But Will they go to Prom?

Ever seen Mean Girls?  You know the scene where Lindsey Lohan gets up to leave class because she needs to go to the bathroom?  It's hilarious.  Because that little bit of culture clash is so true.  Occasionally people will ask me questions about homeschooling that make me realize that what is normal to my family is sometimes very foreign to some of my friends.  They also make me laugh a little. So, a sampling:

Do you have a bathroom pass?

     One of my personal all time favorite homeschooling questions, asked very sincerely by an eight year old at church.  And, no, we don't have one.  My kids go to the bathroom when they need to, no questions asked.  In fact, when they first learned of bathroom passes, they were absolutely incredulous---did such a degrading practice actually exist?  Imagine their horror when a friend told them that in her class they were only allowed to use the bathroom once a day!

Do you have recess?  

     As in do we have a certain time set aside in the day during which we go outside for precisely 11 minutes to play?  No.  Do we go outside pretty much whenever we feel like doing so and play for as long as we want?  Pretty much.

Do you even do school?
     This was asked of one of my children actually.  Yes, we do school.  And some of it looks a lot like the 'school' everyone else is doing, except for where it is being done.  And some of it looks very little like that.

What grade is_____ in?

     Seriously people just don't ask me this question.  I.  Don't.  Know.  Really, I don't.  I don't know what grade they 'should' be in according to age.  And I don't know what 'grade' the sort of learning they are currently doing would fall into.  The problem is that this is the universally agreed upon question to ask when meeting a child, and my kids don't know either.  If you ask my younger kids, you will most likely get slightly panicked stares.  My older kids can do a little better with this one, between seminary and friends who do go to school they have acquired some understanding of what the question means at least.  But what if you are 17 and a full time college student but still attending your third year of seminary?  Yeah. It gets confusing.

Aren't you worried you will miss something?

     No.  Because I don't think there is a list out there that comprises what everyone must know to be properly educated.  Unless it is this : read, write.  And so far it hasn't been a huge problem to get each of my children to learn to do those two things.  

How will your kids get into college?

     The same way everyone else's kids do.  Take a test.  Fill out an application.  Pay the school.

How much money does the State give you?
     Ummmm.......zero.  

Aren't you worried about socialization?

     Ok, so first I think I should warn my non-homeschooling friends that this question can really, I mean really, tick off your homeschooling acquaintances.  So be careful with it.  Second, I think you mean 'a social life' not 'socialization.' And yes, I am worried about the social life in your average public school (and the socialization) which is one reason my kids don't go.

How do you (as in the mom) have a life?

     Well....this is my life and I live it almost 100% in the company of my children.  And I like it that way.  Even if I sometimes whine about NEVER having any time to myself, the truth is that if decide to run errands alone, I usually realize within a few minutes that I am lonely and should have brought a couple kids with me.

Oh, and the question in my title.  That is a real one too.  And the answer....probably not.  Which should save them a couple hundred dollars.