When I first began homeschooling, the first thing I heard was, “What about socialization?” If I only knew how those words would impact the next decade of my life. Many people feel that unless a child is submerged into a culture of the “school” experience; that pertains to a classroom of 20-30 kids of the same age that your child will be “under socialized”.
In my early homeschool years, a lack of socialization looked desirable to me. Really, it’s true. I thought that maybe homeschooling would be a cure all for bad attitudes, copying friends misbehavior, and the dreaded “teen peer pressure”. Guess what I learned! That’s right; there is no preventing socialization! And, another tip, homeschooling does not cure peer pressure or influence. Now that my oldest is 21 years old, I have looked over my past years homeschooling and noted the successes, failures, mistakes, and lessons learned along the way. The biggest lesson that I learned is that homeschooling does not protect children from the dangers of the world.
As a Christian parent, this was my goal. I had painted an idyllic family picture in my head and somehow homeschooling was going to be the culmination of that “Little House on the Prairie” life that I had envisioned. Well, slap me silly and wake me up! I learned that this is truly the 21st century, my kids are not the Ingalls family, and another thing: I really don’t want to be called, Ma!
Now, I don’t worry about “socialization” either the lack of it or the abundance of other peers in my children’s lives. What I focus on is what my impact is on their lives and nurturing and developing the role that I have in their growing personalities. Did you know that a child’s core center of who they are is set by the age of seven? Those early years are crucial. Those are the years where what we instill in them is ingrained in their personalities for the rest of their lives. This is the true meaning of homeschooling. It is really home learning, and every home is a home based on home learning. So, I don’t worry about the impact of socialization. I believe more in communication, and discussing with my children what is happening in their lives.