W. S. Hunter: “Parents are flawed people, like all of us”

“Now that I am a parent myself, I recognize the pride and naivety of any parent—no matter how loving and well-meaning—who thinks they can be the sole adult and authority in their kids’ lives.”

I was lucky, academically speaking. My mom loves learning, and had a commitment to making sure we had a balanced education. However, our interactions were often with other homeschoolers and never professional adults. We didn’t have access to oversight. Still, compared to many of my peers, I had an overall good experience.

My biggest argument for oversight is the implementation of safety nets that homeschool children do not currently have.

I had childhood depression and anxiety due to trauma. My parents didn’t know what to do with me. Thanks to religious stigma and limited outside influence, my parents just thought I was being rebellious. I wonder now what might have happened had I had access to school counselors and teachers. If more people who are trained to recognize childhood issues, would someone have noticed what I was ignoring?

My parents aren’t bad people. They tried to do their best by me. They loved me. But now that I am a parent myself, I recognize the pride and naivety of any parent—no matter how loving and well-meaning—who thinks they can be the sole adult and authority in their kids’ lives. Parents are flawed people, like all of us. And they can’t do it alone.

Dean Hunter was homeschooled in Louisiana and North Carolina from 1994 to 2008. For additional thoughts and experiences from other homeschool alumni, see our Testimonials page.