My Parents Are Weird

My parents have always been ones to buck the system, to live outside normal. And I’m glad.

If I had normal parents I wouldn’t have been born, considering my mom was of “advanced maternal age” when she started having kids (me, at 36). I wouldn’t have had any of my four brothers and sisters either, since normal people don’t continue having children until age 49.

If I had normal parents I wouldn’t have been homeschooled at a time when the homeschool movement was just getting off the ground and homeschool parents had to fight for every inch of ground they gained. Hardly anybody homeschooled when we first began. Homeschooling was not just weird, it was almost unheard of.

If I had normal parents I might not have been raised in the country and would not have learned all sorts of old-fashioned crafts and skills like how to make butter in an antique churn, spin wool, and grow wheat for flour and corn for meal. I wouldn’t have known what it was like to have baby goats and chicks living in our kitchen because it was too cold outside for them. I don’t think normal people keep goats and chickens in their kitchens, even baby ones.

If I had normal parents I would have spent hours in front of the TV instead of hours reading. I would have missed out on hundreds of books that sharpened my vocabulary and writing skills. It also gave me a sense of history that makes me realize how we in this era of technology are not normal either, considering how people have lived through history and how most around the world live even today.

If I had normal parents they would never have thrown their support behind my relationship with a man ten years my senior with a radically different background, who turned out to be the most awesome and perfect husband for me. (I love you, Billy!)

If I had normal parents they would not have given their blessing to my sister’s unorthodox meeting with a man, also ten years her senior, who turned out to be the perfect husband for her. (We’re glad they let you into the family, Stephen!)

If I had normal parents, they wouldn’t be starting the same cycle all over again with their grandkids.

Like I said, my parents are weird. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.