home education is like wearing a thong

Stay with me here. I had this epiphany whilst sorting the washing the other day. I had got down to the underpants in the basket of clean laundry and was allocating pants to wearers. It struck me the wide variety of pants in this house. Star Wars boxers, Postman Pat Y's, stripey ones and plain ones, giant granny ones (me). At the bottom of the basket was a pretty pair bought by DH from a trip to Italy just over a year ago, and they made me smile.

The man I love knows how to upset a hormonal heavily pregnant woman. I had six weeks left until the baby was due and he returned from a business trip in Milan with a matching set of underwear, two sizes too small made out of the most uncomfortable material invented with totally impractical ribbony bits that hang out of my trousers zip if I don't pay attention. They are my emergency knickers, when all others are gone.

As I put them away, I muttered to myself that they were the kind of underpants that should be made illegal. Nobody could possibly enjoy wearing them. They were impractical nonsense and it would be far better if we were all issued with plain white granny knickers at birth. I stopped myself mid mutter. In a rare moment of clarity, I could see that our home education journey is very much like those knickers.

We are the thongs of society. Most sensible people opt for granny knickers, as they are comfortable, sensible and you know where you are with them. Then are those that like to inflict a small amount of pain upon themselves on a regular basis, who refuse to be boring (don't even try to argue this point - granny knickers are dull and you know it.) It is these people that wear the eye watering up-your-bottom pants, because they want to, and no amount of government campaigning is going to stop them. I am assuming there is a government campaign against thongs - I'm sure the Department of Health must have a leaflet about it, at the very least.

Today I wore my uncomfy knickers in silent unity with all thong wearers/ home educators when I met with the LEA. I didn't have the nerve to explain my thong theory, but I felt secretly pleased with myself.