When your Dr questions your homeschooling

Yes! I thought of all of these things too.
If she is respectful, then I'm sure she'll eventually be impressed as well...after all, most homeschooled kids are pretty great!

It is very important to me to have my rights protected and respected, especially in front of my children.
It's sooo nice coming to this site, where everyone gets where I'm coming from with homeschooling!
Being a "weird" mom can get pretty annoying.

I also was homeschooled, from grade 6 up, so I'm really not new at dealing with this. But it's never the same situation, question, person...I kind of always feel like I'm on trial when people hear that I was homeschooled...like they suddenly see me differently, or blame anything they don't like about me on homeschooling.
Very annoying. I don't tell people right away.
I even feel that some of you may view me differently...like I have to be really great cuz I represent homeschoolers (and "oh no! I just said 'cuz'!" :0 lol )

CJ

 

I would respond initially with common conversational information. I would leave her my email and phone number and invite her to contact me outside of the office time to discuss my and her childrens' educational options.

If she insisted on continueing to use my appointment time for interrogations about my child's education instead of medical issues, I would state that I consult with educational professionals as needed for my child's educational issues, and try to refrain from asking them about immunizations, and disease and wellness issues.

If this was not sufficient, I would interrupt her interrogations with questions like:

Did you see that KY was on sale at the .......... drug store, or do you and your partner use Astrolube? (this shuts most folks up)
Why did you leave India, aren't there a few hundred more sick people over there than here?

 

That would do it! :lol:

 

:0 wow you are a brave woman!! Lol sounds like how my older sister (homeschools her 3) and I vent to each other what we 'd really like to say in these cases...and then lose all nerve when actually there lol

 

My personal Dr is very interested in homeschooling as he is trying to convince his wife to homeschool his 6 children. So he asks me tons of questions every time my husband or I see him. He is very curious how we choose to homeschool and honestly wants to learn as much as he can. The kids Dr only had one concern - so far - physical education. He says that he has several families that homeschool, and several of the kids are overweight. I assured him that my kids get more exercise now than in PS. We walk 3-4 miles a day, plus attend two park play days a week where the kids run and play for 2-4 hours. each time.

 

My kids' doctors do ask about what physical type of activities they are involved in, which in my mind does come under their "expertise". I also understand that mental health is something they are also keeping an eye out for, so often those questions that seem impertinent might fall under that.

The girls' doctor will usually ask if I'm still homeschooling, and then go on to ask the girls what their favorite subject in school is. Oh, and what "grade" they are in, which often throws them. Then she will ask about what other activities they are involved in. But I honestly get the impression she would ask those questions of ALL her patients, and she's not singling us out. It's a pretty large practice, and I know we're not the only hs'ers that go there. Oh, and I learned that one of the doctors there also hs's, so that put me a bit at ease, too!

The funny time was when Faythe went in for her 6yo check-up. She asked about "friends", and Faythe didn't know what to answer. (She's the one that really has difficulty making friends!). Well, we have a party for the 6th birthday, so I told her to tell the doctor who she invited to her party. OH!!! And Faythe became very animated, telling her all about the five little girls who were coming, what she liked about each one, and where she knew them from (dance, Sunday School, co-op, etc.).

 

I agree my kids get more exercise then at school.

1) they are done with "school work" faster and as soon as they are done they can "play".

Studies show that play actually burns more calories then "exercise" cause the kids are more into what they WANT to do. They exert more effort=more calories.

Also the food at home is much more nutritious then what I got at school "hot" lunches.

 

Lol, Phillip missed out on a paid focus group! Central Ohio is a big marketing research area, and our family has its name with a particular market research company. Every now and then, we'll get a call and they'll ask a bunch of questions to see if we qualify for a study coming up. You go in, spend about an hour or two talking about whatever, and you leave with about $75 cash in your pocket.

Well, they called the other day, asking if I had children ages 8-14. Phillip is 13. What grade is he in? When is his birthday? Where does he go to school? I said he was homeschooled. At first she was very accepting of that. But about two questions later, she says, "OH! I guess he doesn't eat breakfast at school, then!" I almost told her that yes, he DID eat breakfast at HIS school every day, lol! But I knew that wasn't what she meant. The whole focus group was on kids' reaction to school breakfasts.

(And I was thinking, even if he DID attend a brick-and-mortar school, I wouldn't want him eating what passes for a breakfast at schools!)

 

Lol yeah, being homeschooled, I used to go biking on all my favourite trails; walk neighbours' dogs for $; walk or bike to piano lessons; riding; skating; tobogganing...beats standing around while pretending to play volley ball- inside! or jogging lamely around a stinky gym.

Our doctor sounded more like she was surprised that our government "allowed" us to homeschool, especially without "accountablity" from the almighty, public school system (who are such experts, right?). :roll:
Why should I be accountable to the Public School System (which is really the government) for MY own child, when THEY ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO NO ONE?!!!!

CJ

 

I haven't read all the comments, but...

WHen I started seeing our new doc about maybe 2 1/2 years ago, she was new to the practice and the only decent physician around (we live in a small town). She is the one that actually listened to me about something begin wrong with our middle son (who has autism and CP). After his diagnosis, she started asking questions about putting him in school and so forth. I said "no", I wouldn't, and I didn't. She was concerned, asked a lot of probing questions, and one time I got a little snappy with her and frank about what was my business and what was hers. NOW when we go to see her, she always comments on how much Pat has changed, and how much progress he has made. In our case: we had to explain the boundaries of propriety and the proof was, eventually, in the pudding.

 

And you've set the groundwork for the next hs'er that comes through! I think the more hs'ers they see, the more accepting they will be.

 

I agree completely. Sounds like the doc is overstepping the bounds of medicine and into parenting.

 

Good for you! I'm always afraid they'll get patronizing with me, and say: "As a doctor, I have a responsibility to see that the child's full needs are met; even if that means involving another professional, if it's beyond my expertise" (which in this case would be a local, Provincial School Attendance Counsellor)...not yet cuz DD is only turning 4 next week, but ya KWIM.

Sighhh I don't want to go through the interviewing of doctors again. Here you have to de-roster before they will even allow you to apply for a new one; and finding one that is female, and favourable to both non-vax and homeschooling is seeming to be too good to be true.

CJ

 

I have found the local LLL mom's know the non vax, homeschool friendly doctors. I have the best OB in the world, he also is most the Amish around here's OB (for the high risk ones). He's so laid back, funny, and nice!

 

Our ped only commented on concern about socialization. As I'm sitting in a small room with him and my four children, all three of the boys had carried on conversation with him, asking him questions about this and that, conversing with one another. I wasn't entirely sure he knew the definition of socialization. He does an assessment of sorts at the 5yr appt asking them basic questions but my kids have no problem answering them all. Most of the stuff he asked my 5yr old last summer my then 3yr old could have answered. :lol: Ah well. He's tolerant of the fact that we don't vaccinate and the kids like him. He's also incredibly great at explaining concerns, making sure we fully understand this and that about it so that we are truly informed patients and really that's quite hard to find these days. He's never mentioned a concern about the physical activity aspects of school. My kids get WAY more physical activity in a normal day than they would in a public school day.