When you get unwanted advice

I swear one of the most annoying things is when you get random, unwanted advice from someone about raising your own kids.

This guy asked me where my kids are going to school. I told him they go to a baby sitter for the summer but my daughter goes to this charter school district. “Why don’t they go to public school?” So I proceed to list out all my reasons why I send her to the charter school:

1) It’s technically a public school, so they still get federal funds.

2) I don’t pay anything besides uniforms and supplies

3) Classrooms are 15 students to two teachers

4) They teach manners!

5) They wear uniforms

6) My daughter can damn near almost read at the end of her preschool year

7) They still take the state testing and outperformed the public schools my daughter would have been going to.

So he proceeds to tell me how he is such a strong supporter of public schools, and the school my daughter would have went to was in his old neighborhood and was such an outstanding school, and he’s sure if she would have went to preschool there, she would still be at the same place she is now in regards to her reading, and how he thinks diversity in the school is just as important as the education. So I tell him, “There is plenty of diversity. My baby girl is white/black and most the students at the school across town that she first went to were black. The school on this side that I transferred her to after we moved are mostly hispanic.”

Meanwhile, I’m thinking to myself, “Did I ask for this ‘advice’?” No, I didn’t. I am a very involved parent when it comes to my children and I did all of my research before enrolling her at the charter school. Just as he is a very staunch supporter of public schools, which I’m suspecting comes more from the fact that his wife works at the highschool and his son being a coach, I am just as strong supporter of charter schools. I went to a public school and was never pushed to be successful in school, by either the teachers there or my parents. Now, while I am certain that my kids would be fine at a regular public school, because I’m going to be on their asses about it, I chose the charter school because I know that I’m not going to be the only one on their asses. Kids who get a C in any class are forced to take a mandatory Saturday school class to bring their grades up to a B or better. That’s what I respect and love about the school. I am a single parent and I can’t do all the work raising and teaching my children myself, so I need the help where I can get it, and being that my kids will be at school for the same amount of time that I am at work, I made the best decision for my kids. Who are other people to even say anything otherwise? Keep your opinions to yourself, I got this.