A homeschooling mom responds to ‘Shiny Happy People’

[Michie]

If you are a homeschool parent doing your best to give your kids a great childhood and education, then this series has nothing to do with you.​

Since the Shiny Happy People documentary series came out on Netflix, posts about it have flooded my social media.


If you are unfamiliar with the series, it examines the practices of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), an organization with problematic teachings that was once popular among certain fundamentalist Christians.

Alex Harris, who appears in several episodes of the series, described it this way:

The series focuses on the Duggars — the ultraconservative homeschool family made famous by TLC’s hit reality show 19 Kids and Counting, then rocked by sexual abuse, infidelity, and child inappropriate contentography scandals perpetrated by their oldest son. It also explores the influence of disgraced Christian teacher Bill Gothard.

Gothard was the founder of IBLP and later had to resign from the organization after his own series of scandals.

How homeschoolers have responded​

Why are stories and comments about this series all over my news feed? Well, the families in Shiny Happy People “homeschooled” their children. Most of my social media consists of families like mine who also homeschool their children.


Many responses to the series are defensive. Homeschool parents seem worried that others will assume they subscribe to some kind of cult-like ideology. Many seemed to take the documentary’s criticisms personally.

I did not share this concern, but felt no need to say anything until my best friend, also a homeschooling mom, sent me this text message:

“I’ve been watching Shiny Happy People. It makes me feel scared of homeschooling my kids.”

After that, I decided I had to say something.

Comparing curriculums and methods​

Continued below.

A homeschooling mom responds to ‘Shiny Happy People’

If you are a homeschool parent doing your best to give your kids a great childhood and education, then this series has nothing to do with you. If you are a homeschool parent doing your best to give your kids a great childhood and education, then this series has nothing to do with you.

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