the freak factor

If you know us well, you already know what this is - the thing we've been avoiding like the plague for three years - the thing that seems to follow us no matter where we go - the homeschooling freak factor.

Now as much as my homeschooling friends would like to think that there is no such thing - we all know better. Imagine two 8-year-olds sitting at a lunch table together: One is wearing a GAP hoodie and cargo pants, he's got pizza lunchables and a juicebox. He knows who Zac and Cody are and he's got hair just like them. Child number two is eating hummus and whole-grain pita bread with a side of vanilla soymilk. He can tell you about the recent plight of diseased honeybees, but has no idea who Hannah Montanna is. He's got high water jeans, and has never had "product" in his hair. Which one is the homeschooler?

See what I mean?

And while we love homeschooling, and other homeschoolers, we (well, I) have spent a fair amount of time trying to make sure we don't seem like homeschoolers. I don't know why, but I always breathe a gianormous sigh of relief when somebody says to me, "Really? You homeschool?" It's like - Whew - one more person who didn't peg us as freaks right off the bat.

And it's not like we really fit the stereotypical mold anyway. We're not school-haters. (On the contrary - I positively loved school). It's just that we're fun-lovers. We eat processed food - and we love it. We watch cartoons and PG movies. We do not own a bread machine. We have never been to the local nature center. On flip side, we don't have cable, or watch much TV for that matter. There are 8 caterpillars and various frog spawn in our kitchen. We volunteer. Our kids think the "S" word is "stupid." We're not homeschool-ey enough for most people, and normal enough for the rest. So where does that leave Punk and Kooka?

I worry about it - a lot. Punk actually had a very good friend whose mother cut him off right after pre-school. She stopped letting him come to Punk's birthday parties, and did her best to keep them apart. She had mentioned before, in an offhanded way, that it was extremely important for her kids to be "cool and popular." Apparently hanging out with a homeschooler will make you neither. (Joke was on her when Punk showed up to speak at her kid's school, and her own kid came home and told her how cool Punk actually was).

Will my kids be cool? Will they be liked? Will it matter?

I don't know. So for now, we will keep plugging along - avoiding the freak factor as best we can. Punk knows how to to use hair gel. Kooka will continue to watch Saturday morning cartoons. But she also loves hummus, and her brother has taken a liking to chocolate soy milk and Bocca Burgers.

Punk has ordered his "back to school" clothes, and while there are no highwater pants on the list- every shirt is covered with a save the planet logo. And I love that - because freak or cool kid, he is true to himself, and I guess that was my master plan all along.