I don't think people hate homeschoolers I certainly don't. but people i think just don't understand it; how u go to school at home? do you have the same system as the public or private school? stuff like that. usual the people who worry alot about this and "hate" homeschooling don't have a life yet so they try to use it on one subject that they just don't understand.

To the nameless person above:1. The written Court order is completely different from the verbal ruling the Judge gave. Have you listened and compared?2. Venessa Mills' church teaches its members to love their husbands/wives. She was involved with this church for over 5 years, yet the divorce only arose after Mr. Mills committed adultery. Sorry, but tour interpretation is incorrect and not based on any knowledge of the church or the marriage.3. Actually, Mr. Mills also originally filed to cut off Venessa Mills from any custody. It's a typical “opening move” that attorneys play on each other. I'm afraid people don't have all the facts on this.4. Even the Court Order does not state that a child was “forced” to urinate on himself. Nor did the judge find any evidence of child abuse. Twisting facts and making accusations of that kind – without full knowledge of the situation – is dangerous and downright irresponsible.5. I respect the HSLDA, too. The HSLDA is entitled to their opinion, but their stance is more concerned with not getting involved in a divorce than any real consideration of the homeschooling issues.6. This blog states the facts. It does not make judgments on who is good or evil.7. Judge Mangum presented an entirely one-sided picture of this case. By letting people know the other side of the story, and the facts that the judge left out, I am giving a more “well rounded” perspective. You're right, this involves more than homeschooling. There are far greater issues of injustice here. But the judge's original comments refer to homeschooling, and – regardless of any other issues – those comments were made and should be addressed.8. Again, you are making judgments on situations without having all the facts. Her moving out was not an option.9. There was nothing in the judge's ruling suggesting that the children were not “thriving” in homeschool or that anything had changed. The children are still doing very well in homeschooling.10. The judge's original ruling was not consistent with his written Order. His remarks were not consistent with the facts of homeschooling. His conclusions of law do not match up with his findings of fact. Whether you or I agree with the judge's decision or not, the facts show that it is inconsistent and flawed. He should own up that he made a mistake instead of trying to cover it up.11. Again, you are not familiar with all the facts or legal procedure. The attorney has to inform the judge of her withdrawal. It doesn't mean that the request came from the attorney and not Mrs. Mills.

To the nameless person above:1. The written Court order is completely different from the verbal ruling the Judge gave. Have you listened and compared?2. Venessa Mills' church teaches its members to love their husbands/wives. She was involved with this church for over 5 years, yet the divorce only arose after Mr. Mills committed adultery. Sorry, but tour interpretation is incorrect and not based on any knowledge of the church or the marriage.3. Actually, Mr. Mills also originally filed to cut off Venessa Mills from any custody. It's a typical “opening move” that attorneys play on each other. I'm afraid people don't have all the facts on this.4. Even the Court Order does not state that a child was “forced” to urinate on himself. Nor did the judge find any evidence of child abuse. Twisting facts and making accusations of that kind – without full knowledge of the situation – is dangerous and downright irresponsible.5. I respect the HSLDA, too. The HSLDA is entitled to their opinion, but their stance is more concerned with not getting involved in a divorce than any real consideration of the homeschooling issues.6. This blog states the facts. It does not make judgments on who is good or evil.7. Judge Mangum presented an entirely one-sided picture of this case. By letting people know the other side of the story, and the facts that the judge left out, I am giving a more “well rounded” perspective. You're right, this involves more than homeschooling. There are far greater issues of injustice here. But the judge's original comments refer to homeschooling, and – regardless of any other issues – those comments were made and should be addressed.8. Again, you are making judgments on situations without having all the facts. Her moving out was not an option.9. There was nothing in the judge's ruling suggesting that the children were not “thriving” in homeschool or that anything had changed. The children are still doing very well in homeschooling.10. The judge's original ruling was not consistent with his written Order. His remarks were not consistent with the facts of homeschooling. His conclusions of law do not match up with his findings of fact. Whether you or I agree with the judge's decision or not, the facts show that it is inconsistent and flawed. He should own up that he made a mistake instead of trying to cover it up.11. Again, you are not familiar with all the facts or legal procedure. The attorney has to inform the judge of her withdrawal. It doesn't mean that the request came from the attorney and not Mrs. Mills.

I don't think I'll be watching. It will just make me nauseas – right up there with his blast on co-sleeping.I don't mind educated arguments, but his opinions on those subjects are just those: opinions. He has yet to use actual statistics or facts on homeschooling.IE: “co-sleeping ruins your sex life.”Speak for yourself! I personally find the dining room table much more fun than the bed!Okay … kidding … seriously, I really would like to have you guys over for dinner sometime without you second guessing where I'll be seating you! ROFL

Has your dad met your home school friends? Or, if there is a group of home schoolers nearby that meet sometimes, you could try taking him to that. A lot of people have just met the homeschoolers that stand out, not the ones that blend in with normal society. Oftentimes, it just takes meeting a few of them to convince someone that we are normal people, we just have a larger vocabulary.
Here are a few pluses of homeschooling:
1. You can work at your own pace, at your level. Schools are interested on one thing: feeding you information so that you can pass a test. In certain states, you don't have to take the standardized testing unless you want to, which means you can study what you want.
2. When you make friends, you know they are for real. I know this sounds weird, but when you're homeschooled, you have to work harder to hang out. You don't see each other every day, so you have to work hard at relationships.
3. A lot, and I mean ALOT, of colleges will accept homeschoolers over public schoolers any day. Some jobs are the same way, they like homeschoolers.
4. Many homeschoolers are more creative. WARNING: This can cause strange looks, and sometimes does not affect those who have not been homeschooled their whole life.
5. You learn to talk to all age groups because you aren't only socializing with people your own age.
6. Homeschoolers can be more independent and ready to do stuff on their own. Sometimes this can cause friction with your parents though.
7. Just a useful piece of information: certain schools will allow homeschoolers to join their sports teams, so if you're into sports, don't worry about it!
8. When you're homeschooled, you can call a trip to the mall or grocery store home ec, a trip to a foreign country social studies, and a tour of a museum history. All in all, you can get a lot more hands-on.
9. Did I mention it's just plain awesome?
10. You meeet the best people!
11. A lot of famous people were homeschooled. Ever heard of Albert Einstein, The Jonas Brothers, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Hilary Duff, and Justin Timberlake. For more famous homeschoolers, just Google it. It's simple.

Hope this helped!

I"m not pointing the finger at your mom, but one thing I learned when I was younger is that you never FORBID someone from dating somebody, it only makes the urge to see them stronger. Instead, I think your mom should be more-open minded. I like to think that I would be. (My daughter is too young to date, I hope I can be this cool about things in about 13 years!)

Sounds like your saying you have tried every thing but my two pieces of advice Would be to talk to your school counselor they will help you with almost anything and are a great resource for kids your age. I'd also talk to CPS child protective services and tell them your entire story. Make sure everything you say is true 100 percent and try to stick to facts. Talk extensively with the school counselor about the possible consequences of going to cps and make sure your OK with them. You won't get in trouble but cps can take actions like removing kids from home or filing charges against your parents. Cps should be able to have your brother tested on certain things to validate your statements by the way. It is not impossible That you yourself could be forced to live with someone else if your parents are found to be unfit or get serious charges on them. Make sure you go over everything with the school counselor and can live with any and all consequences. No action being taken could Really mess your brothers life as Well. Not Only will he never get a Good job but if he ends up being a social outcast that could lead to a whole host of problems like being suicidal or violent or alcohol/ drug abuse among other things. If you live in a big city or area where cps or the criminal justice system in general is over strained could make things tougher as well which Maybe why they been unresponsive to you. Possibly your parents could be having serious financial issues or something I don't know. Maybe there are grandparents or another family member who could help out by taking him in for a while who has time and resources to focus on your brothers education and development. This is a huge scary problem for a girl your age to tackle and your brave. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.