Socializing the Homeschooler

When I began considering homeschool for my children a few years back, the one thing I kept running into was the "socialization" issue. Yes, I worried a little bit about "socializing". I listened to mothers and close relatives spill their views as to why not to homeschool. I even entertained that my children might not enjoy homeschooling for a lack of "friends".

But, then, I remembered how I, a public school graduate, remained shy and anti-social until my college years. The same is true of my mother, father, and sister. We are shy people. Yet all of us attended public school. Is shyness a gene inherited from parents and passed from generation to generation?? I'm not sure and I would love to read more on the issue.

With my two boys, the differences in temperment and personality are so clear and marked. Jordan does tend toward the shy part of the pond BUT is extremely verbal--mind you, not articulate. He just loves to TALK and ask questions--lots of questions. He loves being around other kids and just playing. My younger son, Landon, doesn't have a shy bone in his body. No where to be found. He, too, is very verbal but extremely articulate for such a young child. My husband and I are convinced he's a brainiac. He, too, loves playing with other children and doesn't mind at all bossing them around or asking their name. He will even make up "stories" to mimic other children. Such as telling a little girl that ". . . Yeah, I have a sister. She's at my blue house." Nothing about that statement is true but he identifies himself with other children and I think that for now that's great.

This past week, I got to observe my children's socialization skills at work and I couldn't be more pleased. Watching them play at McDonald's, the beach, and Chick-Fil-A and interact with various children from different backgrounds, I am not the least bit worried about their "socialization." My children shared, were kind and thoughtful, excessively playful and happy. They did not tattle, scream, hit, cry, kick, attack or stomp off mad at any time. They interacted and solved problems (i.e. verbal disagreements) with ease. I observed my oldest son taking care of his brother. I watched as they obeyed my rules and tested the waters of what someone new was doing. (Swimming in the ocean a little beyond what I had deemed safe.) I also observed my children interact with other adults. Keep in mind these were adults they had never met before. They reacted with kindness and respect. Not at one time did my children shrink back from others or act "shy."

I love that my children have the social skills necessary for their age. They are not perfect by no means. And yes, my children are tattle-tales and we have "sharing" problems just like other families--they are typical children. All in all, my children are developing social skills at their own developmental stage. They are not being rushed into certain types of socializing that would damage their character and cause them to be fearful. I, along with most all of the homeschool mothers out there agree, socialization is not an issue when it comes to homeschooling.