Raising Little Weirdos: Why Freedom Matters More Than Fitting In

June 17, 2026

As Juneteenth approaches, I've been thinking about freedom.

Not the kind that shows up in speeches or history books.

The kind that shows up when your three-year-old looks at herself in the mirror and says she has beautiful brown skin.

The kind that shows up when your six-year-old names his toys "Blackie" and "Whitey" without the slightest understanding that anyone could possibly find that controversial.

The kind that lets children remain children a little longer.

And honestly?

It's one of the things I'm most proud of as a parent.

My Kids Are Weird

I say that with tremendous affection.

My children spend a lot of time together. They're homeschooled. They spend most of their waking hours in our home, surrounded by our values, our language, our traditions, and our way of moving through the world.

As a result, they can be a little unusual.

They miss cultural references.

They don't know the latest social media trends.

They sometimes say things that make other people pause.

And I absolutely love it.

Not because I want them isolated.

But because I want them free.

The Difference Between My Son and My Daughter

One of the moments that stays with me happened while I was helping my daughter moisturize after her bath.

She was rubbing lotion onto her skin and laughing because it wasn't fully rubbed in yet.

"Look Mommy," she said, "I need to rub some more into my beautiful brown skin."

She was completely delighted with herself.

No hesitation.

No uncertainty.

No question.

Just certainty that her brown skin was beautiful.

And I couldn't help comparing that experience to my son at the same age.

Because at three years old, he was already experiencing racism.

One child pointed out that he was Black.

Another told him his skin was too dark.

Three years old.

Think about that for a second.

Three.

My daughter has been spared that experience so far.

Instead, every night she repeats affirmations about loving herself, loving her beautiful brown skin, and being proud of who she is.

That's not accidental.

That's intentional.

The Socialization Argument

Whenever homeschooling comes up, somebody inevitably asks:

"But what about socialization?"

And every time, I have to stop myself from laughing.

Because what exactly are we socializing children into?

The same socialization that teaches women they should sacrifice themselves for everyone else?

The same socialization that teaches men they aren't allowed to cry?

The same socialization that leaves adults exhausted, burnt out, underpaid, overworked, and disconnected from themselves?

Now before anybody starts writing angry emails, let me be clear.

Children absolutely need relationships.

They need friends.

They need community.

They need opportunities to learn how to interact with people.

But that's very different from believing they need unlimited exposure to every message society has to offer.

Those are not the same thing.

We can create curated environments.

We can be intentional.

We can choose what influences our children most heavily.

And that's what we've done.

The Blackie and Whitey Incident

Recently, my children were playing with a set of colored blocks.

I wasn't paying much attention until I heard my son repeatedly talking about "Blackie" and "Whitey."

For a split second, my brain froze.

Then I realized he was simply naming the blocks.

There was a purple one called Purply.

A blue one called Bluey.

A black one called Blackie.

A white one called Whitey.

Perfectly logical.

Completely innocent.

And it hit me.

The only reason I felt uncomfortable was because of my own social conditioning.

My son had no idea those words carried any weight.

To him, they were simply descriptive names.

That's freedom.

The freedom to exist outside of assumptions you haven't learned yet.

The freedom to see the world before someone teaches you all the rules.

I eventually explained that some people might find those names strange outside our home.

Not because he had done anything wrong.

But because other people bring their own experiences and interpretations to those words.

Still, the moment stayed with me.

Because it reminded me just how much of our worldview is learned.

Freedom Before Conditioning

That's really what this episode is about.

Freedom before conditioning.

Confidence before criticism.

Identity before labels.

I know I can't protect my children forever.

Eventually they'll encounter racism.

Eventually they'll encounter judgment.

Eventually they'll encounter all the complicated realities of the world.

But while they're young?

I want their foundation to be strong.

I want them to know they are brilliant.

I want them to know they are beautiful.

I want them to know they belong.

I want them to know they're allowed to be weird.

Because honestly?

The world already has enough people trying to fit in.

My Juneteenth Celebration

This Juneteenth, I'm celebrating freedom.

Not just the historical significance of freedom.

But the freedom I see every day in my children's lives.

The freedom to love themselves.

The freedom to be curious.

The freedom to imagine.

The freedom to be proud descendants of Africa.

The freedom to grow into themselves before the world starts telling them who they should be.

That's worth celebrating.

And if you're raising children in a way that feels aligned for your family, whether that's homeschooling, traditional school, daycare, private school, public school, or something entirely different, I hope you celebrate that too.

Because parenting isn't about doing what everyone else thinks is right.

It's about creating the environment where your children can thrive.

And for our family?

This is it.

Happy Juneteenth, Doc.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of Stethoscopes and Strollers for a deeper conversation about freedom, homeschooling, race, and raising children who know exactly who they are.

Don’t miss an episode!

Follow the podcast on Buzzsprout, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.