Anybody else tired of hearing how homeschoolers don't get enough socializing?

Question

We homeschool our kids and I'm soooo tired of the socializing question. I think my kids are well-adjusted and have tons of friends from all age groups and ethnicities. (More so than the kids in my neighborhood who attend the local school). There are a wealth of activities open to homeschoolers, so much so that I never worry about the kids getting enough social interaction.
Am I the only one that is tired of answering this question? In the future, how do I not respond to this question without sounding dismissive? Should I just shrug my shoulders and agree. Help!

Answer 1

George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
John Quincy Adams
James Madison
William Henry Harrison
John Tyler
Abraham Lincoln
Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Franklin Delano Roosevelt

This is a list of presidents who was home schooled..the list goes on and on about famous people who was home schooled..
who gives a crap what these ignorant people think about home schooling, i sure in the heck don't care about their opinion..just laugh in their faces, they are no body to you and me..

i asked a question similar to this one and look at the answers I received..lmao and they think they are smart because they went to a public school all they did was make them selves look stupid

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtdKCgRoSlbolUZG16yxVpLsy6IX?qid=20061014152815AA5y3bd

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Answer 2

I don't think theres a difference between children who homeschool and those who don't. I just think it depends on the child. I know of people who home school and their social life was just as the other kids who didn't homeschooled. Like I said it just depends on the individual. I think homeschool is a good alternative. Any way what you could just say that your kids still have enough socializing with their friends without having to attend the local school. Hope I helped.

Answer 3

I know how how you feel, I am a homeschooler, and like every one asks me like are you not a people person, and I am like, no I love people, I have a ton of friends, and they are much better then any I might find in public school. All my friends, never had any time for each other, but now that we are all homeschooled, it is like we all are closer, I think homeschool is also better for association, I mean there are alot of kids in school, you don't want your kid hanging around, because kids are very persuasive, and when you are homeschooled, you can monitor more freely what kids your child is with, I mean you can really get to now your childs friends, and be apart of your kdis life, I think homeschool, is just an all over better plan!

Answer 4

Nope -- you don't have to agree but yes go ahead and shrug--- shrug and smile. I've learned that it doesn't matter what people think or say unless they are being helpful. And NOPE, I'm not tired of answering the question -- because there might be someone that needs the right answer!!!!

For 18 years I haven't worried that other people don't understand what it is that we do. I haven't let it matter that they don't know us or how to communicate with others outside of the Country of Public School. My goal was to offer my children a decent and worthwhile education ---- I don't do it because someone else wanted me to and wouldn't not do it for the same reason..... The education of MY children is MY business. And I'm happy to say that they are turning into great adults that can handle themselves very well in any situation --- work, college, life in general.... etc.

Recently I began to think that it did matter to build more support in the forum of public opinion and that by infoming people about school-choice and giving them the facts that it would make a difference in the public perception of home-schoolers. Well, no, it doesn't work. Well hey, what does it matter? What matters is the people that care. The people that know us don't EVER ask those questions. If they don't know us then they can't make informed commentary on my life or your's. Go ahead and let them comment all they want...... I giggle when I think to myself about the young people that are "against" homeschooling --- LOL, they are going to grow up one day and have children --- I am certain that there will be a huge amount of them that choose to homeschool -- because now they have been educated about the possibility ---- too bad I'll have no way to track it and prove it! So, should any of you ever decide to home-school and see how wonderful it is -- please look me up and send me a note!! I'd love to hear it.

A forum such as this one will only be a place to argue thoughts. I hope to use it as a place to meet friendly people that are in the beginning stages of finding out about their option to have their own home-school -- and also be able to direct them to better resources to fill their needs. The others? Well. They can stay in their little bubbles hollering about this and that and the other and it won't bother me one bit. They can scream about socialization all they want and I don't have to pay attention. So what if they do ---- as my hubby would say, "No skin off my nose."

Answering questions from people need only be with a comment and a smile, "We are doing very well in that area thank you very much!".

Home-schoolers are not a subculture that needs to be defined. We are people that prefer to give our families a great parent-directed, family oriented education.

The best way to find encouragement is definitely NOT from the general public --- which is whom this forum is made of. Go ahead and talk about it with everyone but when the naysayers begin to neigh just count it as what it is and move on. You will find various people that are supportive and kind -- thank them and keep them in your heart.

The best internet answer to the negativity? A great big "ROFLOLOOA" (...over and over again).

There are MILLIONS of people that have been and are currently home-schooled. There are millions of resources and tens-of-thousands of support groups, conferences, websites, programs etc for homeschoolers.

There is a new yahoo group at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/groups/homeschoolanswers is a good place to go. It is just getting started and it will be a spring-board for people to come and find encouragement and links to other places that cater to home-school needs.

Answer 5

When asked about the socialization aspect, I always start by asking them to define socialization ("what do you mean by socialization?"). This makes them start to think about exactly what socialization is. Once you know where they are coming from, you should be able to tailor your answer to their need. They may be thinking about prom, walking across the stage, teams, etc. You can counter this by describing all the activities your children are involved in and how not everyone in public school goes to prom, participates on teams, etc.

If their concern is for being able to follow an authority, that is more a SOCIALIST concern (think communist Germany or China), than socilization. The original purpose of public education was to create worker-drones who would obediently follow authority without question (not the kind of socialization I want for my kids - I'd rather have free-thinkers who question everything, including one's authority). I know several adults who were homeschooled and have chosen to start their own (successful) businesses because they didn't want to be directed by someone else. If they didn't have social skills, they couldn't be successful in business because they wouldn't know how to act around their clients.

If they mean developing interaction skills, ask them what type of social skills are learned from other kids? Bullying? Drug use? Sex? Foul language? In the past, kids learned to interact with others by being around large groups of adults (not children) who were themselves well-trained, socially. By putting 1000 (or more) children together with only a handful of adult role-models, what type of social skills do you think they will learn?

You and I are educators, so instead of getting tired of answering the same question, I look at it as an opportunity to educate another person. Will everyone agree with you or come around to your way of thinking? Of course not. But what if you missed the opportunity with the one person for whom it would make a difference?

OR - (if you don't feel like discussing it) you could just say something like, "I've heard that can be a problem for other people."

Answer 6

Yes. I'm also tired of people showing up in the homeschooling section and instead of answering questions, trying to convince homeschoolers to not homeschool. As though we haven't really thought about our decision, haven't informed ourselves, and just woke up one morning and said, "Hey, you know what, I think I'd like to homeschool!" I can not fathom why people who are irritated by homeschooling and homeschoolers would read the questions and be snarky about it.

As for a response, it's going to depend on the attitude of the person you are talking to. I don't think being dismissive is necessarily bad in some situations. Saying things like, "We were concerned about that too and have made a point to have them experience a variety of social situations," may be seen as dismissive by some but as explanatory for others. To be really dismissive or leave it up to the other person to lead the conversation, you could say, "Yeah, a lot of people wonder about that," and leave it at that.

Basically, I'm saying that you can't have one response that will be suitable in all situations. Just don't ever feel the need to defend yourself.

Answer 7

I home school my eight year old daughter. I love home schooling, and wouldn't have it any other way... But, she is an only child, and I must admit that I think she's lonely for kids her own age. She goes to play with kids we know as often as possible, but it isn't enough I think. Also she is very bright and articulate, but I think she is a little imature for her age (playing wise) . ......On the bright side, I also think she is avoiding kids at school who are learning things way beyond their years and they aren't ready for that, but it's the way it is today. I do wish my daughter had more interaction with other kids though. But of course school doesn't really provide a social circle lol! They are in class 90% of the time, so they are not playing and hanging out with friends... What do they get?..Like a half an hour at lunch/recess? So the school really isn't the answer anyway....

Answer 8

Who's Miley Cyrus?

Answer 9

I did not homeschool my kids but know a lot who do. All I can say is almost every homeschooler I know is well educated and does very well socially. They have a lot of activities and to me seem to have an edge in almost every way over government educated. Come to think of it if the government can't be trusted with our money (think social security etc.) how can they be trusted with our kids. Nobody can raise kids like a mom and dad.

Answer 10

I am sorry for your frustration. I too remember saying if one more person asked me why I would deprive my children of socializing...

Well, it is worth it. You know what I found out? Instead of my children being "sheltered" ,as I was so often accused, they were actually participating in SOCIETY on a daily basis. While their counterparts were institutionalized with peers exactly like them "socially" speaking. My children went where we went: Grocery store, restaurant, Dr, or Funeral Home. They learned to make change at the store(unlike many cashiers who were "socialized" in public school. They learned that death is not to be feared but part of our life here on this planet. They saw real animals at the zoo not just pictures of them in a book. They too got to see us respond everytime we were questioned about their apparent handicap(homeschooling).
When they moved onto higher education they were well received
by teachers and peers. They were academically prepared as well as ready to be independent. They were not suddenly trying to learn life skills they missed out on while being institutionalized.
They did socialize in society.
So take heart and realize that even though people don't understand your kids will appreciate it when they begin reaping the rewards on their own. I'm sure you already know the benefits are worth the scrutiny. Hang in there.

Answer 11

I have no kids, but I have family members who homeschool. I am all for it. Next time I hear someone say that I think I will say something like-

Let's talk about the social skills that I learned in Public school- I learned that the character of a person does not matter, what is important is where they shop and the brand of clothes they wear. I learned that it is important to follow the crowd and let others dictate your behavior if you want to be well liked. And if you are lucky enough to fit into a socialist "popular" group, they dictate how you dress, your interest and who you like. I learned that all you have to do to be considered a decent person is to become a football player or cheerleader. I learned that it is perfectly normal to make out with your Boyfriend/girlfriend at age 14 in public, and that it is wrong to tell them to take it somewhere else (the teachers never stopped it). I learned a whole lot of choice words that I would not have learned at home and at that time, not on TV either. I learned that you are supposed to give in to bullies, not stand up to them, after all if you are nice to them then they will change. I learned that it is okay to bully other's who are different than you.

I can keep going, but I think that you get the picture. (I have been out of school 10 years, I am sure it is much worse now.) How can anyone argue with that. Also one other thing my sister likes to tell people is that through her homeschool groups, the kids learn to interact with children of ALL ages, they are not just lumped into a group of kids their own age who they will spend 13 years with.

It is only because of good parents who would not allow me to have those attitudes that I am a decent person now.

To the person who says that kids don't respect authority firgures, I think that your attitude is very skewed, I watch most of the homeschooled kids I know- they respect authority better than their public schooled peers in most cases. I remember how much we really ahd to respect authority when I was in school- yeah the kids who acted up usually ended up having a shouting match with the teachers- that really is respecting authority now isn't it?