Thus, she did have a better experience and I know that she and you too, do have existing relationships to this day. However, the bond that you share and that keeps you close is not so much that you have genuine things in common, but that you were once homeschooled. This system is a cult, it has a force and a draw about it that is very addictive. To be honest, I have not experienced this kind of closeness with anyone else except in the homeschooling world. You have completely hidden and downplayed your own wifes terrible trauma, and though perhaps she never went to the extreme of trying to commit suicide or run away from home (like I did), she did experience trauma. Her parents treat her like her and your two sons as though they are non-exisitent. It is far more emotionally unhealthy to not come to terms with what happened to you, then to own it, admit it, and grow from it. "He who has an ear, let him hear."

Chandra should recognize that homeschooling is simply an educational structure and will vary greatly depending on the parents and the children in the system. Homeschooling is not cohesive enough to be considered a "cult" and has demonstrated in study after study to have better average results than public education.

My wife and I were home educated in the same homeschool community as Chandra and we have maintained close relationships with many of our fellow graduates. In our experience, the "silent majority" that Chandra refers to is a fabrication. The majority of homeschool graduates in our circle are happy and adjusted to life. Chandra may have had a dissapointing experience with her home education experience, but her's is the exception and not the rule. We hope that she is able to come to terms with what God has allowed her to experience without blaming an educational structure.
God's grace be with you.

As a post homeschool graduate myself, sure I would say that me and others such as myself are functioning adults and active contributors to society. However, what remains to be told is that there is a silent majority out there...that went through hell and back again to escape the clutches of Mom and Dad. Homeschooling is a cult, and the majority of post homeschool guys that I have met struggle with homosexuality (due to overexposure of the female influence and squelching of their manhood and competitive nature) or other related sexual issues, and the girls tend to struggle with emotional issues, due to the abuse that they had to endure as they were told they were "impure and ungodly" for desiring to express their sexuality as well. If you want the truth, and you are a post homeschool grad with an equally traumatizing experience, come and follow my blog: www.chandra-bernat.blogspot.com This blog is also for my upcoming book: Dispelled: One Girls Journey in a Home School Cult.