Introduction to anti-schooling series
Why parents send their kids to school
Many parents who send their children to school do not see anything wrong with children going to school every day because they do not understand that there is a difference between going to work every day and school. Schooling is forced and enforced with truancy laws and the parent's power of attorney over the child, and employment is at-will and paid.
Many parents do not have the intellect to think logically or morally about anything, including how a child should spend 16 years of their youth. If they do have the intellect to think logically and morally, then they do not have the self-confidence to believe themselves over common culture. I assume they think because everyone else thinks differently, then they themselves are probably wrong. Having so many people having the same other opinion must mean they are right and the parent who thinks logically is wrong. Parents do not believe in themselves and their ability to be more intelligent than a large number of other people.
Many parents went to easy schools with half an hour of homework after school. Many schools today, like mine, have children studying from the time they get home around 5 until 10 at night. Then you are lucky if you get 7 hours of sleep because you have to wake up before the sun rises to catch the bus. Many parents did not experience bullying, depression, lack of sleep, and extreme exhaustion that many children do at school, so they think because school wasn't a big deal for them it wont be for their child.
Most parents do not have a choice whether they send kids to school, or that is how they perceive it. They do not consider alternative ways of survival. They only know and consider employment as a means of survival so they most likely never give much thought to school because there is no reason to think much about something you do not have a choice in. A parent who is employed needs somewhere to send their kids, and free public school is a convenient option most choose.
Many parents would question sending their kids to school if their kid repeatedly told them they wanted to leave school. However, many children are self-motivated because they believe they will make more money in the future if they do well in school, or they enjoy going to school, or their school is easy so they don't mind it. See my article on why children go to school.