Thanks to my husband I am not facing assault charges

[BusyMum]

for clocking the demented old hag who when she asked my son what school he went to today proceeded to berate me for being lazy and giving up on his education by choosing to homeschool him. Apparently it wasn't good enough to withdraw him from a school that wasn't meeting his needs. I should have looked harder for another school or worked more with his teachers. Parents have to take some responsibility for their kids education too! :confused:

 

Unfortunately I am recovering from having major surgery last Tuesday and my blood alcohol is unfestively low right now so I was just getting ready to clock the cow when my husband rejoined us and hussled me away.

 

Now back home and more rested I have regained my sense of humour and have thought of all the things that I might have said. Witty and scathing things. The kind of things that I probably would have had to confess. As it was I stood there like a guppy and turned red with barely repressed indignation. I do so hope our paths cross again! :lol:

[Sharon H in IL]

Ooh, that would have been fun to watch, Busymum. :lurk5:

 

I'd cheer you on, and maybe even come up with some cash to bail you out of the pokey.

[Nicole M]

Parents have to take some responsibility for their kids education too! :confused:

 

 

I found this particularly entertaining. Homeschooling would not count as taking responsibility for a child's education?

 

That woman deserves a sound thumping. I'll help. Wait. How recovered from your surgery are you? We could just improve our blood alcohol levels together instead?!

[BusyMum]

That bit did make me giggle later. I was still reeling at that point from her telling my son he would much prefer to be in school with his friends like a real boy and not at home being a namby pamby mummy's boy. I'm going to ruin his character, don't you know.

[Hillary in KS]

Awww... she was probably just jealous of the great shoes you and your family had on.

 

Hang in there! :)

[BusyMum]

I must point out that I had never me her before. She was a random stranger in the supermaket. I'm guessing that either she had been at the Christmas sherry a bit early or her cheese had slid off her cracker.

 

At least I don't have to sit down to Christmas dinner with her and make polite conversation.

 

I forgot to mention - she then followed us round the supermarket muttering and giving us the squinty eyed evils. Thank heavens for my husband! He hussled us through and kept me from ambushing her at the end of the bakery aisle with a french stick. :lol:

[Aggie]

LAZY???!!!!

 

OMW.

 

Yup, that's why we keep the dc home ALL day! :lol:

[flyingmommy]

Wow. What else can I say?

 

BTW, I am going to hijack that quote "cheese slid off her cracker"--that's great. That's better than my old fave--"one fry short of a happy meal."

 

I'm glad you're not in jail! You probably should have asked her what mental hospital she had escaped from so you could give her cab fare back to where she belongs!

 

J

[inashoe]

giggling at the thought of you ready to thunk her with the french loaf ...

 

It could be that her head wasn't screwed on quite right.

It could be, perhaps, that her shoes were too tight.

But I think that the most likely reason of all

May have been that her heart was two sizes too small.

[Chelle in MO]

BusyMum, I'm so sorry you were subjected to that. I just don't understand people sometimes.

 

inashoe, that response was CLASSIC! However, I had just gotten that Who song out of my head after listening to my husband sing it for the past few days. Now I'm sure I'll dream of the Whos down in Whoville tonight! What is that song anyway? Does it have a meaning that I don't get?

 

Chelle

[flyingmommy]

Don't you wish that people could see themselves sometimes? Like on hidden camera. I hope that people would be appalled at their behavior to complete strangers. What in the world made that woman think that you even wanted her opinion?!

 

Of course, she's probably the product of public schooling. With her sterling example, I'm sure you'll head right out to the nearest school and enroll your son immediately! Good grief!

 

After thinking about this post for a little while, I was thinking I might have raised a fuss, called the police and complained that a complete stranger was verbally attacking my child, that kind of thing. But, knowing the media, they'd probably put some kind of nutty spin on it..."homeschoolers arrest concerned senior citizen! Film at eleven!"

 

Jeannie

[RebeccaS]

I am constantly amazed at what people are told from complete strangers. It just blows my mind. I would never dream of making a judgment based on one isolated thing. It's the same as when I hear stories of people being bad mouthed because their child acted up in a store. You just have no idea of the circumstances. And I, personally, find it so much harder being home with the kids all day every day and schooling them than sending them off to school for 7+ hours a day. I still giggling over her calling you lazy!

[elegantlion]

I'm sorry you had such an encounter. :grouphug:

 

To study in case there might another such encounter may I suggest a book on Shakespearean insults. The woman might never know what hit her.

 

Or you could go shopping with a friend and then you might be able to use this phrase, "Friends will bail you out of jail, best friends will be sitting beside in the cell saying That was awesome!"

[stripe]

As someone who's had strangers mutter comments in the grocery store or interrogating me (all about other things, not educational ones!), I sympathize.

[unsinkable]

BuzyMum,

 

I'm glad your dh saved you! One of my favorite Christmas carols starts:

 

"It was Christmas Eve, in the drunk tank..." I would have hated that to be one of our WTM moms!

 

BTW, I am nominating you for best thread title of 2008.

 

Best wishes!

[TraceyS/FL]

Ye gads.

 

I"ve had my own - "keep your parenting advice to yourself" occurrence this week, but online. Sheesh people.....

 

My DH kept waiting one night for the cops to show up - i did something, and when i went to go get a contact number for the corporate office to express my displeasure at what had gone on in the store.... the district manager was there and offered me a job. The kid got fired :D I was actually told by a then friend had i done what i did at her place of employment i'd be sitting in jail, frankly it didn't matter what the employee did to ME.

 

ANYWAY, my new motto of the week is, "Did i ask you for parenting advice? No, didn't think so."

[momsquared]

Who says that? I mean honestly? Who is 2008 says something like that?

 

 

That bit did make me giggle later. I was still reeling at that point from her telling my son he would much prefer to be in school with his friends like a real boy and not at home being a namby pamby mummy's boy. I'm going to ruin his character, don't you know.

[Brigitte]

Unfortunately I am recovering from having major surgery last Tuesday and my blood alcohol is unfestively low right now

 

I wish you a speedy recovery so you can get over that blood alcohol deficiency soon. :lol::lol:

[Deb in NZ]

Isn't school out for the holidays? When my dc are asked what school they go to, I answer "a very exclusive private academy." As my dc are older, I usually get the question "What about NCEA?" People are speechless when I tell them it is possible to get a job, go to Uni, etc. without having NCEA. I find that when most people hear you've chosen to homeschool, they take it as a threat to them, meaning they aren't doing what's best for their dc. Also, with having choice of schools, schools need to compete with each other for students to get the funding they want. Less students = less funding. I, too, began HS/ing because our local school wasn't able to meet the needs of my ds#1. I couldn't see another school doing any better, so chose to HS to provide him with the help I felt he needed, (ie "If you want something done right, do it yourself.") I didn't choose HS/ing because I thought it would be the easier option. There are many days that the school bus looks very inviting.:D

 

If you see her again, tell her "School's out for the summer."

 

Blessings,

[MrsMe]

Some people are real morons. Some people have no clue, they have no clue.

[BamaTanya]

I hope you don't think I'm laughing at your expense. Clearly, woman is ignorant. I'm sorry you had that awful chance encounter. I'm just thankful you used evil for good and came here to share with us!

[I talk to the trees]

Oh, Busy, I'm so sorry you had to deal with someone like this! Hmmm... I think I would have let her follow me to the frozen foods, then <ahem!> accidentally dropped a 20-pound turkey on her foot! :D

 

-Robin

[akmommy]

Wow! Some people are just clueless. Sorry you had to be the target of her ignorance.

 

Around here homeschooling has become such a popular choice that often when people ask about what school your children attend they add "or do you homeschool?"

[coffeefreak]

UMMMMMM. . .I AM SPEECHLESS!

 

Here's a whitty retort for next time (it took me this whole thread to think it up).

 

"People like you are the reason we've decided to homeschool. If these are the manners that Public Schools teach, we'll have none of it!"

 

How's that?!

 

Now, if only I'll remember it for our next time!:grouphug:

[Erica in PA]

LOL, when I first read your post I thought you were saying that your dh somehow got you out of being arrested-- that you actually did hit the woman!! :lol: I thought, "Wow, someone has finally cracked after hearing one negative homeschooling comment too many!" I had to reread it a couple of times before I realized that you meant he kept you from hitting her.

 

Sorry you had to deal with that today. It really is infuriating, especially considering what a huge responsibility it is to homeschool your children. Oh well, she's a doofus, what can you do?