Stefan Merrill Block, 44, recently released his memoir, Homeschooled: A Memoir, in early 2026. The book recounts his isolated childhood under the guise of "homeschooling" and immediately caused a stir by exposing the complex relationship between maternal love and extreme control.

The tragedy began on a winter day in 1990 in Plano, Texas. Stefan, then 9, disliked his stifling public school. His mother, a woman who feared the school environment would "stifle her child's talent," proposed a solution: homeschooling. She promised to salvage her son's intellect.

Stefan Merrill Block and his mother during homeschooling in Texas, US, 1991. Photo: NY Post

Reality, however, diverged from her promise. After her husband relocated for work, Stefan's mother fell into depression, spending her days drinking and talking on the phone. Morning lessons consisted of a few math problems at the dining table. The rest of the time, Stefan performed chores with his mother, hunted for discounts, or watched her sunbathe.

His mother's control became increasingly erratic. She believed a connection existed between an infant's crawling phase and motor skills, forcing her 12-year-old son to crawl around the house to practice his handwriting. More disturbingly, when Stefan complained he was learning nothing, she tested his knowledge in the swimming pool, holding his head underwater each time he answered incorrectly.

Stefan was cut off from all social contact. He took Taekwondo, but his father had to accompany him because his mother feared violence. When he played baseball, his mother pressured his father to coach to maintain supervision. His only friend from elementary school eventually stopped visiting.

"My mother's love could imprison me, but it was also the key for me to escape", Stefan wrote.

Stefan and his biological mother, who passed away from lung cancer in 2020. Photo: NY Post

When Stefan entered 9th grade, his father recognized his son's significant social skills deficit and decided to send him back to public school. Thanks to the lenient regulations in Texas at the time, Stefan successfully legalized his records to attend university.

Away from home, Stefan embarked on a delayed "rebellion": gaining weight, drinking beer, and painting his nails – all forbidden by his mother. He gradually distanced himself from her to protect his own small family. She passed away in 2020 from lung cancer, leaving him with profound regret over a childhood marked by both love and confinement.

Ngoc Ngan (According to NY Post)