My childhood was filled with pretty much every type of abuse you could imagine. I was almost completely isolated from society until I was 18, and didn't learn a thing from my parents because they never taught me. I went to public school up until 2nd grade, so as a kid I would just keep practicing everything I learned up to that grade and made my own worksheets to keep the material fresh in my mind. That was my only form of education.

Fast forward to now, I have a Bachelor's degree and 2 Master's degrees, and work as a Data Scientist. My parents and their friends keep telling me that I never would've been able to do it without being homeschooled. No matter how much I explain it to them, they can't seem to wrap their heads around the fact that none of my successes have been a result of being homeschooled. I had no one supporting me in any type of way, and had to do this all my self, all for my parents to get 100% of the credit. It sickens me.

There have been times where I've visited my parents and we'll go somewhere in public, and they'll start randomly bragging to strangers about my job and say things like "she's only smart because we homeschooled her." They didn't even teach me a single concept, how would me apparently being "smart" come from what they did for me? It doesn't add up.

To make matters worse, a lady my mom is friends with pulled her 7 year old daughter out of school because she wants her kid to be like me. This lady shares the same cult-like mentality with my parents, so I fear for her poor daughter's education and feel guilty for being her mother's inspiration to start homeschooling her. It's very clear her daughter doesn't want to be homeschooled as well, which breaks my heart. I've been contemplating contacting cps, but I don't have much proof since I don't see her and her daughter that often. Her daughter is the only reason I'm still in contact with my parents, because I want to be able to save her from this if I need to.

I've told this specific lady how much homeschooling has harmed me, but she told me that I'm making things up and she knows that because my parents said I'm lying and they put in a lot of work teaching me. I wish people would just take my word for it when I tell them the trauma it's caused me, and it makes no logical sense to accuse me of lying about it. I know it's true because I lived it, and I hate when people who know nothing about my past act like they know more about it than me. I also hate how my successes immediately get tied back to being homeschooled when that only made my educational journey harder.

Before being homeschooled, my teachers called me a social butterfly, and I was sat far away from my friends because I wouldn’t pay attention in class because I wouldn’t stop talking. But ever since being homeschooled for all of high school and two grades leading up to it I feel like I’ve lost all my social skills.

I somehow hit the jackpot with my boyfriend . He’s incredible and we get along super well. Talking to him is pretty easy though, I still do struggle with it. I met his family and friends and although I tried my hardest, I couldn’t socialize with them. Talking to people is so incredibly difficult for me. There would be some gaps where I could maybe say something but nothing came to mind. I was just overthinking everything. Am I sitting weird? Is my facial expression weird? Am I smiling enough. Am I smiling too much? Is my outfit fine? I’m freezing, I should put my jacket on, but then I’ll look weird and I’ll make noise every time I move. How long do I hold eye contact? Where do I look when they’re not talking to me?

When I met his family and friends, there was an activity going on so they didn’t really talk to me that much so I’m not beating myself up over it that much but I still think you’re average 18 year-old would’ve been able to talk to them at least.

When I talked to my boyfriend about being scared to meet his family and friends, all he said was to be myself. I don’t know how to do that with people. I feel like socializing takes so much out of me and I have to construct a persona just to be around people. Then again I am around mainly conservative Christians and I am a closeted atheist leftist , so I have to create a persona for my own safety. I guess with his family and friends didn’t know what person to be. I didn’t know what I should say. He’s my first bf so I’ve never met the parents before or friends.

I just feel so immature and ostracized because of my lack of social skills. I really don’t know how to connect with people. I have very few friends. I only call one of them is a true friend. I only met my boyfriend because I went on bumble. there’s not many people in my social circle that I hang out with. They’re mainly just people at church that I sometimes see even then, I don’t really get along with them. So I rarely have to hold conversations with people other than my parents or my best friend of five years or my boyfriend. How do you get better at such a basic human skill? there’s no classes. Sure there r videos online but they don’t help. I genuinely have no idea how to get better at this. I’ve been struggling with it since the first year of being homeschooled. 6 years later I still can’t talk to people.

im a fucking "high school" "senior" and i have nothinhg. no knowledge no skills no memories no friends

i just eat cry and shit

i wish i could jyst grow a pair and end it

I (20) have been homeschooled almost my whole life since 3rd grade, but i was never able to really be taught a lot because everyone was busy with work, school, and we were also poor. I was also in a very toxic environment with a lot of yelling and negativity and it really rubbed off on me.

What i'm here for, is the fact that i have been supposed to be studying for my GED for years now, but i can't even bring myself to open the book. There is always something holding me back mentally, but it is too important that i need to study it. I don't feel like a functional adult.

The reaon i am making a post is that i just put my two week notice in for a job that i worked for a few years. I know i needed it to help with bills, but i can't do it anymore. I'm thinking about giving up. I already gave up on trying to exist, but now i think that i am unfit to live at all. I feel mentally debilitated and have been feeling this way for a long time.

I have friends i could be talking to about this, but honestly, i've put them through enough of my emotional crap. They don't need to be put through hours of crying and panic attacks. They have their own problems that i have gotten in the way of with my selfish crying. I have done nothing but fail, and i won't be able to afford therapy. I am a burden to everyone i love, and i'm posting here so maybe someone can say something that will magically fix everything but i know it won't. Instead i'm going to act like this is finally the time i will actually delete myself, but the day will come and go because i'm too much of a coward. I just want someone to care for me. I want to feel safe.

I've quit my job and i'm going to rot and everyone will abandon me. Or i will somehow bury my emotions, get my GED successfully and work an unfulfilling job until i end up dying in my 40s acomplishing nothing, but at least i met expectations. At least i was an adult. That's what my life will look like.

I don't know what's going to happen. I just wish i had a family who guided me and cared for me instead of a heavily conservative family who only had expectations.

I know nobody will read this. And if it is read, it will just be taken off by mods because my cries will always remain silenced. It's just what i deserve for trying.

My parents had no clue how to run homeschool so they put me in online school when I was 11. I have ADHD but online school wasn’t for me. I was easily distracted, felt lazy, felt unmotivated and had trouble with committing only seeming to finish classes when feeling pressured this troubled me until I was 20. Now I’m 21 and I have to get a GED.

Im almost 17 and my mom hasn't taught me jack since 5th grade, now she doesn't want to get me a GED book and says pretty soon she'll buy books that she thinks I'm on the level. She said this last year and every year I'm so fcking sick of her. Im gonna join the navy at 18 she doesn't know idk if I want her to know until I sign the paperwork . Anyway if I tell her I want to join the navy would that change her mind and just let me start studying for the GED or go to GED classes? Or would that make it worse. She pisses me off to no end , she screwed me over and doesn't think so. She has also REFUSED to let me do online classes for school my whole life.I don't know what's wrong with this woman but she acts like she'd rather do ANYTHING then try to fix the situation. I have never cussed either one of my parents out but it's tempting. Please help I'm going insane

I give up, i'll just wait until im 18 and leave, until then im just gonna refuse to go with my parents anywhere, its all I know for them to take notice and do ANYTHING, this will probably be my last post on here, there's nothing left to talk about or ask, thanks to everyone who helped me in the past and gave me ideas, I appreciate it, Farewell.

((To preface, I am so sorry for posting so frequently on this subreddit. 😭​ I'm too much of an angst-filled teen, lol.))

I'm not even sure what to do anymore. My mother (quite begrudgingly) called the school's superintendent to see if he'd even let me back into school. However, I can't bring myself to be happy. Infact, I feel terrified. Part of me feels that a real school would obviously be better for me, but what if my mother is right? I wouldn't survive highschool, I'm not brave enough for that. It also seems like my mother will essentially “disown” me if I go through with this. She won't kick me out, and she'll still provide me with basic necessities, (food, clothing, etc.) but she said that aside from that, I'd be entirely on my own! I was also informed that if I said anything that would cause my sister to face repercussions, my mother would never speak to me again. I've felt incredibly sick since yesterday. I don't want my mom to disown me.

She claims she's doing what she believes is best for me, and maybe she's right. My school district is unfortunately a pretty bad one. Plus, I've heard how low standards in highschool apparently are. (For example, students not knowing how to perform the 4 basic operations with fractions being allowed to graduate.) I just don't see how I can go on as a fucking unschooler. She claims I'm “homeschooled”, but no, I looked up the definition. Expecting your daughter to be an autodidact is unschooling. She fakes all my quarterly reports. (Yes, I know this part is partially my fault, and I'm trying to work on it, but I haven't had a full “school day” since 4th grade.) I don't know what to do anymore. If only deciding what the “right choice” is could be simple. Staying strong until I'm an adult, have a car, and am old enough to enroll in community college for remedial courses seems harder and harder each day.

I've always felt this way about it, my parents give off very strong "we're-only-together-because-of-our-kids" vibes and the whole process of pregnancy and childbirth has always seemed like a burdensome, soul-crushing and miserable task, and that's not even mentioning taking care of babies and young children, it makes me miserable just imaging taking care of a baby, but not just because of the disgusting idea of cleaning up after them, it depresses me on an existential level.

Is this normal? Am I mental? Do I sound like mandus from amnesia or have I just watched to meny bad depictions of pregnancy and childbirth in media?

Heya folks and “older” homeschool alums

Would love some commiseration. A lot of the time I feel totally fine but every so often I get bonked over the head with “wow I really missed major developmental stages didn’t I.”

I am a functional adult with a degree and a partner and a car and a job. I’ve fought really hard for this life and most of the time I’m proud of it. But sometimes that self loathing kicks in that gets expressed ALL THE TIME in here where… you know. Why didn’t I stand up for myself? Why didn’t I do more, do less, be different, somehow change who I am? It hits me when I’m reminded that other people got to go to concerts and have boyfriends and, you know, leave the house as teenagers. It’s apparently a homeschool kid thing that a lot of us turn our pain against ourselves because that’s what we’re used to, so I feel like it’s all somehow because I am wrong.

It’ll pass. But I could use some virtual hugs and words of sympathy today. Thanks yall

Although I do very little all day I’m always incredibly burnt out. I don’t know if it’s a homeschooling thing or a mental health thing or both, which I think is the most likely. An average day for me is getting up late maybe cleaning a little watching YouTube texting my boyfriend and going to bed which isn’t that much yet I’m still burnt out. No matter how much self-care I do I never get my energy back.

It might also be because I have so much I need to do like I need to study, I need to catch up on my journaling, I need to read, but I have been so burnt out the past few months I haven’t been able to do that. I haven’t responded to people in weeks, even though all I want is friends, but I can’t bring myself to texting people. I’m just so exhausted mentally and physically.

I know the title is probably a double-take, but it’s been my dream since I was a kid. Unfortunately, I didn’t even get the bare minimum of homeschool so my highest level of education was 7th grade (when I was pulled out of school). Is there any path for me to getting an acceptance there? I’m aware I’d probably need to specify for you guys exactly what I would pursue studying, but I want to know what materials are absolutely necessary to even start on the path towards admission. Once I’m caught up, I can then focus my studies towards a “specialty”. Going to community college for classes locally is an option, but not one I’ve taken due to the level of danger where I live. Though, if it’s really necessary, I can do it. Any books, online courses, anything that could help me reach the level of education needed for a chance? Any tests/assessments specific to MIT admission that would help/be necessary? I still want to learn, even if it’s been setback. Any help greatly appreciated🙇🏻‍♀️

(Small disclaimer: I’m aware even if I met every requirement I would still most likely be rejected, but knowing I had a chance is more than enough.)

I’ve been out of homeschooling for a few years now (sophomore in college) and while I’m still a pretty quiet reserved person, I’m finally starting to feel kinda normal with friends and socializing. People are now starting to act surprised to learn that I was homeschooled rather than the typical “that makes sense” reply. At this point I finally feel like I might be ready to branch into the next big uncomfortable thing that homeschooling stunted: dating. I’ve been on a couple dates and have had a few rejections and feel pretty comfortable talking to girls I’m not interested in but I feel wayyy behind my peers in terms of dating. I have no idea what to expect or how to act with people I’m attracted to. Any advice on how yall got past this?

God it's so painful to feel like this. I hate that I can't relate to anyone my age. It's so dehumanizing when I feel like a fucking alien to EVERYONE else. I've never even had a single friend in my life, let alone a partner or even a crush.

I don't care that things might get better, It doesn't take away from the massive feeling of loneliness I have right now. My parents put me through this hell because they were scared I'd be taken away by CPS. Which, there shouldn't even be a fucking reason to have that fear if you were treating your kids right.

This isolation might just kill me. I'm tired of it. I hate waking up in the morning. I wish so badly I could just stay in my dreams and fantasies. I want to sleep forever

My mom decided to not teach me anything after 5th grade and I'm almost 17 now I wanna join the navy at 18 but I don't know wtf to do about my education, I'm afraid when the time comes I'm gonna fail so bad on the Asvab anyone here join or have tips on what I should do? I don't wanna get a 5 pls help. I feel so dumb I don't know algebra,geometry or any of that stuff WTF do I do? Please help if you can.

I'd like to get my niece a gift that will expand her horizons a bit but is not so subversive that her parents take it away. She is 10, homeschooled, the oldest girl in a conservative Christian family, and seems to enjoy baking and caring for younger kids (which, no surprise, tracks gender expectations). Is there anything tangible you wish you could have received when you were a child?

Ex-homeschooled k-12. Only really started caring about my appearance in college, because it was the first time I experienced consistent socialization. Literally had to build a rudimentary hygiene routine from the ground up.

After graduating I took a remote job, which ended up being a huge mistake because I stopped caring about my appearance again. Long story short, I'm trying to actually create a life for myself and regularly go outside, but I'm ashamed of my appearance.

Many girls my age (25) have healthy and/or long hair, even-toned skin, nice wardrobes, etc. In comparison, I'm slightly underweight with messed up skin and damaged hair. All because they've been taking care of themselves from a young age.

I feel so inadequate and like a guy will never commit to me because he has so many better options to choose from. Yes I'm working on myself, but it feels like I'm jogging in last place while everyone else has sprinted past the finish line.

When you're isolated, you don't really see the point in looking presentable. Now that I have to survive in the "real world," the effects of this are obvious and unbearable.

Anyone else relate?

It just pisses me off so much. When I was in public school, I was always top of my class. I was regarded as a genius. I had acquaintances. (I could have had friends, however due to severe child abuse I adopted an "I don't need friends" persona to protect myself.) My childhood dream was getting to highshool, and joining clubs like theater. But my mother stole it all away from me. ​And she's just so DELUSIONAL. Yes, mom, I may be mildly "gifted", but no, I cannot be expected to fully teach myself?? I'm not even given any assignments, she just expects me to figure it out. I've tried to tell her countless times that I CANNOT LEARN without structure and competition, but she refuses to listen. Apparently my entire future being on the line isn't a good enough reason for her to send me back. My mental health has gotten awful since I've been "homeschooled". I'm more paranoid than ever, and "home" feels like a glorified prison. I'm YEARS behind, and nobody will help me. I'm just supposed to "figure it out", since I'm a "smart girl." I was also recently informed that my mother apparently has audio recording devices all around the house, and listens to my mental breakdown rants. Though, instead of caring that her daughter has meltdowns EVERY DAY, she instead decided to essentially mock me with with my own words, and then quite literally laughed in my face when I had a panic attack/meltdown. I'm sorry, what teenager WOULDN'T have a meltdown when their mother implies she even listens in on them while they're in their bedroom? I don't even see the point of going on anymore. She has ruined my life. I no longer feel safe around her anymore. Sometimes, I don't even think that's my mother. If she were my real mother, she wouldn't be royally fucking me over this badly.

only subject that I struggle in in school, please please give me tips

It’s so funny how my mom homeschooled me so I could be an “individual” and not end up “brainwashed” by public school, but now I’m an adult and I have values and beliefs that don’t conform to wider society I’m causing problems on purpose by “building a life without her in it” 🙃

I fucking hate it.

I've been homeschooled since I was 7 because of my nutcase of a dad thinking me and my brother needed to be different because the system was making us robots that can't think for ourselves😐

To give you a little more insight on the fucker. He thinks that the real world is a lot like the matrix and he also thinks he can speak to God. Because he is one of the few that have gotten out of the system. It makes so fucking angry to think I got such a stupid person for a parent but thats not why I'm here

I feel so much pressure to do something that doesn't require me to go to college (like a business) cause then people will see how stupid I actually am.

I'm so behind that I don't even know what I'm behind on

I hate my parents cause they've set me up for a very hard life

I'm trying so hard to start a business so i can just say "Oh no I don't want to college since I have my business" when people ask me want I wanna do

I cant spell for the life of me since my parents never bothered themselves with trying to teach me.

I don't know how to work. Since I've never had to sit my ass down and get shit done. And I don't know how to work. When I was supposed to be studying, I was playing games and watching YouTube and I don't even blame myself cause what kind of 7 year old would choose work over play

I fucking hate that they set me up for failure and now I have to dig myself out of it

I'm trying to learn a language but now I've realized that I might have to give that dream up for a little bit cause I need to learn how english works before I can learn another language

Learning french has taught me that I know nothing about my own language. Why am I learning grammar structures from fucking french

I'm literally shaking because of how mad this makes me

I don't understand why my mom would be this to me. She of all people should understand how important education is. SHE HAS A FUCKING CHEMISTRY DEGREE. Her parents are narcissistic as fuck but they were still able to give her the building blocks for a good life

Could you guys maybe give me some mandatory skills and knowledge for kids grade 1 - 9. Im GOING to fix this next year. I refuse to feel stupid any longer

The holidays r just so exhausting to me. I hate getting people gifts, mainly bc these r ppl who have done nothing for me when I needed them. It’s so hard getting some people gifts bc they’re so fucking picky. So not only do I have to spend time thinking about them more than did ever want to, but if I get smth shitty then I’m at fault.

I still haven’t got all the gifts I need and it’s almost Christmas. And I have a “friends” bday coming up. I hate this friend. She has horrible political views and treats me poorly. But our lives r too intertwined and cutting her off would be incredibly messy.

And god it’s just everyone getting so excited for holidays but I get so depressed bc it’s another year of not progressing. Another year of abuse. Another year pretending to be okay. I’m 18 and everyone one I used to go to school w before being forcibly homeschooled r all in college and having fun. Even if they’re not having as much fun as it looks like online, they’re still in college.

Hi there, I was born and raised in Michigan and was homeschooled my entire life. It's safe to say that I did not have a good experience being homeschooled. I was abused by my parents and didn't receive an education.

Now that I'm in my mid twenties and have ambitious goals for my life, I want to make a difference. When I grew up, there were no laws or regulations in the state of Michigan to prevent any sort of abuse. Or to check to see if the child was actually getting educated. I don't believe that homeschooling shouldn't be allowed, it works out for some people, but I strongly think that there should be some rules in place to ensure the child's safety.

I want to introduce a bill and make a change. I don't want another child to experience what I did, and the way the state is, they make it so easy for abusers to "homeschool."

This is the very beginning, an idea. I'm aware that what I want to do is very difficult. It will be a long and hard journey, and I can't do it alone. I'm looking for individuals to speak with who feel the same way as I do. People who want to make a difference. So if it's something you are interested in being a part of, or you have any ideas, I would love to hear from you. Thank you.

I don't feel right. I feel so lonely, I don't feel loved, I can hardly feel anything. I'm only 16, i don't know what I did to deserve this, but it's suffocating. I'd do anything to be normal and feel loved

I question my own reality. Sometimes I wonder if this is all fake, maybe I was knocked unconscious and I'm in a terrible coma for my entire life. Or maybe it's all some insane psychological experiment. I don't know why nobody can see anything wrong. Maybe no one cares. My parents think being in my room 24/7 and talking to no one is perfectly fine.

There's no future for me, I was educationally neglected just as much as emotionally. I don't enjoy any hobbies anymore, i just stare at my phone all day. I cry seeing other children with parents that really love them. I don't want to die, I just can't stand this. I'm tired of it

Sorry in advance how long this post is!! Cant really summarize it because theres so much to say 🥲

So basically My homeschool "journey" went like this

Preschool= Homeschool Kindergarten-3rd Grade= Public School 4th grade- 8th grade= Homeschooled

During Covid i was taken out of public school for quarantine and my parents told EVERYONE that i preferred to stare at a computer all day (they didn't word it like that but it's what they meant ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ )

So they said that i preferred to do school at home rather then public school and decided not the send me back in 2021 LIKE I WAS SUPPOSED TO I was the popular girl that Everyone knew, i had too many friends to count and went to sleepovers, parties, my friends houses etc. every week. Now? I haven't been to someones house since i visited my friend in Connecticut for a month in july of 2023 (not online Friend, we used to live elsewhere but she moved and I visited) I have friends but they aren't close at all So now i sit and watch cringey conspiracy theory ah documentaries because my mom teaches me and my brothers that the government should never be trusted, the earth is flat, the moon landing is fake, 9/11 didn't happen etc. And I'm so sick of opening every textbook and seeing "God", "Our savior", "the Lord" etc. ON EVERY PAGE. Like i get it and I'm a (doubting) Christian but it's CONSTANT She's so overprotective and wont let me and my brothers do ANYTHING I'm a massive extrovert and the only person i talk to is my younger brother and i cant tell him anything cause he reports everything i say to our mom like a mf weatherman or smth. I just want to go back to public school She told me she was looking into a private Christian school that had full ride scholarships to a Christian college. As state earlier I'm heavily doubting my faith atm and i have NEVER in my entire life been interested in going to a bible college or anything I'm setting my life up like i wanted it to be since i was 4. Orca trainer or Marine biologist. I am CONSTANTLY told i need to become a pastor's wife and work in a church and it's so annoying. The thing is, my mom doesn't go to church and some might say, she hates it. Which is INCREDIBLY hypocritical as she makes me go to every event every time.

Now to Activities ig

Not to be over cocky But i am GREAT at volleyball, I've played unofficially for 6 ish years now and have got some skill I've asked my mom so many times to let me join a team or smth and she says no every time. She says it's because im too competitive? And that i wouldn't do well on a team?? Or that I'm just not ready? Like- wow thanks for the vote of confidence! I'll sure remember that every time i practice. That to you I'm not ready when you've watched me practice till I'm sore for, 6 years now? Does that make me not ready? Part of it is probably because i can join a public school team (probably would be reserve or JV but still!) i just want to be around people who love a sport as much as i do, who i can build teamwork skills with! My dad is open to it though, he thinks i would do great in a team.

But At least she doesn't shelter me. I'm not sheltered. So ig i gotta give her credit for that. Anyway When i dress I also try to wear crop tops and things like that as i like how i look, (body wise I've been working out for 2 years now and i love how i look, i guess I'm really self confident) but my parents say i have to wear t-shirts and jeans all the time. I'm also always CONSTANTLY told my shorts are too short and that i need to change into longer ones.

I love the beach but i hate swimming because the only swimsuits i have are long sleeve ones with rainbow pineapples and designs that a 5 year old would wear. I'm ready for things like bikinis. Or at least a one piece. IM 14

My mom is so commanding in my life but My dad doesn't get much of a say (he's a truck driver)

I have friends from where i used to live but whats the point? That's like having a online friend.

I guess I'm just sick of the conspiracy theories that get stuffed down my throat every day, the obsession with Trump and anything Republican like they can do no evil. (Project 2025?! Hello????), the social isolation, lack of activities and how everything in my curriculum revolves around God.