OutDaughtered stars Adam and Danielle Busby have opened up about homeschooling their 11-year-old quintuplets.
“If you look at the statistics of homeschooled kids, they’re more adjusted to interactions,” Adam, 44, said on the Thursday, August 20, episode of the couple’s “More Than Reality” podcast. “Honestly, we know lots of homeschooled kids right now. The homeschooled kids are more adjusted to communicate with other adults … than, I think, the kids at school are. It’s the homeschooled kids that are actually looking me in the eyes and actually having a conversation with an adult.”
Danielle, 42, also spoke about the academic benefits she’s seeing her having her all-girl quintuplets learning from their Friendswood, Texas, home.
“This is where we’re at … academically, we have some struggles, on top of starting middle school where you’re faced with so much more,” the devout Christian explained. “Kids that age, they don’t see academics. They see, ‘What do I look like? Who’s my friend? What sport am I going to play? Do they like me? They don’t like my shoes. They made fun of me.’ All that stuff comes [to the] front when you’re in public school [and] before your academics. I’m trying to say, ‘Let me help you with your academics first, and us coast [into] the social [aspects].’”
In a February episode of their podcast, the couple, who rose to fame after welcoming their daughters in 2015 and subsequently starring in TLC’s OutDaughtered the following year, revealed they would transition their girls from the public school system to a homeschool co-op for sixth grade. At the time, the parents detailed that homeschooling was not part of the original family plan, but stemmed from growing instincts as the girls matured.
An Instagram post shared by the couple on Monday, August 24, shared a glimpse of the childrens’ daily life after making the switch. “🏡 HOMESCHOOL 🍎 First Day of 6th Grade for the Busby Quints! Bare feet, comfy clothes, and a late morning start to school… I think we will be enjoying our new adventure!! Praying this year brings us lots of joy,” Danielle wrote.
A photo of five of the Busby kids showed them holding hand drawn signs to celebrate their sixth grade debut, with each child seated on the front porch of their home beside their dogs.
Fans took to the posts’ comments section to share their support for homeschooling, with one fan writing, “This will be out 8th year homeschooling and I wouldn’t change a thing. We absolutely love it!” and another writing, “Embrace the more relaxed schedule and take advantage of it; that’s the whole point!! Homeschooling is a gift!”
One critic, on the other hand, shared disapproval over the family’s decision. “So you took them out of school because you want to sleep late lol,” the social media user wrote, sparking robust debate among other followers.
