Why do we think fitting in means being the same? I don’t fit in main stream public because I home school my kids. I am different from the crowd. Which means what? Well, if you make a different choice from your neighbor it either means you’re a nut or you think they are nuts, right? I mean, it couldn’t possibly just mean you made the right choice for you and your family or that you respect others' rights to make their own decisions, could it?

Just for a hoot lets say home school families can’t “fit in” with public school families. So, Then comes along the local home school support group. This is the place where home schoolers can come get together with like minded families and really “fit in” right? Well, I guess not. More and more I hear home school moms fretting over not “fitting in” in the home school community.

Mom “A” feels God called her to home school and stands out because she is more conservative than her fellow home school mom friends.

Mom “B” doesn’t home school for religious reasons at all and feels frustrated that she is expected to fit the stereo type that we are all Mom “A”.

Mom “C” is stuck in the middle somewhere (say hello to Mom “C”). She does home school because she feels that God called her to but also does it for academic reasons. She isn’t as conservative as Mom “A” but is still more conservative than main stream John Q.

Truth is I could probably really break us all the way down to Mom “Z” or Mom “ZZ”. Why? Because we are people. God didn’t make us with cookie cutters.

I think the reason we think we can’t “fit in” is assumptions. (You know what they say about Assumptions, right?) We have these broad range assumptions of who people are and who people expect us to be. Just because I wear the name Christian or Home School Mom it doesn’t mean I am super perfect mom or that I have the right to judge other moms. Don’t set me up on that pedestal. I will fall off and I’m afraid of heights! We don’t all handle our relationships with the Lord the same ways. We don’t all live our lives with the same convictions. We don’t all home school the same way or for the same reasons.

What we all are though is HUMAN and we can love each other as HUMANS. Which means we are all flawed and fall short. Mom “A” love Mom “B” for who she is as a person, don’t judge her by your convictions and don‘t assume she expects you to live by her convictions. Mom “B” love Mom “A” because of who she is as a person, don’t judge her for her convictions and don‘t assume she expects you to live by her convictions. Mom “C” you’re a freak that doesn’t fit in anywhere just face it! HA! HA! Just joking. The point is all mom types “A - ZZ” want to be loved and accepted for who they are as individuals. The answer is to love and accept others first. Then may be they’ll love and accept you back. If they don’t then they are missing out and you’ve still reached out and loved another human being. You’ve not lost a thing.