I respect the right to home school, some public school SUCK! But, get the kids involved in some publicly run group, such as judo, karate, PAL or Little League. They will thank you for it.

It’s rather ironic that I read this post today. My cousin called explaining she had moved her children to a school that focuses more on individual needs vs a public school. Her kids were homeschooled for awhile and are all bored because they are ahead of their current classes. Well when my cousin told her grandmother what she had done her grandmother said “Well why the heck would you do something like that?”. My cousin just sighed and hung up.

Dad insisted on doing things himself, and I had to learn, as much as anyone, to let him. For my own part, it’s been so central to my life that I have independence, that I travel and navigate and locate on my own, that I’ve had to learn how to ask for help when I need it.

One of the great advantages of living in New York is that virtually no one drives, and many of us natives don’t have a license. That helps. But I still have to assert myself, just as often as I ask for help, when others offer help I don’t need or want. My family has taken as long as anyone else to figure out where that line is. It’s not easy for them or for me.

All I can say with certainty is that there is real value in independence, especially for those of us with limited sight or any other physical limits. It also brings up a lot of fear to venture out without the crutches we’re used to. It’s a lot of work. It’s well worth it. Having said all that, I’m moving into my own apartment sometime this summer, and that’s going to make my mom very nervous.

Thanks for bringing up issues that affect all of us, Rich.