You Homeschool?

Several times in the last week when we have been out and about at various things, we have been confronted by the most popular reason not to homeschool....socialization! It amazes me that this is the first objection, not whether they are learning math (an essential skill), or history, grammar, writing or how to read (another essential skill).

Before, I go into my personal thoughts on this topic let me say and agree that homeschooling is not for every parent or every child. It is not the best choice for everyone, but it is the best choice for my family and me. So, this is written from my perspective as a homeschool mom and I am in no way implying that this applies to everyone, just my family.

My first thought every time I hear this is "Really, have you MET my children?" They make friends everywhere we go. Here are a few examples that come to mind:

• Last week on a field trip to the museum, Princess TD was conversing with one of the more mature women at our church about things she likes and about her favorite part of the exhibit. (Which by the way were the scrolls we saw from Luke that told the story of the birth of Jesus, and the HUGE bathtub.)
• We went to Lowe's to buy some flowers for our flower beds, and she struck up a conversation with the vendor there arranging her flowers on display about what would be a good flower for our sunny yard.
• We went to our neighborhood park to play in the morning, and we met a couple of kids in town from New Orleans for their Mardi Gras break and they instantly hit it off. The girl ran around with Princess TD laughing and playing just like schoolgirls at recess. The boy and Little TD played trucks in the sand.

My children are very social and have no problems talking to children their own age, or to adults that are twice my age. They are cautious when they speak to strangers (which I am grateful for) but they are not afraid to talk, ask questions or learn from anyone.

Consider with me the other side of the coin.

Did you talk a lot in school? I did. I was almost always in trouble for talking or asking questions at inappropriate times. I do admit that it was a long time ago that I was in elementary school, but I can't imagine it has changed much. So really do you get much "social" interaction in school?

Princess TD is very strong willed, and is pretty much a leader. She does have a tendency to follow when she "likes" another child. What I mean here is, if someone is pretty, or is wearing an outfit she likes, she will do what that child does to be like that child. She is very concerned about her clothes and whether or not she looks pretty. (Yes, I am dreading the teenage years!) I see that as a problem for learning in a group setting.

Thank you for your concern about the development of my children. However, before you begin to make generalized comments about them, please take a few moments to get to know them and tailor your comments to something that actually applies to them. :)

As a parting thought, I will leave you with a comment from the 2nd grader down the street:

"My teacher doesn't like us. She is making us take this really big test. It's the TAKS test."

Hmmm....