The s-word

For homeschoolers, that would be "Socialization."

I figured we lived in a far more enlightened time where people realized that typically isn't a problem with today's homeschoolers. With the advent of co-ops, message boards, homeschool PE classes, and other such things created to bring homeschoolers together, I assumed the vast majority of the world understood that homeschooled kids aren't just locked away from the rest of the world.

A fairly recent post at Motherhood Uncensored proved I was wrong. Well, the post can't take credit for my awakening. The comment section is where I repeatedly found references to how homeschooled children lack socialization. Um...ah...what? Our fellow homeschooled children are not only social creatures, but they have friends of all ages. A friend of mine summed it up perfectly at a homeschool field trip a few months back. "Where else would you find an 11-year-old who actually WANTS to play with a 4-year-old?" Some of my children's best friends are other homeschooled children who are all vastly older than them. Some are twice my kids' age and you know what? Not only do those children play happily with mine, they actually ENJOY it.

This rant was inspired by an article I came across over a year ago, but I just found it again in my old sent mail. Here's a link to the article: No Thank You, We Don't Believe in Socialization.

She raises some fabulous points!