Years ago, when my husband, David, and I began homeschooling our two young children, fellow homeschooling families were few and far between. It was almost unheard of in our area; everyone we knew sent their kids to public, private, or parochial schools. So, it was a true leap of faith when we announced our plan to homeschool our kindergartner and preschooler.
Enter the naysayers. Family, friends, and neighbors appeared puzzled at our news. They didn’t understand. They had doubts and questions. It was uncomfortable and stressful and had me doubting our decision. We needed confidence, and we found it in Pennsylvania Homeschoolers, an organization that has since closed but at the time offered us guidance and support.
I cannot emphasize this enough—it’s essential to gather as much support as possible. A network of like-minded homeschooling families will help you build confidence and offer advice on responding to critics. Statistics can help too. Homeschooling is growing exponentially—Angela R. Watson, senior research fellow and assistant research professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Education, reports homeschooling grew at an average of 5.4 percent during the 2024–2025 school year. Now, that’s success!
So then, how did my family reply to the naysayers? Well, depending upon who was expressing concern, our responses varied. I’ll share with you some of the positive ways we responded when others voiced their not-so-positive opinions.
Listen With an Open Mind
Those who genuinely care about you and your family may express doubts, ask questions, and may even be critical of your decision to homeschool, but it’s important to always respond with grace and patience by listening with an open mind.
Sometimes listening is enough to reassure them you are intentional and committed to ensuring your kids receive the best education possible.
Educate to Satisfy Curiosity
Oftentimes, people are simply curious. They may not know any homeschoolers. They might be intrigued by you and your family and not realize they’re staring. Or they may be sincerely interested in learning more about it.
This is your chance to engage, enlighten, and encourage. Share why you chose homeschooling and how you got started. Mention the names of your favorite how-to books, podcasts, and websites. If you belong to a support group, share the name and invite the person to join you at the next meeting. It’s handy to have some homeschooling business cards with your name and phone number to hand out to those desiring to know more.
Invite family, friends, and neighbors to get together at your local coffee shop to chat. Better yet, host an informative get-together at your house; serve light refreshments, answer their questions, and let your kids showcase their projects and accomplishments.
Share Your Successes
Have you heard the phrase, “The best defense is always a good offense”? This is true in football and it’s definitely a positive way to respond to naysayers.
It’s a great opportunity for you and your kids to shine.
Some people were surprised to learn that homeschooling allowed us to travel at any time of year; we especially enjoyed our stays at Ocean City, Maryland, during the off-season at the end of September.
Our kids liked to talk about volunteering at the local library, surprise field trips on beautiful days, favorite topics they were studying, and news articles from their age-appropriate Scholastic News magazines. Our daughter regaled folks with stories about working at our church’s preschool and our son, ever so shrewdly, loved to mix current vocabulary words into conversations.
Change the Subject
If all efforts to respond kindly and positively to questions and concerns don’t work, it’s best to simply change the subject.
If you are acquainted, ask about family, pets, work or retirement, weekend plans, or house remodeling projects. If you are interacting with strangers, try complimenting the women on their lovely hairstyles or shoes and draw the men’s attention to the weather with a suggestion, like, “It’s such a beautiful day for a walk or a round of golf, isn’t it?”
Has your brother-in-law seen the latest movie? Has the woman behind you in the grocery checkout line heard about the upcoming music festival?
If you stick to upbeat topics, you should be fine.
Be Confident
These are just some of the more positive ways you can keep in mind should you be confronted with naysayers. If you need more inspiration, read Tina Robinson’s brilliant blog post, “100 Ways to Silence Homeschool Naysayers (Maybe!).”
Lastly, I urge you to remember to always stand up for yourself and your family’s decision to homeschool. Every time you do, it will strengthen your courage and build your confidence and, best of all, your kids will be extraordinarily proud.
