but what about socialization?

When choosing homeschooling I explored the many concerns and challenges and this seems to be the one that sticks for people who do not homeschool but what about socialization.

Research on homeschooling is quiet positive. The most important thing is parent involvement whether you homeschool, public school or private school. There are good and bad homeschoolers just like there are good and bad public schools and parents. I shouldn't let it bug me that people who do not do their research like to spout their prophetic statements like, "Your child will be different" YEAH! I hope so. "Your child won't fit in". Oh she doesn't know who Hannah Montana is what a social deviant! but occasionally I get annoyed. It is a lot of work homeschooling and we should be supporting one another not passing judgment on choices we don't fully understand.

If you'd like to check out some research on homeschooling here is a link.

So in short I've done my work, I've prayed about our choice and if you're not comfortable with it that is your problem.

I'm a fan of sarcasm and sometimes it's a challenge to grin and bear peoples uneducated judgments. I thought this mom's article about being socially challenged was a nice treat for those of us who hear these things all too often.

I was recently in a checkout line and the clerk asked if my kids were home schooled. When I answered "yes", he responded as any caring citizen concerned about the social welfare of my children would, and asked, "aren't you worried about them not getting enough socialization?" The "socialization" question seems to be the old-standby, passive aggressive attack, by those outside spectators of the homeschool movement. How would my children be able to integrate into society, without first learning the valuable "social skills" that only a public school experience could provide? After all, the socialization part of a typical day-in-the-life of a home schooled child, looks nothing like the government school experience. Many homeschoolers spend their day doing things such as; helping out with family business', running errands, going on field trips, visiting relatives and friends, doing odd jobs for neighbors and partaking in family responsibilities. As the "socially challenged" homeschool kids are out and about, partaking and interacting in real life situations, the government students are "socializing" under a controlled environment, behind four walls with a controlled group of people (also known as their peer group). Yes, the sales clerk that offered his unsolicited opinion on my choice to homeschool, was right! My kids are "socially challenged" by not going to public school!

This "social" problem comes out in other areas as well. For instance, when a group of home schooled kids are playing together, it is typical to see older kids playing with children years younger. Don't they know that "social rules" dictate you only play with kids of your own age group? You also might find boys jump-roping along with girls! No one told these poor kids that jump-roping for boys is an open door to being labeled a "girly boy", a reputation that could follow you all the way through high school! And the way these homeschool girls dress is so out-of-style, and dare I say… modest. Where's the low cut pants and the revealing spaghetti string tops? Without learning how to focus on their sexuality, how are these "fashion misfits" ever going to make it in the real world someday? They might have to rely only on their talents, skills and abilities to get by in this world, such a shame. Speaking of the "real world", did you know that a vast majority of these home schooled, social-misfits are sheltered from the mainstream media by their parents not having cable hookup? Without unlimited access to cable t.v. shows like MTV how will they know the pillars of our society like Brittney Spears, Paris Hilton or Snoop Dog? Without the influence of these pop culture icons, they will be totally in the dark to what society values in people...it's a crying shame!

So the next time some well meaning stranger decides to bring up the "socialization" question, my answer will simply be, "Yes, my children certainly are socially challenged and that's fine with me!"

Jennie von Eggers has authored several educational materials, such as Times Tales, Memory Tips and Zone Cleaning for Kids and is co-owner of Trigger Memory Systems, a publishing company that focusing on creative learning.

It is interesting to me that we are capable of socializing our children until they turn 5 then we have no idea what we are doing.

The above article may have been too black and white as far as public school goes. There are good schools out there and good experiences but there are, as I said earlier, good homeschoolers too. :) There is more than one way to parent, there is more than one way to educate and beware of any who say they have all the answers.

See part II of this post