings me back to my thoughts about whether homeschooled kids are weird. Really, I didn’t meet a lot of weird ones. There were a few, for sure, but mostly because they were freaky smart, and there certainly weren’t any more than there are in the general public.

On a VERY POSITIVE note, those who were on the weirder side of the spectrum seemed happy and confident compared to their schooled counterparts, probably due to being spared a lifetime of teasing and bullying and to having the freedom to be their authentic selves.

And I think weird is a good thing. I really do. Still, appearances matter. They do. Call me shallow, but I’m not buying a denim jumper. Ever.

Well, maybe if it looks like this hee hee.

Today’s gratitude journal:

1. I’m grateful that I don’t own, and never have owned, never will own, nor does my (insert mother, sister, best friend, etc.) own a denim jumper.
2. I’m grateful that my dog doesn’t shed or drool, and usually doesn’t stink too badly.
3. I’m grateful that the brain surgeon got a raise in his pathetic salary.
4. I’m grateful that I’m writing regularly.
5. I’m grateful for the chance to carry, birth, grow and nurture my babies.

Toodles!