Alright, let’s get to it. I’m a Gen X dad – born in ’80, smack in the middle of that latchkey kid era, who’s swapped my brick & mortar business for a home setup with dual monitors and a vintage desk in my little office… It really started when covid was used to lock everyone down. At first, it wasn’t so bad: no commute, more family time with my wife and our two children. But as 2022 rolled in, that “more time” turned into a front-row seat to the dumpster fire that’s modern society. It was increasingly clear that nothing was going to be the same again, at least for a very long time. Our choice was made to move the operation home. We pulled the plug on public school at the end of this year and dove headfirst into homeschooling. Why? Because the hate and degradation out there aren’t just headlines, they’re infecting everything, and I refuse to let my kids marinate in it. From my WFH perch, juggling calls and history lessons, here’s my unfiltered take on why we’re all circling the drain.
Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, we Gen Xers were the forgotten middle children-sandwiched between boomers and millennials, raised on MTV, grunge, and a healthy dose of cynicism. We learned to question authority without violence, but still believed in hard work and merit. Fast forward to now: I’m 44, working from home, and watching the world devolve into a cesspool of division. Hate isn’t subtle anymore; it’s mainstream. Social media algorithms feed us rage bait, turning neighbors into enemies over politics, vaccines, or whatever the outrage flavor of the day is. I’ve seen friends, good people, unfriend or block each other over memes that escalate to death wishes. As a dad, it terrifies me. My kids used to come home from school asking about this crap: “Dad, why do people hate each other so much?” Well, kiddo, because society’s moral compass is shattered.
The tipping point for homeschooling? Last year’s school scandals… Bullying was bad enough in my day, but now it’s amplified by TikTok takedowns and group chats that destroy psyches. Add in curricula that prioritize “social justice” and “feelings” over reading, writing and arithmetic, and it’s a recipe for indoctrinated hate. We Gen X parents are opting out because we’ve seen the long game: public education isn’t educating; it’s radicalizing. In 2025, homeschool numbers are spiking not only among our generation, but in general, driven by dissatisfaction with ideological overreach and a desire for tailored, value-based learning. For me, working from home made it feasible: I can answer messages in the mornings, teach afternoons, and still hit my deadline, all the while showing the model to my children, so they see that they can do it too… But it’s not just logistics; it’s a rebellion against a system breeding resentment, anger, entitlement, and instability. Schools teach kids to see everything through lenses of oppression, turning playground squabbles into microaggressions. No thanks – my home classroom focuses on critical thinking, not critical race theory.
Politically, it’s a nightmare. Gen X grew up with Reagan and Clinton, a mix of optimism and scandal. Now? Polarization on steroids. Left and right throw hate like a cannon yeets iron balls, with no middle ground. Trump’s back in the headlines, Biden’s legacy is a punchline, and everyone’s screaming about Project 2025 as if it’s the end times. As a conservative, I see both sides fanning flames: the left with identity politics that divides for profit, the right with some wild conspiracies that paranoia-fy, conspiracies aren’t needed, the blatant, in your face insanity is quite enough… Working from home, I overhear news podcasts between work and teaching – school shootings, riots, online mobs doxxing dissenters. “Hate” crimes are up, trust is down, and society’s fabric is tearing if not set ablaze. Legal immigrants lumped in with illegal immigrants, minorities tokenized, and everyone else is just exhausted. My kids don’t need that worldview; homeschool lets me teach balanced history, where America’s flaws don’t erase its greatness…
Socially, we’re isolated islands in a sea of screens. Gen X remembers block parties and landlines; now, “community” is likes and retweets. Degradation looms in crumbling families: divorce rates, absent dads and kids raised by iPads. Hate thrives in loneliness: incels, extremists, trolls. From my home office, I see it in Slack chats where others vent anonymously, spewing vitriol they’d never say face-to-face. If we think our kids aren’t learning all the “social media” sites that we will never know about, we are kidding ourselves… Homeschooling counters this, we join co-ops with like-minded parents, building real bonds minus the digital drama. But society’s push for “inclusivity” and “equity” often excludes traditional values, labeling them hateful. Drag queen story hours? Not my idea of gender norms for my 8yo & 10yo.
Economically, it’s degrading too. I do my work here at home, but inflation’s eating our earnings with an insatiable appetite, and dual incomes are mandatory for most. Gen X is the sandwich generation: caring for aging parents while raising kids in a gig economy that chews you up. Hate bubbles from miseducation: blame, entitlement, anger, DEI, and CRT… Homeschooling costs us – nothing is free – but it’s an investment in sanity. We’re teaching financial literacy early, so my kids won’t fall for the consumerist trap that fuels envy and division.
Morally, society’s hit rock bottom. Faith? Mocked. Family? Redefined. Decency? Optional. Gen X saw the rise of reality TV; now it’s real life, with scandals normalized. Hate speech is “free expression,” degradation is “progress.” As a dad, I’m instilling ethics at home: respect, responsibility, resilience. No more school shootings drills or lockdown fears, our “campus” is safe… How do I know it is safe, you ask? Well, we have an armed guard, me… The best way to combat a “bad guy” with a gun, is with a “good guy” with a gun. Here we are focused on growth, not survival. Living in fear is no way to live…
Don’t mistake this for doomsaying; it’s a wake-up call. Gen X dads like me are adapting, WFH flexibility enables homeschool, reclaiming our role in a hands-off world. Society’s hate and degradation aren’t inevitable; they’re choices. By opting out, we’re opting in to better. I hope those that can, will follow, maybe we can turn the tide. Those who can’t, its easy to find out whats in our childrens heads, and question it. Not just them, but those that teach it! Until then, I’ll be here, working, teaching, coaching, fortifying and guiding my family against the insanity storm.
Homeschool Dad 
Leave a comment