Okay, so you longtime readers know that I have this slight.. phobia.. of public restrooms.  Granted, it’s become a lax phobia since I’ve been all knocked up and stuff, because I often don’t have enough time to gather my thoughts, much less pucker up the sphincter.

TODAY, AND I SHIT YOU NOT (no pun intended), I WAS SITTING IN THE BATHROOM, WAITING FOR IT TO EMPTY (you know, so I could have some privacy), AND A LADY CROUCHED DOWN AND SAID, “SARAH, ARE YOU OKAY IN THERE?”

She knew my shoes.

I TOLD YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN.

So, I’m looking for the right way to approach this.

The wrong way is the one that always jumps to mind first.  The wrong way would be to point to people I know who fit the soon-to-be-mentioned stereotype and say, “See?!  See what I mean?!”  But that is the WRONG way.  And it does no one any good.  It only causes harm and hurt.

What I’m referring to is a topic broached on a site called Mom is Teaching.  Whether or not you believe in homeschooling or public school systems, this quote in particular bothered me beyond words:

It reminds me of a post that Lee from Absolutelee wrote a while back. How To Turn Your Daughter Into A Whore In Two Easy Steps. The first step is “Enroll your daughter in public school.”

There was an article published by the Associated Press this weekend that disclosed an alarming fact about sexual misconduct in our public school system.   I cannot agree more that things like should not be swept under the rug or explained away.  Teachers caught doing inappopriate behaviors should be prosecuted.  Done.

I also feel the same way about priests and parents.  There is no excuse for any adult, regardless of occupation or relation to the victim, to do these things. 

(I also feel the need to point out that private/homeschool teachers are not required to have any state-mandated licensing, therefore making it incredibly difficult to track and document any sexual misconduct there.  But make no mistake, it happens there, too.)

But to blame the public school system for the oversexualization of young girls (and boys, for that matter) is like blaming video games for violence.  I can speak because I am a product of a public school.  Did things happen to people I knew?  Sure.  Of course they did.  Were they handled appropriately?  It depended on the parents of the child.

And that, my friends, is my main beef with 75% of the arguments for homeschooling.  It sounds like insecurity about your personal parenting choices and capability.  It reeks of “I don’t trust my own child (and therefore, how I raised them) to make the right choices or learn from their mistakes.”  To me, it just sounds like a copout.

You’ll note that I said 75%.  I firmly believe there is homeschooling done right out there.  We’ve been given some very good information lately by people who have found a great balance between public and homeschooling, which is how I believe it should be done.  That is my opinion on the matter; you’re entitled to your own as well.

Keeping your child in a bubble is such an incredible disservice to both you and your child.  Fear can be a debilitating thing, agreed.  I was SO glad to hear I was having a boy because it meant I would never have to purchase pj pants with “JUICY” written across the ass for my eleven year old daughter. (I never would, trust me.) But would I “hide [my] light under a bushel” by keeping my child hidden?  I don’t think that’s the right answer.

It just takes a village.  I chose my village carefully, making sure there was diversity and wisdom among it.  It’s all about choosing what is correct for you and your child.. and then teaching your child tolerance and respect for others who might not make the same decision.