We Need to be Kind

Hey, guys! It’s me, Daijah– Dai, for short. I’m a homeschooled Christian/college student. I know some of you guys think I should be ashamed about the Christian part and maybe even the homeschooled part, but, surprise– I’m not. If you’re either of those, you shouldn’t be ashamed, either. You’re amazing.

I think that being homeschooled is often one of those things people automatically question when I introduce myself (except when I’m participating with my co-op). It upsets me but I don’t show it. I think most people just assume that I just sit around at home and do some worksheets. For our family, that is not the case, so when I was asked in the past whether or not I wore pajamas all day, I didn’t know what to say.

(Just in case you don’t know what homeschooling is, look up BJU Press, A Beka Book curriculum, PACE curriculum, and LightPac. That should give you a pretty basic idea. There’s also a Kirk Cameron documentary on PureFlix that’s about the many different homeschooling methods and the history of homeschooling.)

Have you guys ever felt that way? Did anybody ever say or ask you something that made you feel very inferior? Sometimes, even your family can say hurtful things. Let me give you an example.

We had an event at our church recently, and somewhere along the way, I’d set down my purse and now, couldn’t find it. I asked my dad if he had seen it. “No.” he said. He asked what it looked like. The purse, honestly, was so covered in flowers, I was surprised he could forget. I told him, somewhat unimpressed, what it looked like. I asked him how he could not remember. “Well, I don’t pay attention to women’s bags” was his response. I pointed out that this was his daughter’s bag.

“That’s like saying…If I got lost in a mall or something,” I said, “and an officer found me and asked me what shirt my dad was wearing, and I just said, ‘I don’t pay attention to men’s shirts’.” Dad found that hilarious, but I was dead serious. I just frankly do not understand why dudes need to announce their dissatisfaction with girls’ interests or articles. I find it plain rude. (Tell me in the comments, girls, if you feel the same way.)

I just want you all to take some time this week to say kind things to your family and friends. When you see pain and sadness in someone’s eyes, apologize to them. When you feel as if you’re leaving someone out, invite them in. And please, please, please, next time you meet a homeschooler, don’t ask them that ridiculous pajamas question. Instead, ask, “what curriculum do you use?”. Instead say, “It’s really awesome that you’re homeschooled!”. Even ask, “Is homeschool like private school?”. It is, actually, by the way. Our family uses the same curriculum used in private schools.

Thank you so much for reading this post. Thank you lots. It takes time to read, and out of all the things you could have been reading, you read this. If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe to get more advice, more laughs, and more inspiration from DaiDreamer.

Well, until next time.

Keep on dreaming.

#kindness