[WIladyconservative]

Homeschooling applies to a very small and very affluent segment of the population.

I respectfully disagree and I'm a homeschooler.

I made a deliberate choice when my child was born that I would stay home. We don't take lavish vacations, we eat at home most every meal, we drive older cars and live in a modest older home. We make every effort we can to stretch a dollar. We are solidly middle class and always have been. We struggle to make ends meet some months, but what's important in our lives is VERY clear. Our family and our child's education comes FIRST!!

[Destro]

I understand. But I don't understand how anyone gets upset with my view that homeschooling only applies to a small percentage of the population and always will. Frankly I find it a shame and very telling of the direction America is going where the public school system which used to be considered the pillar of the middle class is no longer viewed as such.

It is also sad because those that leave the system feel they are powerless over their own school system - yet the left has never been in more of a decline in this country.

Meanwhile how are we to educate all those immigrants? Impossible? Public School education educated a whole generation of Italians, Jews, Germans, Irish, etc.

[Gabz]

Our family and our child's education comes FIRST!!

I couldn't agree more, but I don't homeschool. I can't do it, plain and simple.

I stay home every day, and like you we have some tight times right before hubby's payday - but I'm here when she gets off the school bus. And the only reason she even takes the bus is because she insisted on it. I was devastated putting her on that bus the first day last year for kindergarten - but to her it meant that she was a big girl going to real school, not pre-school - and I wouldn't deny her that.

We rarely go on vacation, other than weekend trips to my SIL, out to dinner is probably about twice a month because I love to cook. We just got rid of my 12 year old van because it was starting to nickle and dime us to death. Hubby got a deal on a vehcile he wanted and I inherited his 8 year old car.

Oh, and I've got a blackbelt in shopping (my husband's description) when it comes to using coupons and finding sales.