I just finished my second day of being an official, real homeschooling parent (if there is such a thing...). Even though I have only been homeschooling two days, I have already gotten the question "what are you going to do about socialization?" about a dozen times. I'm afraid my response is usually just laughing quietly and saying we've got it covered. After hearing that question approximately 1,248,326 times growing up, the question itself feels like an old joke, one that you know the answer to but you still chuckle when you hear it, because it's such a good joke.
Recently someone I knew on Facebook posted something along the lines of "I'm thinking about Homeschooling. Thoughts?".
As a side note, I would like to inform you that Facebook is not where you should go for information on making life changing decisions. Just in case you were wondering.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand...
The very first reply to her post -
"Advice? Don't do it."
Followed by how this person knew many people that do homeschool, and they are "intellectually fine" but when it comes to social skills "they are WAY behind".
Then further down there was another poster who said "kids who are home schooled are highly deficient in their abilities to read body language, communicate effectively with peers, and deal with social problems"
I was sitting under a rock when I read this, because as an adult who was homeschooled, I spend most my days hiding under rocks. Obviously I'm afraid to interact with real people because as a homeschooled child, I spent the entirety of my days staring at blank walls, reading math and science text books, and competing in spelling bees (where I astutely avoided making eye contact with anyone, lest that lead to talking to them. Heaven forbid).
Having heard comments such as these my ENTIRE homeschooled life, they did not shock or surprise me, but I guess I was in part surprised that they haven't changed at all in the last 20 years. Aren't there enough of us "normal" people who homeschooled that this is no longer an issue? Clearly not. So I have something I would like to tell you.
Homeschooling does not make children anti-social. Or less social. Or socially awkward. Or take away their ability to read body language. I PROMISE.
Having parents who are crazy will probably make you anti-social, or socially awkward, and I will not dispute that crazy homeschoolers exist. But crazy people exist EVERYWHERE. The disconnect I see is that when the average person sees someone who was public schooled, and is socially awkward (Oh wait, that never happens, right?), NO ONE says "Oh, it's because he was public schooled". But that one really loud-spoken, socially awkward kid who was homeschooled for 2 years in high school, now THEY would have been completely normal if only they had gone to public school for those 2 years. And apparently Every. Single. One. of these outspoken opponents of homeschooling has met dozens of these socially awkward home schoolers, and so they know. They know FOR SURE that homeschooling destines children to a life of social inadequacy. To all you outspoken opponents, I would just like to say... Actually nothing. I have nothing to say to you. In my experience, people who are determined to believe something are not going to have their minds changed by anything they read on some random blog, so to you I say adieu. I'm headed back under my rock.
To the rest of you, to those of you who are curious, and think maybe you would like to homeschool one day, or who are homeschooling, but are a little worried about the whole "socialization" thing, I would like to say, don't worry. As a homeschooler who grew up surrounded by friends who were homeschooled, we were pretty normal kids for the most part, and we went on to go to college, get jobs, and lead real, normal lives. You probably even know a few of us, but don't realize we were homeschooled.
I believe there have even been studies conducted comparing the social skills of homeschooled children to conventionally schooled children, and guess what? Homeschooled kids did just fine. Maybe even better then their public school counterparts dare I say.
So worry not, don't be crazy, and enjoy homeschooling.
