It’s the first day back at school in these parts, and so my daughter is about to become a social outcast. So say a few people I know. Of course, all homeschoolers are social outcasts, right? Isn’t that why we homeschool – to ensure that our children get no social time with others?
Well, of course not. You might not choose to enroll your child in classes that you feel might be inappropriate for their social development, and some of those classes may be school-based. Perhaps you are concerned about bullying or about peer pressure. Those concerns are valid. No one sends their child to school so that the child can experience bullying and peer pressure. At least I hope not.
But what people seem to be concerned about is the lunch time play aspect of school. They imagine bands of children, fast friends, running around enjoying themselves. How awful to deny this to your kids, they say. Homeschooled children won’t have this opportunity.
Well, that isn’t entirely the truth. First off, homeschooled children often have siblings. They play with their siblings, and they learn about kindness and friendship and sharing there. Schools break up these sibling groups for the day. Homeschooling does not. If your child doesn’t have siblings, perhaps she has a special neighbor friend like my daughter does. The children are very close, but not so close that they don’t fight some of the time. It’s a good opportunity for my daughter to learn about inter-child relationships. At school, this child would be in a completely different grade than my daughter is, so they would have very little time to socialize.
As a homeschooler, you may also be involved in a church, and this provides a ready-made community of children and adults who also happen to share your values. Classes or guide and scout groups also create opportunities to meet others.
Honestly, as I look at our fall schedule I see huge amounts of time for socializing. Three mornings a week, we’ll be attending parent participation play-based programs. We go to church. We’re going to a Guiding program one evening. And then we’ll invite other friends over. To be honest, we’re going to relish those days when all is quiet and we’re at home. As two somewhat-introverted souls, we’ll need the rest. On those days, I’m looking forward to snuggling with my daughter and learning together, in the best social outcast manner, of course.
Image courtesy of arsel on stock exchange.