The Soccer Mom Dilemma

Last night I went to a local homeschooling group meeting. Oh, how to describe it. I was expecting it to be an open house type get together: a chance to chat with various people. Nope. In a small windowless meetingroom in the basement of a library were about 12 people, looking very serious, sitting around a table. I walk in to hear one woman loudly proclaiming that she thought her local public school was ridiculous for not wanting people to bring their children to the parent's information night and that she would bring her kids with her where ever she darn well pleased. I noticed that she only had one baby with her and found out later that her poor husband was stuck at the library late at night during this two hour meeting with three other very tired looking kids.

I will admit I felt rather out of place at the meeting. I know that groups tend to be generalized by the loudest and usually most extreme voices. I am definitely not one of those voices.

I'm not a "rage against the machine" kind of girl. I'm a suburban soccer mom. I don't think that schools are built, (I'm not kidding someone at the meeting said this) "to just train kids how to follow orders." I will admit I skew toward granola; I have a big veggie garden, I planted fruit trees and what we don't eat will be canned and stored. Unlike most of my neighbors, I don't hire people to do things around the house or yard. We do just about everything ourselves. So, I guess it's natural that when school done by others wasn't working, we just decided to do it ourselves.

I know there are others out there like me. I've seen your blogs! I'm not just whining, I'm planning to start a co-op in my area so I can find more of the quiet middle people like me with a few louder voices to keep things interesting. Anyone upstate (yes, I know it's a big place) that's interested?