<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 114054" data-quote="piano" data-source="post: 1141241"
class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">
<div class="bbCodeBlock-title">
<a href="/community/goto/post?id=1141241"
class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump"
rel="nofollow"
data-xf-click="attribution"
data-content-selector="#post-1141241">piano said:</a>
</div>
<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">
<div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent ">
I've got a question for you, myself and people with children especially!<br />
<br />
This is kinda hard to formulate, so bear with me..<br />
Let's say you bring your child, which let's say is 8 years old, to an orchestra and they're so amazed that they want to start learning an instrument to later play in an orchestra themselves. They practise prolifically for their age.<br />
Great.<br />
Then one day you show them your favourite music and they fall in love with it too. Now they don't listen to mainstream music anymore.<br />
You've also always eaten very clean and your child started seeing fast food the same way as you do; bad.<br />
<br />
Your child is full of wonder, they are brimming with passion and love to do things.<br />
But what about their peers?<br />
Many of them don't share the same sentiment. Many of them have grown up with an iPad and their parents are very mediocre, with the best they do for the children are vacations every 3 months (at best).<br />
<br />
<u>Question: Wouldn't your child feel isolated amongst the other, less passionate children?</u><br />
<br />
Sure, just because you are passionate about something mustn't mean that you'll <i>only </i>live for that thing and can't socialise with "normal" people.<br />
<br />
But I remember myself, in 1st grade, being very passionate about gaming, particularly Minecraft, and I had a really hard time getting along with others. Gaming wasn't actually that widely-spread back then yet.<br />
I think my height was the only thing that prevented me from actually getting bullied lol (was the tallest during <i>all</i> 4 years of Elementary school).<br />
Later I did find my "fellow gamer friends" in that classroom and gaming did actually become popular at some point, but I think I was "too deep" into gaming by that point so we still weren't on the same wave length..<br />
<br />
Anyways, what do you think about this?<br />
(sorry if I sound all over the place)
</div>
<div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div>
</div>
</blockquote>Inevitably you start hunting for other children and families that share your values. You go find your tribe. I moved across two countries to do so and others have as well. In the US people are so deeply entrenched in a consumer mindset that we "buy" friendships, relationships, and community by purchasing classes and pursuing pay-for clubs for our kids but in Europe if you are not schooling your child in the accepted way you start thinking outside the box. That's what I've had to do and it's been tough but oh so life affirming when I finally was able to bring kids together from several different countries. <br />
<br />
An acquaintance, whose entire family sails full time, has crossed the Atlantic to be nearer to other sailing families. There are digital nomad traveling communities who pay for childcare and schooling together. In the United States there are co-ops of homeschoolers who learn and are passionate about nature, Greek, Plutarch, history, etc. We go and we find our tribe. <br />
<br />
Basically you just start doubling down on your networking skills and find people. Well.. actually? First you come to terms with the fact that you're never, ever ever ever ever, going to fit in with people who aren't passionate. That's hard. It's sad. It can be agonizing. <br />
<br />
And then you get over it. <br />
<br />
ANYTHING is better than letting your child become a dumbass cog in the machine of wonder-killing perversion called "public school."<br />
<br />
Most recently my eleven year old has been discussing Animal Farm and poetry with his friends while debating which person was the most heroic from the Titanic. They recommend books to each other. He adores Minecraft. Some of the other kids do too. Lol. They're normal but normal for us is not normal for public schooled kids. You'll find your tribe too.</div>
