Blended family issue with HS'ing

[txmom4jc]

hi there, My oldest is 11 from my first marriage, we divorced when she was 2. We both have remarried and live two totally different lifestyles. My husband and I homeschool our kids, we have 4 and expecting another. My daughter has been home schooled since first grade except one year in private school. Biological dad is very uninvolved in her life , only sees her a handful of times a year, forgets birthdays, behind on child support, (not very shy of a dead beat dad) but started asking lots of questions about her schooling, wanted her tested to make sure she was where she should be, etc. he knows nothing about HS and thinks it's off because she won't play school sports, etc. She is a great, fun loving child that loves to homeschool. We know she is ahead of PS kids for sure. I put her in PS half of last year due to being overwhelmed by the pressure of unrealistic expectations and him coming up against homeschool. She did great and now I feel we should continue our homeschool path. I am the custodial parent in joint custody and I am wondering if anyone else has ever dealt with these issues? I plan to homeschool her this year and stand up for what is best for her. He just doesn't get it and I'm wondering where it could lead if we continue to be on opposite sides. Thanks for your thoughts.

[phathui5]

In your case, I might try to make an effort to make him feel involved and help him be informed about the homeschooling. You could send him pictures of her on field trips, have her write about what she's learned this week on Friday and send it.

You could even pick a standardized test for her to take (let her know it's not a big deal and not to stress out) so that he can see the results. Some people are reassured by seeing something official.