Questions About Homeschooling and Other Stuff
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I really wanted to do a “Top 10 Dumbest Questions I’ve Been Asked About Homeschooling” post, but I really haven’t been asked too many dumb questions about homeschooling. I’ve been asked the common ones like “Why are homeschoolers so weird and unsocialized” and, of course, the ever-popular socialization questions.
I’ve been asked lots of curious ones and the conversational ones, like “What curriculum do you use.” I could only remember one really dumb question and one dumb comment, but it wasn’t a question.
So, instead, I give you today’s post: One Really Dumb Question I’ve Been Asked About Homeschooling, One Really Dumb Question I Was Asked About My Kids, and Eight Other Random Questions That People Ask Me. (Alternately titled, “10 Questions That I Get Asked a Lot” because that other title was really long.)
1. Are you going to have a make-up day? That was my one really dumb homeschooling question. It was asked when we went to Chuck E. Cheese for one of Megan’s birthdays – not for a party, just for lunch on her birthday.
The lady who took our order asked the usual, “Oh, is school out today.” I told her that we homeschooled, so birthdays were school holidays and we were off for the day.
She then looked at Josh – not me – and said, “So, are you going to have a make-up day?” This wasn’t asked in a friendly, conversational way, but in a challenging, “what do you mean you’re just taking off a random day” kind of way.
I really felt like saying, “It’s a scheduled day off. Do public school kids have make-up days for in-service days or fall break? Um, hello?” I was nice, though.
2. Are they twins? This was one of my all-time favorite questions. It was asked by this sweet little elderly lady in Walmart about Josh and Brianna. What made it a dumb question? I mean, they do resemble quite a bit.
It was a dumb question because, at the time, they were six and two. It was much more obvious than it is now that there was quite an age gap between them. “Um, yes, ma’am, they are. He just needed to gestate a bit longer.” (No, I didn’t say that. I was very polite to the nice lady.)
Okay, no more dumb questions. The rest are just random things that people ask me.
3. How have you lost so much weight? People generally don’t like the answer to this question. They want me to tell them some diet or weight-loss program that they haven’t tried or let them know about some magic pill that I’ve found.
They don’t like hearing the real answer to how I’ve lost almost 90 pounds – by completely changing my lifestyle. I’m always happy to offer my own practical tips on how to lose weight, though.
4. I want to homeschool. How do I start? I recently offered my top ten tips on how to get started homeschooling and later expanded that into 10 Days of Homeschooling 101 (which will be released as an eBook soon).
5. Does everything remind you of a Friends episode? Yeah, pretty much. I own all ten seasons on DVD and I watch them repeatedly. That’s what I do when I ride the stationary bike or run on the treadmill. I’ve considered having this engraved on my tombstone: “Hey, this reminds me of a Friends episode.”
You can test the theory, if you want. Just name something and I’ll tell you if it reminds me of a Friends episode and, if so, which one.
6. What curriculum do you use? Hey, it had to be asked, right? We are loving Trail Guide to Learning for the younger two. We’re using Teaching Textbooks for math. Last year, Brianna used Switched on Schoolhouse. We thought we’d use it again this year, but we’ve decided not to.
After discussing it with Brianna, we all (she and her dad and I) decided that it would be best to get her away from the distraction of the computer for school. She’s requested to go back to Teaching Textbooks for math, but everything else will be done without the computer. We’re not sure exactly what that means yet. She’s going with me to our local curriculum fair this year so that we can decide together.
7. Where did you get that awesome shirt? People are always asking me where I got my “I Homeschool. What’s Your Superpower?” shirt. I got it from The Homeschool Chick. Unfortunately, they’re no longer available. Sorry!
8. Where did your kids get their awesome shirts? My kids “Warning: Unsocialized Homeschooler” shirts are very popular, too. We got them at Great Products. Visit them to get yours or look for them at a homeschool convention near you.
9. Will you please give me your baked oatmeal recipe? Oh, I so wish that was my recipe. I’d sell it to people and make a fortune. It’s just that good. It’s Crystal Paine’s recipe, though and she’s nice enough to give it to you for free: baked oatmeal recipe. Just don’t hold me personally responsible – it is neither healthy nor low-fat, but oh-so-delicious.
10. What’s with you and Chick-Fil-A tea? Oh, my word. My first “glass” of tea was a baby bottle and I’ve been drinking it ever since. I’m a southern girl, through and through. Those folks at Chick-Fil-A? They know how to make some tea. It doesn’t get much better than theirs.
So, what kind of things do people ask you about all the time? Do you have any questions for me? Want to test that Friends thing?
This post is linked to iHomeschool Network’s 10-in-10 blog hop and Top Ten Tuesday.
Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
Now there is a homeschool question I have never gotten. Go figure. I was born a Northern girl, but love their tea and lemonade.
Blessings, Dawn
Yeah, the sweet tea question falls under the “other stuff” heading. 😉 I enjoyed a super-delicious CFA sweet tea at lunch today. Heaven in a cup.
Nice list and from one Friends lover to another….
“That’s a Moo point” ha ha ha ha ha
“If homo sapiens are really home sapiens, is that why they’re extinct?” 😉
These are awesome. LOL Love the “twins” one. My two younger boys get that all the time, but there’s a reason for that- they’re 16 months apart and look a LOT alike. Not like a 6 and 2 yo. 😉
My son has the unsocialized homeschooler shirt and loves it. I might have to get him a new one soon, as he’s almost outgrown it.
I had to re-outfit everyone last summer because the kids had all outgrown their shirts.
I love your blog, but rarely comment, but had to with the Friends comments. I do the same thing, almost everything in life can be covered with a reference to this show. I too have all the seasons and have watched them repeatedly. Keep up the good work in homeschooling and in your weight loss. You are an inspiration to so many!
I’m glad it’s not just me with the Friends thing. Drives my family crazy sometimes.
LOL! We own the Friends DVDs, too! I love it — and of course, Seinfeld!
Great list, Kris. (oh, I mean dumb list – ha!)
This probably makes me un-American or something, but I’ve never watched Seinfeld. I’ve tried a time or two, but I just don’t care for it. My other favorite, though not nearly so much as Friends, is Everybody Loves Raymond.
This is such a good post!
The question I hear most is, “How did you get me to MARRY you?”
Oh wait, that’s the question that comes out MY mouth the most.
(and hubby always answers: “Just LOOK at me! (and I’m stinkin’ HILARIOUS)”)
I LOVE Friends!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE! My husband laughs at me b/c I watch 3 episodes every night.
Is it sad that that was what I commented about???
It’s not sad to me. 😉 There’s a connection between Friends fans.
I am so glad I am not the only person addicited to CFA tea!
I’m always asked questions about being a vegetarian and raising my daughter as one. “So do you guys just eat salads?” is my favorite, because in reality we eat salad maybe once a month. 🙂
My sister is a vegetarian and she says people are always telling her they wouldn’t know how to cook without using meat. She says, “You know when you’re cooking and you get to the part where you add the meat? Don’t do that part.” Yeah, we’re definitely related. We share the sarcasm gene.
I’m watching Friends now….. Love it.
God Bless the Chickpea.
I get asked the “twins” question about my 7 & 9 year olds. There’s only an inch or 2 difference in height and they weigh the same too. They even both have strawberry hair. He (9) is offended though. She (7) is proud to be tall for her age.
You know that Friends episode where they put the fire alarm in the trash/laundry shoot…well that’s happened to us…we just live in a single family home so the stinking alarm couldn’t be dropped down a shoot. It beeped even when the batteries were removed. We ended up putting it in the freezer.
We tried SOS for half a year for just Language Arts. It was OK. But I prefer not to use the computer for a complete subject. Except for Teaching Textbooks.
Oh, when people ask my kids why they aren’t in school they reply that they don’t go to school. Which they don’t, GO to school. I always get the strangest looks but I just smile back. I don’t feel the need to explain myself to strangers lol. I get the questions about twins all of the time. I have a 14 and 16 year old that are the same size and a 8 and 10 year old that are almost the same size. I just nod and smile most of the time.
I especially love # 5. =)
I’m glad you liked that one. Lately my family has been strangely annoyed by it. 😉