Mental Health — From Shame to Seeking Help

There is a stigma against admitting you have a mental illness, like it’s something that should only be talked about in whispers.

A Few Leave, But Others Stay

“I don’t spend as much time in my old hangouts as Lana, so I don’t feel quite as much of the tension that she feels, but I’d like to echo what she says about not assuming that the thriving ex-conservative-homeschooler blogosphere means there’s some sort of mass exodus going on. Sure, there’s an exodus — but in my experience most stay.”

From Bullying to As You Like It: Skjaere

“I was home schooled full time in eighth grade, and part time in ninth and tenth. Up until that time, I had been enrolled in our local public schools, where my dad was a teacher. I’d been having problems with bullying at my middle school (both by my peers and by teachers, WTF?!), and when my mother asked me if I wanted to try home schooling, I jumped at the chance. It sounded almost too good to be true.”

When Mennonite Stories Are Your Only Literature: Sean-Allen Parfitt’s Story

“The only reading material we had were story books published or sold by the conservative Mennonite publishing house Rod and Staff. I generally enjoyed them, but there was a very religious/indoctrinating theme in many of them. In the last few years I lived at home, I saw the Mennonite teachings from these books make a serious impact on my mother and brothers.”

The Lessons I Wasn’t Supposed to Learn: Andrew Roblyer’s Thoughts

“The NCFCA taught me that getting know a person’s heart and individual situation is of paramount importance to the development of relationship. I saw relationships ruined time and again because legalism got in the way of true listening and understanding. The integrity of the ‘assembly line’ often seemed more important than the individual students and parents involved.”

The Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute: NCFCA and Growing Up in a Conservative Bubble — Libby Anne’s Thoughts

“Homeschool debate was founded by Christy Shipe, the daughter of Michael Farris, founder of HSLDA. The goal of homeschool debate was to train up a generation of young people for public speaking and political involvement in an effort to restore America to its Christian foundation. We were those young people.”

Mental Health — From Shame to Seeking Help, Part Two: Learning Shame in Childhood

“I had heard somewhere that depression was a medical problem, but this was generally dismissed as a lie perpetuated by people wanting to drag others away from God, while medicines that ‘supposedly’ helped with mental illness – depression especially – were even called witchcraft by a pastor at my church.”

Torching All That Is Sacred: Alexander Anon’s Story, Part Two

“This is not a ‘Fuck you, mom! Fuck you, dad!’ letter. This is not an article to be used for arguing homeschooling is psychologically harmful and should therefore be overseen, controlled, or prevented by the government. There is no political message here, no hint of animosity towards anyone; no purpose for saying this other than that it is the truth.”

Torching All That Is Sacred: Alexander Anon’s Story

“Much of the driving force behind my mom’s decision to homeschool us, I believe, was wanting to shield us from the horrible experience she had with public school. Although our family never really talked about it, there was an unspoken understanding that people in general are mean, morally bankrupt, and frightening.”

Burn In Case Of Evil: Cain’s Story, Part Three

“Nearly every time we get together, conversations devolve into arguments about politics because their identity as conservative Republicans is almost as important as their identity as Christians. They insult my beliefs by saying that they are just a phase–when I am living in the ‘real world,’ I will surely be conservative.”