QUESTION:
Our relatives are not supportive of our homeschooling and are always criticizing us. How much contact should we have with them? Mary

ANSWER:
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were surrounded by our own parents, and grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters? And what if all these relatives loved us and held the same values as we did. Grandparents could add so much to a family’s life. They could help us with child care and homeschooling and teach the children all kinds of things. Unfortunately, this is no longer the prevailing reality in this world. But, Lord willing, we will recover some of this for our own children. When the children are married and raising families of their own, we, their parents, will be around to help, along with their siblings. The socialization which is common in classroom schooling works to break the bonds between parent and child. From an early age, parents and children are separated from each other for a good portion of each day, and they soon become accustomed to the separation — they accept it as normal and good. Children become bonded to their peers, and parents become secondary in their minds. The parents become accustomed to their children being detached from the family and attached to other interests. They may even imagine some freedom from always having to care for the children. Parents and children are pointed in different directions. This whole sociology breaks down the structure of the family. When we homeschool, we work to reverse this trend by strengthening the natural parent-child bonds. We need to work to reduce or eliminate those things in our lives which weaken these bonds. Each situation is a judgement call, but the overall effect must put our family first.