One of the ladies on my HOO message board wrote me the following. She ended up answering herself, but her answer is pithy and has much meat to chew. So I post here what she wrote:

I was thinking the other day how much I hate it when someone finds out I hs and then says something like, "Oh I could never do that, it's way too hard."

SO ... how do you answer that kind of comment?

In the first place, it sounds like they think I must be some kind of super woman or something. SO my first instinct to refute that is to say, "No, it's not that hard, you could do it if you wanted to." On the other hand ... sometimes it IS hard! The thing is, this is what I have chosen to do no matter HOW "hard" it is!

So my second thought about possible replies is to say, "I didn't have a child because parenting was easy." Or "Lot's of things are hard, but they are worth it."

A friend of mine once recounted to me her battle with the school system over an issue with a high school field trip. She ended up taking it all the way to the school superintendent. I commented, "Sounds like it would be easier to homeschool!!" Her reply has stuck with me ever since:

"If you are doing whatever you are doing [for your child's education] because it is easy, you are doing it for the wrong reason."

"Oh I could never do that, it's way too hard."  ~  How do you answer that kind of comment?

It's a difficult question to answer. Is the person not aware that anyone can truly do anything they set their mind to, no matter how hard? Or are they like Moses and are not seeing that the Lord will help them do what He calls them to do? And isn't it true that anything worthwhile is worth doing, no matter how hard?

Then we come to the crux of the matter: 

If you are homeschooling (or sending your child to a public or private school) because it is the easy thing to do, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons.

Everyone ought to take some time to think through their reasonings.

Personally, I think sending the child to the school down the street is the easiest of choices. If you choose to not participate, they take care of it alll, only asking you to send your child and money. It may take a bit more forethought and planning to send your child to a private school, since it is not always located within walking distance from your home. It's also an added expense, so it's definitely not the "easiest" of education choices.

Homeschooling might be the hardest decision (or for some the easiest). One parent is usually required to be home and not working outside the home. That parent is no longer free to pursue their own interests as freely as if they were sending their child away for 8 hours. That parent needs to actually teach their child, or as the case of unschoolers, be willing to facilitate that which the child is interested. It takes planning, financial committment (both in keeping one parent from working full-time and for curricula), and a desire to do what one feels is the best for their child. It's not a choice to be taken lightly, yet it's not something one chooses because it may appear easy. One can not declare they are homeschooling and then "check out" doing their own thing.

Once realizing the above, one has to choose (as my HOO member did) what to say, or if to reply at all. If they are a friend, maybe even an acquaintance, they may need a cheer squad to encourage them. "It's not necessarily hard, it just takes planning, knowing that it's not smooth sailing every moment of every day." Perhaps they don't know how to start. If that's the case, after some directional questions, you can decide to go alongside of them, mentoring as you go. It may just be simply a reply that was the easiest for them to say, without thought because homeschooling isn't an option for them. With some carefully selected questions (as you carefully feel your way to your own reply), you may just choose a "token" answer. "It's not that hard." "I've chosen what is best for my own child himself/herself, so this is what I must do." Or "It has its moments!"

So you see, there really isn't one good answer to the question of how hard it is to homeschool. It's going to depend on your relationship with the inquisitor; their motive in saying that it's too hard; and how you plan to spend your future with this person. If they are an acquaintance, or the lady in the supermarket, your answer may not be worthy of the annals of history, to be passed on to all homeschoolers. If you have the time to mentor them, then that will determine your choice of replies. If their exclamation indicates that they don't want to find out that it's not that difficult; their mind is closed to homeschooling for their own family, and they're not interested in homeschooling in reality, then a token answer that does not incite an argument is the best way to go.