Homeschooled Kids on Cougar Town

I admit I've been DVRing Cougar Town recently. Tonight I watched the episode "Free Fallin" which aired on May 18th. The show usually cracks me up because it's goofy and the characters basically make fun of themselves, including their parenting styles and mistakes. Of course I know that there are certain jokes out there about homeschoolers because there are jokes out there about everyone. This episode had some "homeschooled" children involved, though not like any homeschoolers I know. I don't know any moms who make their homeschooled kids wear uniforms or who never speak to people or who chalk up other people's driveways with threatening pictures - but maybe there are some kids out there like that. They were spoofing "children of the corn" by calling the look-alike, quiet, dressed-alike, creepy-looking homeschooled kids the "chalk children."

I actually thought the episode was pretty funny. The only part that bothered me was the very last line of the show when Ellie says,"Send your kids to a real school." That wasn't a joke anymore, that was an obvious opinion. I guess there continues to be ignorance out there about what homeschooling is and how it fits into each family. My oldest son did go to "real" school before we pulled him out, and I wouldn't recommend his experience to anyone. I'm grateful for the opportunity to homeschool my children and I love the intelligent, well-rounded, kind, and fun children that they are. Let's hope that with these negative views on homeschooling there will also continue to be positive media coverage as well. Homeschooling may not be for everyone, but is an incredible opportunity for anyone who is open-minded to seeking whatever is best for their children.